Women's Basketball | 02.27.2026
SALEM, Ore. – The No. 17 LC State Women's Basketball team battled past the defending Cascade Conference champion in a rematch of the last two conference tournament title games and outlasted sixth-seeded Southern Oregon 66-62. The third-seeded Warriors will face second-seeded No. 14 Eastern Oregon in the semifinal round of the 2026 Cascade Conference Women's Basketball Championship, presented by U.S. Bank, on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Top-seeded No. 20 Corban (Ore.) will play host to the entire women's tournament, so LC State will face EOU on a neutral court. The winner will advance to the championship game of the tournament on Mar. 2 in Salem.
THE MATCHUP
The Warriors split the regular season with the Mountaineers with a 63-52 loss in La Grande and 68-59 victory in Lewiston.
Payton Hymas led LC State with 17 points in the win and every Warrior in the game grabbed a rebound. EOU's Kelsie Siegner led the contest with 25 points.
The two teams have not faced off in the postseason since 2023 when Eastern Oregon defeated LC State 75-59 in the conference tournament title game.
THE WARRIORS (22-7, 15-5)
The Warriors outlasted a talented Southern Oregon team to open the tournament with a 66-62 victory. LC State held an 18-point lead in the third quarter, but the Raiders surged to cut the difference to two in the final seconds.
Sitara Byrd's 11-point, 10-rebound double-double helped secure the victory for the Warriors.
LC State has proven to be one of the most versatile teams in the conference both defensively and offensively this season. Four Warriors are averaging double digits in scoring and three are grabbing more than four rebounds per game.
The Warriors lead the CCC in 3-point percentage (35.4), field goal percentage (46.8) and steals per game (12.1) and are second in scoring (77.9) and assists per game (17.0).
Darian Herring has been one of the top defensive players in the CCC all season. The junior ranks second all-time at LC State in blocks with 211 and leads the conference this season with 64. She is the top rebounder with 8.8 per game and is fourth in assists with 102. Offensively, she is averaging 11.8 points per game with a 50.5% field goal percentage.
Lindsey Wilson is at the top of the conference and eighth in the NAIA in field goal percentage (61.5), and
Kendall Wallace leads in 3-point percentage (44.7), giving the Warriors scoring options from all over the court.
Sitara Byrd can score from nearly anywhere and leads the Warriors with 14.1 points per game on a 51.0% field goal percentage and 41.5% 3-point percentage. She is averaging 6.2 rebounds per game along with 70 steals to make her one of the most dynamic players in the conference.
Payton Hymas has orchestrated the offense all season long and ranks second in the CCC with 123 assists. She is also second in steals with 74 and is second on the team with 12.6 points per game with a 50.2% field goal percentage. Senior
Camden Barger is third on the team with 67 assists and has been key to the offensive strategy as well and has contributed baskets in clutch moments for the Warriors.
Tatum Brager, Wallace and Byrd combine for a massive threat from 3-point range. Wallace has knocked down a team-best 63 triples, Brager has 50 and Byrd is right behind with 46.
THE MOUNTAINEERS (25-4, 16-4)
Eastern Oregon held a narrow lead at the half, but a huge final 20 minutes propelled the Mounties to a 76-50 victory over seventh-seeded Warner Pacific (Ore.) in the quarterfinal round. Maggie Smith led EOU with 15 points on three 3-pointers and Kali Kast grabbed 11 rebounds.
The Mounties are second in the CCC in rebounding (40.5) and 3-point percentage defense (27.5). They are shooting 43.2% as a team from the field and 31.2% from 3-point range.
EOU's Kelsie Siegner is one of the top defensive players in the conference this season and is second in rebounding (8.6) and third in blocks (50). She leads the Mounties with 14.7 points per game and has a 44.2% field goal percentage mark. She is the lone EOU player averaging double-digit scoring.
Kast is second on the team with 9.5 points per game to go with 4.4 boards per game. Haylee Johnson is a key piece on defense with 4.8 rebounds per game, and Smith is averaging 9.1 points per game after her strong performance against WPU.
THE DETAILS
The Warriors face Eastern Oregon on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Salem, Ore. The winner will advance to play in the CCC title game on Mar. 2.
The contest will be streamed for free on the Urban Edge Network and on the radio through AM 950 KOZE.
Stay up to date with all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.
