RAIDER WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (7-3, 2-0 CCC)
Dec. 19-20 | Ashland, Ore. (Lithia Motors Pavilion) | Tickets
5:30 p.m. Friday – vs. No. 18 Corban (9-1, 2-0) | Stream | Live Stats
3 p.m. Saturday – vs. Bushnell (2-8, 0-2) | Stream | Live Stats

ASHLAND – Southern Oregon's first big Cascade Conference test is on tap this weekend in a holiday homestand at Lithia Motors Pavilion.

Winners of three in a row and seven of their last eight, the Raiders (7-3 overall, 2-0 CCC) host No. 18-ranked Corban (9-1, 2-0) at 5:30 p.m. Friday and Bushnell (2-8, 0-2) at 3 p.m. Saturday. They'll attempt to extend their CCC winning streak to 40 games, a number only one team has reached in the history of the conference. They'll also go for their first Top 25 win against Corban, which is back in the rankings after a six-year hiatus thanks to its hot start.

FREE STREAMING: For the first time in over a decade, SOU is offering free live streams of all home events as part of a CCC-wide move to the Urban Edge Network. Fans can watch on desktop computers at UrbanEdgeNetwork.net and are encouraged to download the Urban Edge Network app for best viewing experiences on mobile devices and Smart TVs.

NAIA TOP 25: The Raiders were receiving votes at No. 30 overall in Wednesday's new edition of the NAIA coaches' poll, up eight spots from where they stood when the last poll was released Nov. 26. Three CCC teams are among the Top 25: No. 15 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), No. 18 Corban and No. 20 Oregon Tech. Along with SOU, Eastern Oregon received votes at No. 35. The Mountaineers put themselves in the picture by getting an 11-point home win against LC State on the opening weekend of conference play. The next poll will be released Jan. 14.

BRIEFLY:

• The Raiders were off for final exams last week after starting CCC play with wins against Northwest (71-36) and Evergreen (72-47). During that homestand, the Raiders shot 38% from the 3-point line (20-of-52) and held their opponents to 30% combined shooting from the field. They also forced 19 more turnovers (51) and collected 13 more offensive rebounds (30) than their visitors from Washington.
• SOU's conference winning streak, which began Jan. 13, 2024, is at 38 games. Eastern Oregon holds the record for most consecutive CCC wins at 48 from 2017-19. The Raiders' other active streaks stand at 20 in a row at home and 21 in a row at home in conference play.
• Bridgette McIntyre leads the Raiders and ranks ninth in the CCC at 13.6 points per game. The senior guard is 32-of-84 from 3-point range (38%) and has connected on eight more triples than any other player in the conference. She has hit three or more 3-pointers 23 times in her two seasons at SOU and scored in double figures 15 of her last 18 outings.
• Eliza DiGiulio is the conference leader in 3-point accuracy at 45.7% (16-of-35). The reigning CCC Sixth Woman of the Year is putting up 11.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
• Sage Winslow (10.2 points) is the CCC's only freshman averaging double-digit points. Lydia Traore, her teammate at Crater High, ranks second among freshmen in both rebounds (6.1) and blocked shots (1.1).
• Eight straight SOU opponents have failed to shoot 40% from the field. The Raiders are also forcing more turnovers (20.6) and generating more steals (11.2) than any team in the conference.

ABOUT CORBAN: The Warriors posted sub-.500 CCC records each of the last four seasons, but two major transfers have made them instant contenders. Jersey Huerta, a 5-foot-4 sophomore guard, was the conference's leading scorer last season at the now-defunct Multnomah University and is averaging 18.7 points and 4.4 assists for her new team. Emilia Bishop, a 6-2 graduate transfer, has come on from Seattle Pacific to average 13.5 points and 8.1 boards. They joined guard Jenna Albrecht (12.9 points) to form one of the most potent offensive trios in the circuit, helping Corban shoot 46% as a team with the NAIA's sixth-best offensive rating (109 points/100 possessions). The Warriors took their first loss last week against Linfield. They're 29-52 all-time against SOU and have dropped 10 consecutive matchups.

ABOUT BUSHNELL: The Beacons are struggling to find offensive outside of CCC leading-scorer Ayden Krupke, who averages 19.2 of their 63.3 points per game and scored 36 in their 94-85 conference-opening loss at Corban. During a five-game losing streak that preceded last week's 80-72 win at Lewis & Clark, they dropped three games by four or fewer points. SOU is 32-6 in the all-time series and has swept each of the last four regular-season series.