RAIDER WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (18-7, 13-4 CCC)
3 p.m. Saturday – vs. Warner Pacific (10-13, 6-10)
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ASHLAND – The first- and sixth-place finishers in the Cascade Conference women's basketball standings have been separated by at least seven games every year for the last decade. Last year, sixth-place Bushnell was a whopping 12 wins back of champion Southern Oregon. But with two weekends left in an unprecedented 2025-26 regular season, a single game separates the top six teams.

Despite Tuesday's 69-60 setback at Oregon Tech, the Raiders (18-7 overall, 13-4 CCC) remain very much in control of their three-peat aspirations. Next week they'll get a crack at first-place Eastern Oregon, which is sitting at 13-3 with five four-loss teams on the chase. In fact, 12-4 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) is the only team that doesn't have multiple games remaining against those still in championship contention.

The Raiders make their final home regular-season appearance at 3 p.m. Saturday against seventh-place Warner Pacific (10-13, 6-10). It's their Breast Cancer Awareness "Pink" Game, as well as Senior Day for Eliza DiGiulio, Bridgette McIntyre and Shakia Teague-Perry, who will be recognized at the conclusion of the matchup.

PLAYOFF PICTURE: Has SOU done enough to reserve a spot in the 64-team NAIA Tournament for the fifth year in a row? It may still be too soon to say given the CCC traffic jam just outlined, but the Raiders are certainly on the right track. They continued to receive votes in this week's NAIA coaches' poll at No. 29 overall, they're No. 24 in the NAIA RPI, and they collected major résumé-boosting wins over the last couple weeks against then-No. 12 LC State and then-No. 22 Corban. Of great interest will be their standing in next week's Area Ratings Committee (ARC) West region ranking, which had them in superb position at No. 7 prior to their win at Corban.

One thing is certain: they'll be in the eight-team CCC Tournament for the 19th consecutive postseason, attempting to win it for the fourth time in five years, but this year's playoff comes with a twist. Unlike previous seasons, when each matchup's higher seed got homecourt advantage – a format still in use on the men's side – all three rounds of the tournament will be played at a single site, hosted by the No. 1 seed. The quarterfinals will take place on Feb. 27, the semifinals on Feb. 28, and the championship on March 2.

SENIOR SPARKS: After graduating seven players (including three all-stars) from last year's 34-1 team, the Raiders are in the improbable position of contending for another title thanks in large part to another outstanding senior class.

Eliza DiGiulio has gone from averaging fewer than two points per game through her first two seasons to establishing herself as one of the CCC's most versatile offensive forces. The 5-foot-11 forward from Portland – who last year became the CCC Sixth Woman of the Year – is among the conference leaders in points (12.0, 14th), 3-point percentage (41.4, 5th) and free-throw percentage (82.1, 11th). She's been a model of consistency, scoring in double figures 13 of her last 14 games.

Including her two seasons in junior college, shooting guard Bridgette McIntyre enters the weekend with 1,704 collegiate points. The Long Beach, Calif., product will soon be a two-time All-CCC selection – her scoring average is up five points this season to 15.0 per game, the fifth-highest mark in the circuit – and she'll go down as one of the most prolific shooters ever to play at SOU. McIntyre ranks third in the NAIA and leads the CCC with 77 3-pointers – 26 more than any other player in the conference. At 51-of-54 from the free-throw line, she also leads the NAIA in percentage (94.4) there among players who are attempting at least two per game.

Shakia Teague-Perry, the most seasoned Raider on the roster, has been part of the team for 133 wins, four NAIA Tournament appearances, three CCC Tournament championships and two CCC regular-season titles in her five seasons. The South Medford product is enjoying her healthiest campaign to date, having served as a key reserve in 22 games.

ABOUT WARNER PAC: With one more win, the Knights can clinch a spot in the CCC Tournament for the first time in four years. They've lost 12 in a row against SOU, including a 75-49 decision on Jan. 15 in Portland in which the Raiders had a 40-18 advantage in the paint behind DiGiulio (17 points) and Lydia Traore (10 points, 10 rebounds). Skylar Groesbeck (10.6 points), Shielteal Watah (10.3) and KJ Custer (10.0) are combining for over 30 points on 44% shooting, but WPU is committing seven more turnovers per game than its opponents.