DAYTON — The Wright State women’s basketball program opens its 2023-24 season on Monday, November 6, at Southern Indiana inside the Screaming Eagles Arena. The non-conference matchup will tip-off at 8 p.m. ET and stream on ESPN+. Live stats will also be provided.
GAME INFORMATION
Monday, November 6 – 8 p.m. ET – Watch – Live Stats – WSU Game Notes
HISTORY VS. SOUTHERN INDIANA
Monday’s season opener will be the sixth career meeting between Wright State and Southern Indiana. The Raiders fell to USI 76-66 at home last year, where returning guards Makiya Miller and Lauren Scott chipped in with seven points. The all-time series is in favor of USI, 3-2. WSU last defeated the Screaming Eagles 82-81 during the 1986 season.
SCOUTING THE SCREAMING EAGLES
Southern Indiana enters its second year as a Division I program in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Screaming Eagles compiled a 12-17 overall record and a 6-12 mark in conference play during the 2022-23 season. USI’s 2023-24 squad features eight returning players, including three starters and six newcomers. Senior forward Meredith Raley and junior guard Vanessa Shafford landed on the preseason All-OVC Team. Head coach Rick Stein begins his 25th season at the helm with a 423-254 record. The three-time GLVC Coach of the Year (2001, 2017 and 2018) has guided USI to five conference championships, three GLVC Tournament titles, 12 NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, and two NCAA Elite Eight appearances.
KEY RETURNERS
The Raiders return five letterwinners from a year ago, anchored by starting guard Kacee Baumhower (9.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.3 apg) and starting forward Cara VanKempen (6.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg). The duo is joined by Horizon League All-Freshman Team recipient Makiya Miller (5.9 ppg, 1.5 apg), Lauren Scott (4.8 ppg), and Rachel Loobie (2.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg).
VETERAN PRESENCE
Wright State’s four upperclassmen transfers bring a wealth of experience to the Raiders with a combined 384 games of collegiate basketball, including 299 starts.
Jada Tate » 112 games (92 starts) over four seasons at Division II Tiffin
Alexis Hutchison » 108 games (103 starts) over four seasons at Division II Malone
Julia Hoefling » 84 games (41 starts) over four seasons at Loyola Chicago
Layne Ferrell » 80 games (63 starts) over three seasons at Akron
SHOOTERS SHOOT
Wright State was one of the nation’s most prolific long-distance shooting teams last season, as the Raiders ranked second nationally in 3-point makes per game (10.1) and 22nd in 3-point percentage (.364). Wright State netted a school record 323 threes while also shattering a single-game school record with 18 3-pointers versus Cleveland State (1/20/23). Graduate forward Cara VanKempen is the team’s top returning long-range shooter, as she went 30-for-70 (.429) on 3-point attempts in 2022-23. Returning guards Kacee Baumhower, Lauren Scott, and Makiya Miller each made 20-plus threes a year ago.
PRESEASON POLL
The Raiders finished seventh in the 2023 Horizon League preseason poll with 54 points, which the league’s 11 head coaches voted on. Green Bay (121 points) was selected to win the conference after receiving all 11 first-place votes.
MILESTONE WATCH
Alexis Hutchison is nearing 1,500 career points (currently at 1,387 points) and 200 career steals (currently at 183 steals) in her collegiate career. The guard spent her first four seasons at Malone University, where she was a two-time NCCAA Division I All-Midwest Region selection and a Third Team NCCAA All-American in 2023. Jada Tate is up to 991 points over 112 collegiate games, while Julia Hoefling has compiled 87 career blocks.
EARLY TESTS
Wright State’s non-conference schedule features seven teams with a winning record last season, two Power Five programs, and a multi-team exempt event (MTE). The Raiders face road meetings at Michigan State (November 12) and West Virginia (December 18). WSU will close its non-conference slate with games against Presbyterian (December 21) and Wyoming (December 22) at the Las Vegas Hoops Classic.
FAMILY HOOPS TREE
Graduate forward Jada Tate has three siblings with Division I college basketball experience, including her older brother Jae’Sean, who played at Ohio State from 2014-2018 and is in his fourth year as an NBA forward for the Houston Rockets. Her brother Jalen was a four-year starter at Northern Kentucky (2016-2020) before spending the 2020-21 season at Arkansas. Her sister Jocelyn is currently a junior guard at Michigan State. Tate’s father, Jermaine, played college basketball for Ohio State and Cincinnati before embarking on a 13-year professional career.
BASKETBALL RUNS IN THE FAMILY
Sophomore guard Lauren Scott is the granddaughter of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Gary Williams, who led the Maryland men’s basketball program to its first-ever NCAA Tournament Championship in 2002. He also served as head coach for American (1978- 82), Boston College (1982-86), and Ohio State (1986-89). Currently, he is Maryland’s Senior Managing Director for Alumni Relations and Athletic Development.
HL SLATE
Each Horizon League team will play a 20-game double round-robin schedule. Wright State’s conference schedule gets underway at the Nutter Center on November 30 versus IUPUI and concludes on March 2 at Detroit Mercy.
BUILT IN OHIO
Six of WSU’s seven total newcomers played high school basketball in Ohio, including four from the Greater Dayton area. In total, 11 individuals on Wright State’s 15-player roster are from Ohio.
RAIDER LEADERSHIP
Wright State is set for its third season under the direction of head coach Kari Hoffman, who was introduced as the eighth head coach in program history in May 2021. In her second year at WSU, Hoffman guided the Raiders to a four-win improvement, a Horizon League Championship quarterfinals appearance, and a 6-5 record over the program’s last 11 games. Hoffman joined the Raiders after serving as the head coach at nearby Cedarville University for five seasons, where she won 106 games, led the Yellow Jackets to three regular season conference titles, and was named the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2021. Hoffman also earned NCCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year honors in 2019 and 2020. In addition to Hoffman, assistant coaches John Leonzo, Megan Leuzinger, and Patrick Bain enter their third season at Wright State. Director of Operations Emily Chapman joined the coaching staff in August 2023.
GET YOUR TICKETS
Season tickets for the Raider women’s basketball campaign are on sale through WSURaiders.com or by contacting the ticket office at (937) 775-4936, starting as low as $40. Single-game tickets are as low as $5, with general admission seating throughout the arena.
MOBILE TICKETING
Wright State has launched the Wright State Raiders app, allowing fans to stay up to date on Raider women’s basketball. Fans are encouraged to use the Wright State Raiders app as the primary method for managing their digital tickets, which are required for entry to all WSU basketball events. Tickets for the 2023-24 basketball seasons are now uploaded and accessible on all purchaser accounts. Fans can easily view their tickets, download them to their mobile wallet, or transfer them to another individual account.
UP NEXT
Wright State will stay on the road for a matchup at Michigan State on Sunday, November 12. The non-conference matchup will tip-off at 2 p.m. and stream on Big Ten Plus.