Tip off! The University of St. Thomas Women's Basketball team is back for the 2022-2023 season! Their season will feature 25 games, and 16 of those are SCAC matchups. In addition to 13 games at home in the Jerabeck Activity and Athletics Center, the team will also host the SCAC vs SAA Crossover tournament.
Women's basketball will open their season at home against non-conference opponent University of the Southwest on November 8th. After that, Celt Alumni will be welcomed for homecoming on November 12th as they take on the Arlington Baptist Patriots. Then on November 16th, the Celts will fine tune their skills at home against the LeTourneau Yellowjackets before the SCAC vs SAA Crossover Tournament.
The SCAC vs SAA Crossover tournament will feature the Celts taking on Birmingham Southern College and Millsaps College. These matchups are key non-conference opponents for St. Thomas as they topped Birmingham Southern 93-78 last season and were edged by Millsaps 43-40.
In the SCAC, St. Thomas will look to improve off their 7th place finish. With veteran leadership and a young core coming in, the Celts have lots to build upon from last season taking wins from Centenary, Dallas, and Southwestern twice.
The Celts will return Senior guard Micayla Hamilton to lead their team. After achieving second team All-Conference Honors in 2022, Hamilton contributed an outstanding 11.8 points per game. Also returning for the 2022-2023 campaign is Alexya Castillo. Castillo made nearly ⅓ of all her shots and achieved her career high in points at 23 against SCAC rival Southwestern. Senior Hayden Morin also provides a different dimension to the team, specifically on defense. Morin had 25 steals last season and also 3.6 rebounds per game, a category which ranks her at the top of all returners.
Head Coach Jae Cross returns for her seventh season leading UST Women's Basketball. Under her leadership, the Celts have achieved a remarkable 78 wins, and are looking to add to that total. Furthermore, with St. Thomas officially joining NCAA Division III, a SCAC title would automatically qualify the team for the national tournament.
"We are looking forward to starting this season at home next Tuesday. Having our family, friends, and fans come to watch and support the efforts of our student-athletes is always rewarding," Head Coach Jae Cross said. "We are young but have some tough and talented players that will compete hard.Being able to watch them learn, grow, and mature is going to be fun."
To view the full schedule, click here!
For more information on UST Women's Basketball, follow the team on Instagram and Twitter. Scores and updates will also be posted on our official UST athletics social media channels.
