Women's Basketball Preview: Red Devils Tip Off Season Against No. 3 UW-Oshkosh

EUREKA, Ill. – The Eureka women's basketball team opens the 2025-26 season on Friday at 6 p.m., welcoming No. 3 UW-Oshkosh. The Red Devils begin a new era under first-year head coach Isaiah Pace and look to build early momentum against one of the nation's top programs.

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SEASON OPENER:

Eureka enters the year coming off its best season since 2017-18. The Red Devils finished 16-11 overall, went 11-7 in SLIAC play, and earned the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament before falling to Webster in the semifinals. With much of last year's core gone, the Red Devils enter opening night eager to carve out a new identity of their own.

Eureka returns just 13 percent of its scoring from last season, with nearly all of it coming from junior guard Sierra Garcia-Reisch, last year's fourth-leading scorer who averaged 9.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. She'll be leaned on early as Pace integrates a roster that includes five newcomers and returning guards Allysa Taylor and Abigail Martinez, both expected to play expanded roles.

Last year's team excelled in pace and scoring, ranking fourth in NCAA Division III in steals per game (16.6), sixth in turnovers forced (26.07), 25th in scoring offense (74.7), 28th in assists (16.4), and 25th in rebounds (45.3). With such significant roster turnover, how this year's squad chooses to shape its style will be on display for the first time Friday night.

MEET THE TITANS:

UW-Oshkosh arrives at 3-0 and as the No. 3 ranked team in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25 poll, earning one first-place vote after a 27-5 campaign and a Final Four run last season. The Titans won the WIAC regular season title and ended the year ranked No. 3 nationally before falling to Smith in the national semifinals.

UW-Oshkosh has started the new year strong, opening with tight victories over Carroll (62-59) and Chicago (60-58 OT) at the Nicolet National Bank Tip-Off Tournament before rolling past Concordia Wisconsin 71-30 on Wednesday.

Despite graduating two starters, the Titans return tons of experience and key contributors. Sophomore forward Paige Seckar, the reigning WIAC Newcomer of the Year, leads UW-Oshkosh with 12.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. All-WIAC selections Sammi Beyer, Sarah Hardwick, Kate Huml, Avery Poole, and Seckar headline a veteran group defined by elite ball security and one of the nation's toughest defensive identities.

THE MATCHUP:

Friday marks the first-ever meeting between Eureka and UW-Oshkosh. The game will be a tough test for a retooled Red Devils lineup against an established national contender.

LOOKING AHEAD:

Eureka returns to action on Saturday at 3 p.m. when it hosts UW-Stevens Point in another early-season nonconference matchup at the Bollwinkle Arena.