Women's Basketball

Cougars Cleared to Win Another Women's Basketball Title

Azusa Pacific is the coaches favorite to win in 2023-24--just as they have done in three of the last four years

Azusa Pacific has won more Pacific West Conference women’s basketball titles than any current member of the conference (five), including three of the last four.

The Cougars have ten returning players and four starters back from the 2022-23 squad that won the PacWest banner and tournament trophy, making Coach TJ Hardeman’s team the easy on-paper pick to win in 2023-24.

The PacWest women’s basketball coaches agree, tabbing the Cougars as the preseason favorite in the annual coaches poll. APU collected 10 of the 11 first place votes for 120 poll points. Point Loma was next with 104 points with Dominican grabbing the third rung with 97 poll points and the other first place vote.

The Cougars will begin the season next week (Nov. 3 and 5) at a tournament in Lubbock, Texas, while the rest of the conference gets going on November 10 when all 11 PacWest teams tip-off. (Look for the PacWest Preseason Team and Awards next week). To see the entire 2023-24 schedule, click here.

APU has become a PacWest juggernaut over the last decade.

The Cougars joined the PacWest for the 2012-13 season, and in addition to having won five titles since then (one shared) they have also placed second three times and have an overall league record of 174-38. Last year, Hardeman’s squad won the conference with a 18-2 mark, took the PacWest Tournament title in Hawai`i and reached the NCAA West Region semifinals before bowing out with a 26-5 record.

The 2023-24 APU team will look a lot like the 2022-23 squad, minus Alex Lowden, the only graduated Cougar. That means this fantastic foursome is back-- Paige Uyehara (Sr., G, All-PacWest First Team, All-West Region Second Team), Kelly Heimburger (Jr., F, All-PacWest Second Team), TyLee Manuel (Sr., F, All-PacWest Second Team), Molly Whitmore (Sr., F, All-PacWest Third Team).

That’s a lot of firepower and experience.

Point Loma is the team that the PacWest coaches thought had the best chance of dethroning the Cougars. The Sea Lions finished fifth in the conference last season (13-7/16-14 overall) and return three starters in Ellie Turk (11.3 ppg), Maddie Mersch and Annika Thayer. But head coach Charity Elliott also landed three transfers that should make an immediate impact including former Oral Roberts/Grand Canyon center (6-foot-3) Katie Scott, Hawai`i Pacific’s Tavia Rowell and Academy of Art’s Alyssa Munn. Scott averaged 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds at ORU in 2021-22, Rowell put up 17.6 ppg for the Sharks that same year and Munn was a starter for the Urban Knights.

Dominican has finished in second place in the PacWest standings in three of the last four years and is third in this year’s poll. Head coach Tim LaKose’s team was 15-5 last year and 18-11 overall and he welcomes back ten players from that team including four starters. Leading that foursome is PacWest Freshman of the Year Keyonee Neal, who averaged 12.3 points per game. Also back are Olga Faasolo, Alaiyah San Juan, and Jenna Duley. Not back is graduated do-everything guard Brittney Cedeno, a giant piece to replace. Pepperdine sophomore transfer Hailey Hoff, who played in 17 games for the Waves as a freshman, should help.

Concordia is next (fourth with 84 poll points). The Golden Eagles finished third in the conference last year (14-6), were 19-10 overall and reached the PacWest Tournament final for the first time. Head coach Christine Collins has 12 returnees back and three starters, led by Teagan Thurman (F/C, Jr., Third Team All-PacWest, 13.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg). Kendall Jackson and Camryn Kiernan also return to lead the large returning group of a dozen.

PacWest newcomer Westmont brings a tradition of women’s basketball success to the conference. Last year, the Warriors won the Golden State Athletic Conference title, reached the third round of the NAIA National Tournament and finished 25-4. Head coach Kirsten Moore is in her 19th season and brings a 422-132 coaching record. She has eight returning players and three starters in Destiny Okonkwo (6.2 ppg. 6.9 rpg), Laila Saenz (All-GSAC, 11.2 ppg, .407 3-pt fg) and Katie Goostrey (8.9 ppg). Division I transfer Lisa Kieffer (Montana) will also contribute.

Biola is another solid program that is in contention year in and out. Head coach Alan Nakamura has a robust ten returning players, led by Laila Walker, a Second Team All-PacWest selection (12.4 ppg, 89 assists), Jordan Rabe (10.5 ppg), and Natasa Radovic. The Eagles finished fifth last season in the PacWest and were an even 14-14 overall.

Fresno Pacific has the most returning players of anyone in the league with 12 (shared with Concordia). Head coach Tim Beauregard’s team was 14-11 overall last year and 9-11 in conference play. He has four starters back, including top scorer Felicia Dourva.

Hawai`I Pacific and Academy of Art tied for the eighth spot. The Sharks have a new coach in Ray Alvarado, who inherits a program that went 14-14 and 12-8 in conference, but lost PacWest Player/Newcomer of the Year Abby Spurgin. Eight players do return, led by Kalina Obrey (12.7 ppg/7.3 rpg). Two transfers that both saw starting time at their schools last year will also contribute in Erika Glenn (Western Oregon) and Megan Jones (UC Davis). Academy of Art also has a new coach in Jesse Clark. The Urban Knights and Clark don’t have standouts Alisha Wilson and Jadence Clifton anymore, but they can count on returnees Ashana Hinds (G, Sr., 6.7 ppg) and Christy Ojide (F/C, Jr., 6.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.2 bpg) to lead the way.

Rounding out the poll is Hawaii Hilo and Chaminade. The Vulcans, under veteran head coach Dave Kaneshiro, lost a trio of four-year plus standouts (Mandi Kawaha, Bree Olson, Jenna Waki), but return starters Kamalu Kamakawiwoole (Forward, Sr., All-PacWest Third Team), Keirstyn Agonias and Mindy Kawaha. Chaminade and head coach Michael Edwards has five returning players and two starters in Dallas Martinez (10.5 ppg) and Emma Morris. Birmingham- Southern transfer Sameera Elmasri could help right away, after averaging nearly 13 points a game and over five rebounds a contest last year for the Division III Panthers.

While Azusa will get the season started in Texas the first weekend of November, all 11 PacWest teams will go the next weekend. Nov. 10 games include Academy of Art at Western Oregon, Concordia at CS San Bernardino, Alaska at Biola, Hilo against Montana State Billings in Honolulu, Evergreen State at Chaminade, Fresno Pacific at Sonoma State, Point Loma against CS San Marcos in Pomona, Westmont at St. Martin’s, Alaska Anchorage at Hawaii Pacific, Dominican vs. Chico State at Sonoma and APU at Cal Poly Pomona.