TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Stetson Women's Basketball tips off the 2025–26 season on the road Monday evening, facing Alabama at 5:00 p.m. ET inside Coleman Coliseum. The game will air live on SEC Network.
The Hatters and Crimson Tide meet for just the second time in program history, with Alabama taking the previous matchup 59–47 in Tuscaloosa on November 27, 2018.
Stetson enters the season with momentum and expectation after being picked to finish third in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll, earning 118 points and one first-place vote. Senior guard Cameron Thomas, the league's Preseason Player of the Year and a unanimous Preseason All-ASUN selection, headlines a deep and experienced roster.
Thomas, the reigning ASUN Newcomer of the Year, led the Hatters with 17.2 points per game last season and totaled 530 points, the most in the conference. She scored 15 or more points in 22 games, topped 20 points 11 times, and set a season-high with 30 points against South Alabama, becoming the first Hatter in the past decade to average 17-plus points per game.
Graduate forward Aleah Sorrentino, also a Preseason All-ASUN honoree, comes to DeLand as a proven scorer and rebounder, while graduate guard Mary McMillan is back after dishing out 120 assists last season, the most by a Hatter since McKenna Beach in 2017–18.
Head Coach Lynn Bria enters her 18th season at the helm just two wins shy of her 300th victory at Stetson, continuing to guide one of the ASUN's most consistent and competitive programs.
The Crimson Tide, led by veteran head coach Kristy Curry, are coming off a 24–9 season that included a 10–6 record in SEC play and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Forward Essence Cody, named to the Katrina McClain Award Preseason Top 20 Watch List and the Preseason All-SEC Second Team, averaged 11.1 points and 6.3 rebounds last season while shooting 53 percent from the floor.
About Stetson Athletics
At Stetson University, student-athletes don't just compete—they thrive. Located in historic DeLand, Florida, between Orlando and Daytona Beach, Stetson offers the perfect blend of competitive athletics, academic excellence, and an unbeatable Central Florida lifestyle. As the oldest private university in the region, Stetson supports approximately 500 student-athletes across 19 NCAA Division I sports. Nicknamed the "Hatters" after the institution's namesake John B. Stetson, a hat manufacturer who originated the modern-day cowboy hat, most Stetson athletic teams compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference, where they proudly hold the longest active membership since 1985. With top-tier facilities, personalized support, and a welcoming campus community, Stetson is where students can grow, compete, and succeed. Learn more at GoHatters.com or follow social media accounts @StetsonHatters.
