October 22, 2026

NORTHWEST CROSSOVER CLASSIC
THE GAMES AT A GLANCE

Date: Saturday, October 24 vs. Walla Walla (Wash.) Location: St. George High School I Spokane, Wash.
Start Time: 10 p.m. (Central Time)/8 p.m. (Pacific Time)

 

Date: Sunday, October 25 vs. (23) Oregon Tech Location: St. George High School I Spokane, Wash.
Start Time: 10 p.m. (Central Time)/8 p.m. (Pacific Time)

THIS WEEK
Dakota State (S.D.) (0-0 overall record, No. 3 in NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 poll) opens their 2026-27 season this weekend in the Northwest Crossover Classic, hosted by MSU-Northern at St. George High School.  Six teams from the Frontier Conference and six teams from the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) will face each other in the two-day tournament.

The Trojans start the tournament versus Walla Walla (Wash.) (0-0 overall record) Saturday evening.  On Sunday evening, DSU plays Oregon Tech (0-0 overall record) in the final tournament game.  Dakota State plays at 10 p.m. (Central Time)/8 p.m. (Pacific Time) on both days.

QUICK HITS
*Dakota State (S.D.) kicks off the 2026-27 season with a trip to the state of Washington.  It will be the first time that the Trojans will be playing in the state of Washington.

*The Trojans are one of the six Frontier Conference teams competing in the Northwest Crossover Classic at St. George's High School in Spokane, Wash. 

*A total of seven teams in the season opening tournament are listed in the 2026 NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll, with two teams listed in the receiving votes category.

*Dakota State will be facing four teams that are ranked in the NAIA's Top 25 in the first six games of the season, including three teams that are ranked inside the NAIA's Top 10 (Dakota Wesleyan, Concordia, Neb., and Dordt).    

*The Northwest Crossover Classic features six teams from the Frontier Conference and six teams from the Cascade Collegiate Conference.  There are six games scheduled on both days, starting at 10 a.m. (Pacific Time)/12 p.m. (Central Time) each day. 
 

Scoring Offense	48.1	82.5	73.1
Scoring Defense	84.8	62.5	63.1
Scoring Margin	-36.8	19.9	10.0
Field Goal %	.313	.439	.461
Field Goal Def. %	.468	.372	.379
Free Throw %	.672	.645	.737
Rebounds Per Game	31.5	43.5	40.2
Rebounds Margin	-14.0	5.6	6.9
3-point FGs Made Per Game	.332	10.4	4.0
3-point FG %	.332	.332	.285
Assists Per Game	7.8	17.9	16.5
Blocks Per Game	1.0	4.3	4.5

ABOUT  WALLA WALLA
Makana Stone enters her second season as head coach at Walla Walla (Wash.) after taking over the program prior to the 2025-26 season. Stone played collegiately at nearby Whitman College, where she was named the Northwest Conference Player of the Year in 2019-20 before playing professionally in England and Norway. She also gained coaching experience in England, Norway, and the United States before joining the Wolves.

Walla Walla finished Stone's first season with a 3-23 overall record and a 1-19 mark in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. The Wolves earned non-conference victories over Northwest Indian College and Willamette before picking up their lone conference victory with a 69-55 home win over Evergreen State (Wash.).

The Wolves averaged 48.1 points per game last season while shooting 31.3 percent from the field and 25.4 percent from the 3-point line. Walla Walla averaged 6.1 made 3-pointers per game, but struggled on the glass with a minus-14.0 rebounding margin and committed 20.4 turnovers per contest.

Walla Walla begins its 2026-27 season against Dakota State at the Frontier-Cascade Crossover in Spokane, Wash. Saturday's matchup will mark the first meeting in school history between Dakota State and Walla Walla.

ABOUT OREGON TECH
Joy Lease enters her fourth season as head coach at Oregon Tech and fifth season overall with the program. Lease has guided the Lady Owls to three consecutive NAIA National Tournament appearances and carries a 69-25 collegiate head coaching record into the 2026-27 season. Prior to Oregon Tech, Lease collected more than 300 victories as a high school head coach and won state championships at Santiam and Mazama.

Oregon Tech finished the 2025-26 season with a 19-12 overall record and a 14-6 mark in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. The Lady Owls advanced to the semifinals of the Cascade Conference Tournament before earning their third consecutive trip to the NAIA National Tournament.

The Lady Owls averaged 73.1 points per game last season while holding opponents to 63.1 points per contest. Oregon Tech shot 46.1 percent from the field and held opponents to 37.9 percent shooting. The Lady Owls also controlled the glass, averaging 40.2 rebounds per game compared to 33.3 for their opponents.

Oregon Tech opens its 2026-27 season against Providence (Mont.) in Northwest Crossover Classic before facing Dakota State the following night in Spokane. Sunday's matchup will mark the first meeting in school history between Dakota State and Oregon Tech.

2025-26 SEASON IN REVIEW
Dakota State (S.D.) enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in program history during the 2025-26 campaign, finishing with an impressive 30-6 overall record and advancing to the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship semifinals.

The Trojans put together a memorable postseason run, earning national tournament victories over Grand View (Iowa), Bethel (Ind.), Indiana Wesleyan, and Georgetown (Ky.) en route to the national semifinals.

Dakota State was led by standout Tabor Teel, who earned NAIA All-America First Team honors and was named the Frontier Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year. Her outstanding performance helped establish the Trojans among the nation's elite NAIA women's basketball programs.

The Trojans captured their sixth consecutive conference regular-season championship, including their first Frontier Conference title, with a 19-3 league record. Under head coach David Moe, who earned Frontier Conference Coach of the Year honors, Dakota State advanced to the conference tournament championship game before falling to Montana Tech, 76-72.

Dakota State's historic season concluded with an 83-69 setback to eventual national runner-up Dordt (Iowa) in the NAIA semifinals. The Trojans set school records with 30 victories and 2,969 total points, averaging 82.5 points per game. They also extended their streak of NAIA national tournament appearances to six consecutive seasons. Teel and Bria Wasmund earned NAIA All-Tournament Second Team honors, while Caitlin Dyer joined Teel on the Frontier Conference First Team All-Conference.

A LOOK AT 2026-27 SCHEDULE
Dakota State (S.D.) faces one of its most challenging schedules in program history during the 2026-27 season, highlighted by four nationally ranked NAIA opponents in non-conference action and an exhibition contest against NCAA Division I South Dakota State.

The Trojans, ranked No. 3 in the NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 poll, open their season Oct. 24-25 at the Northwest Crossover Classic in Spokane, Wash., facing Walla Walla (Wash.) and No. 23 Oregon Tech. Dakota State then travels to Grand View (Iowa) on Oct. 31 for a rematch of last season's NAIA national tournament opening-round contest.

Dakota State's challenging non-conference slate continues Nov. 6-7 at the Cattle Classic in Seward, Neb., where the Trojans face No. 2 Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.), a fellow NAIA national semifinalist last season, and No. 10 Concordia (Neb.). DSU then meets No. 7 Dordt (Iowa), last season's national runner-up, on Nov. 10 at the Sanford Sports Complex in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Trojans also travel to Brookings on Dec. 9 for an exhibition against South Dakota State. 

Dakota State begins its 22-game Frontier Conference schedule Nov. 21 against Bellevue (Neb.) at the DSU Fieldhouse. The Trojans will play 11 home and 11 road conference contests, including match-ups with Montana Tech, Carroll (Mont.), Rocky Mountain (Mont.), Montana Western and Providence (Mont.). DSU concludes the regular season Feb. 20 at home against Rocky Mountain before turning its attention to the Frontier Conference postseason tournament Feb. 27-March 1 in Butte, Mont.

TROJANS PICKED TO WIN IN FRONTIER CONFERENCE COACHES' PRESEASON POLL
Dakota State (S.D.) was selected as the preseason favorite to capture the 2026-27 Frontier Conference women's basketball regular-season championship, according to the league's coaches' preseason poll released Oct. 19. The Trojans received eight of the 12 first-place votes and accumulated 117 points, marking the second consecutive season they were picked to finish atop the expanded 12-team conference. 

Rocky Mountain (Mont.) was picked second with 110 points and two first-place votes, followed by defending Frontier Conference postseason tournament champion Montana Tech in third with 103 points and two first-place votes. Carroll (Mont.) was fourth with 89 points, while MSU-Northern rounded out the top five with 75 points.

The Trojans will look to defend their Frontier Conference regular-season title during a 22-game league schedule featuring 11 home and 11 road contests.

DSU HIT HIGHEST RANKING IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Dakota State (S.D.) women's basketball reached a historic milestone in the 2026-27 season, earning its highest national ranking in program history at No. 3 in the Gared-NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll, announced Oct. 21.

The Trojans surpassed their previous program-best No. 4 ranking established during the 2025-26 preseason. Dakota State had previously reached No. 5 during the 2007-08 season in the former NAIA Division II era. The Trojans also earned a No. 6 preseason ranking in 2024-25, reflecting the program's continued rise among the nation's elite NAIA women's basketball teams.

DSU is ranked behind defending national champion Marian (Ind.) at No. 1 and fellow national semifinalist Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) at No. 2.

2026-27 DSU Trojan Women's Basketball Returning Team Leaders

• Points/Points Per Game: Caitlin Dyer – 402 points (11.2 points per game)
• Field Goal Percentage:  Cierra Watkins – 54.7 percent (139-of-254 field goals)
• 3-point Field Goal Percentage: Caitlin Dyer – 37.3 percent (66-of-177 3-point field goals)
• Free-Throw Percentage: Caitlin Dyer – 76.9 percent (50-of-65 free-throws)
• Rebounds: Cierra Watkins – 208 rebounds (5.8 rebounds per game)
• Assists/Assists Per Game: Bria Wasmund – 131 assists/3.6 assists per game
• Steals/Steals Per Game: Bria Wasmund – 73 steals/2.0 steals per game
• Blocked Shots: Angelina Chapple – 37 blocked shots (1.0 blocks per game)