LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Women's basketball opens the 2025-26 season against Texas Lutheran, a round of 32 team a season ago, on Monday, November 17. Here's all you need to know about the Tigers heading into this year's campaign.
 
SWAN SONG
 
It's the last season together for a group of seniors that helped the Tigers to a SCIAC Championship as sophomores. The bunch has a combined three All-SCIAC nods – Paige Yasukochi is a two-time second team selection and Ainsley Shelsta, who missed most of last season, was named to the first team in 2023-24.
 
Shelsta is one of the nation's top centers, averaging 17.3 points and 13.4 rebounds per game before going down in the middle of conference play last season. Shelsta is just 154 points shy of 1,000 for her career.
 
Dara Tokeshi and Dominique Cabading are the two other Tiger seniors that have spent all four years with the program. Tokeshi averaged 11 points per game last season, while Cabading led the team in steals with 43 – 1.9 per game.
 
Emily Ko debuted with the squad as a junior a season ago. The transfer from Folsom Lake College shined once entering the starting five. Her best game came in a 68-63 victory over Cal Lutheran when she picked up a 27-point double-double, with 10 rebounds and five assists.
 
Megan Delgado and Kayla Ikuma round out the seniors. Delgado showed flashes of three-point prowess as a junior, shooting at a 38% clip to lead the team. Ikuma saw action in 17 games off the bench for the Tigers and figures to be a rotational piece.
 
SAME STORY, DIFFERENT SEASON
 
The Tigers return 13 from a season ago, losing only one rotational player in Michelle Lagunas-Monroy to graduation. In addition to the seniors, Ila Giblin – who notched two double-doubles in her rookie campaign – looks to be a centerpiece of the front court.
 
The only fresh face on the roster is Makenna Daggett. Originally from Washington, Daggett attended Division II Vanguard for two seasons before transferring to Occidental. The forward saw action in one game for the Lions as a first year.
 
TOUGH SCHEDULE
 
The Tigers face a slurry of tough out-of-conference opponents in 2025-26. Aside from opening the season with RV Texas Lutheran, the Tigers take on preseason No. 24 Gettysburg at the D3Hoops.com Classic in Las Vegas on December 29.
 
While in Las Vegas they also face a Salve Regina squad that finished the season with a loss to No. 5 Smith.
 
The Tigers host St. Joseph's College (Maine) on New Year's Eve who, outside of the COVID year, have won at least 21 games in every season throughout the 2020's. In fact, the last time the Monks finished a season .500 or worse was 2009-10, when they went 12-12.
 
Puget Sound, Willamette and Lewis & Clark all make trips down from the Northwest to visit the Tigers. Oxy had success against the NWC a season ago, going 2-1 in those contests.
 
While the schedule looms on the horizon, a successful finish to the non-conference slate could help the Tigers' postseason odds when looking at the National Power Index (NPI) that determines the 21 at-large bids.
 
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK
 
After beginning the conference slate 6-2, then falling out of SCIAC Tournament contention, the Tigers hope to rebound in 2025-26.
 
A young conference a season ago only improves with age, as the SCIAC graduated only three of its 14 all-conference players.
 
Whittier looks to take the biggest hit, losing SCIAC Offensive Athlete of the Year Rhe Nae Leach and first team selection Lorita Salloom. SCIAC Tournament Champion Cal Lutheran holds onto its three All-SCIAC selections – Alline Ballard, Janna Holley and Kaiya Mack. Redlands also holds onto two all-conference players, most notably AJ Wick who was recognized as a D3Hoops.com Preseason All-American.
 
The Tigers are the eldest team, however, with the current junior class holding the majority of the conference's talent. They also hold a championship pedigree and experience in the NCAA and SCIAC tournaments.
 
UP NEXT
 
After the season debut with Texas Lutheran at home, the Tigers host DII Seattle Pacific in an exhibition before welcoming Lewis & Clark and Puget Sound to Rush Gym before finals.