WAC WBB2526 Release Week 5
WAC IN THE NET RANKINGS
The NCAA released the first NET rankings of the women’s basketball 2025-26 season on Dec. 1 and the WAC saw five of its seven members inside the top 160. California Baptist ranked the highest in the league at 98th followed by Southern Utah at 106, Abilene Christian at 124, Utah Valley at 157 and UT Arlington at 159. The WAC is ranked 9th out of the 31 DI conferences on Warren Nolan’s Conference NET Rankings.
SOUTHERN UTAH’S HISTORIC START
Southern Utah is off to the best start in the
Tracy Mason era with a 6-1 record in the first seven games following the victory over Nelson University (AZ) 111-41. The Thunderbirds hit a program-high 16 3-pointers in the match led by
Charli Kay and
Morgan Trigueiro who combined for nine shots made from distance. The Thunderbirds will face their toughest stretch of the season as they take on a pair of opponents that are also 6-1 (Colorado State, Boise State) in their next three scheduled games.
CALIFORNIA BAPTIST’S SATURDAY DOMINATION
California Baptist bounced back from its first loss of the season with a blowout 92-49 victory over Sacramento State in the CBU Classic last Saturday afternoon. The 92 points is a season-high for the Lancers as they nabbed their third 20+ point victory of the season. Five Lancers finished with double-digit points led by
Lauren Olsen who recorded 20 points after making 6-of-7 shots from beyond the arc. Olsen sits tied for the conference lead in 3-point field goals made with 18 made shots from deep this season.
WAC IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
UT Arlington currently holds the best 3-point defense in the nation as the Lady Mavs allow 16.7 percent from beyond the arc, almost four percentage points less than the second-best team. The Wolverines also shine on the defensive side as Utah Valley ranks third in steals per game (16.7) and fourth in turnovers forced per game (27.71). Southern Utah has been taking advantage of the free throws as the Thunderbirds rank seventh in the country averaging 19.00 free throws made per game. The T-Birds also rank ninth in rebounds per game with 47.14.