The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) was founded in 1915 but didn’t begin to sponsor women’s athletics until the 1976-1977 athletic year, when just seven members competed for the SCIAC title. In the 50 years since then, the conference has expanded to 10 teams that are all-in for women’s hoops.

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All 10 institutions sponsor men’s and women’s basketball programs. Each team competes in 16 conference matches: eight at home and eight on the road. Teams will also face Azusa Pacific in non-conference action, as they gained SCIAC membership in 2026 and are ineligible for SCIAC titles in the 2026-2027 season.

However, you can still watch the newest member face their future conference opponents live on FloCollege. They won’t technically be competing in the SCIAC, but they will share the court with their future foes all season long. Here are the basics of SCIAC women's hoops:

What Teams Play Women’s Basketball In The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference?

1. Azusa Pacific (First Year of NCAA Reclassification)
2. California Lutheran
3. Caltech
4. Chapman
5. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
6. La Verne
7. Occidental
8. Pomona-Pitzer
9. Redlands
10. Whittier

What Happened In The SCIAC During The 2025-2026 Women’s Basketball Season?

Last season, the second-seeded Claremont-M-S Women's Basketball defeated top-seeded California Lutheran 69-58 to win the SCIAC Women’s Basketball Tournament title for the first time since 2017. They advanced to the final round with a 59-54 comeback win over third-seeded Pomona-Pitzer in the Semifinal game.

In conference play, Redlands led in scoring with an average of 74.5 points per game. Cal Lutheran led on the defensive front, limiting their opponents to just 57.1 points per outing. La Verne’s Alyssa Smith led the conference in scoring (278 points, 18.5 ppg), Cal Lutheran’s Alline Ballard led in rebounds, averaging 12.1 per game, but Smith led overall with 168 on the conference season. Caleigh Edwards of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps averaged a conference-high 2.9 steals per game (47 total) and Caltech’s Louise Scriven led in blocked shots with 1.9 per outing.

2025-2026 SCIAC Women’s Basketball Standings

Team Standings (SCIAC, Overall)

1. California Lutheran (13-3, 22-5)
2. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (12-4, 20-8)
3. Pomona-Pitzer (11-5, 16-10)
4. Redlands (11-5, 19-7)
5. Chapman (9-7, 15-10)
6. Occidental (7-9, 12-13)
7. Whittier (6-10, 11-13)
8. La Verne (2-14, 6-19)
9. Caltech (1-15, 3-19)

2025-2026 SCIAC Women’s Basketball Award Winners?

California Lutheran led the 2025-2026 SCIAC women’s basketball honorees as duo Alline Ballard and Jana Holley earned Offensive and Defensive Athlete of the Year honors. The Ed Baldwin Award was presented to Occidental’s Ainsley Shelsta, recognizing the senior who exhibits the best sportsmanship throughout the conference season.

• Offensive Athlete of the Year: Alline Ballard, Cal Lutheran
• Defensive Athlete of the Year: Jana Holley, Cal Lutheran
• Newcomer of the Year: Teagan McIlroy, Redlands
• Ed Baldwin Award: Ainsley Shelsta, Occidental
• Coaching Staff of the Year: Alaina Woo & Staff, Pomona-Pitzer

When Is The 2027 SCIAC Women’s Basketball Tournament?

The 2027 SCIAC Women's Basketball Tournament will begin with the #4 vs. #5 matchup on Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. followed by semifinal matches on Thursday, Feb. 25, and conclude with the final on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 5 p.m. The higher seeds will host the tournament.

The winner will advance to play the No. 1 seed, while No. 2 and No. 3 face off in the other semifinal.

The semifinal winners will battle for the championship and the SCIAC’s automatic bid to the 2027 Division III Men’s Basketball Championship.

Selections and seeding for the national tournament will be announced March 1, and games will begin March 5.

How Many Teams Participate In The Division III Basketball Championship?

The number of participating teams for the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship has changed many times over the years.

In 1980, there were 32 teams. In 1989, it expanded to 40. Finally, in 1995, the field ballooned to 64 teams split into four sectionals, but the change only lasted three years, before it was changed to 48. 

The number slowly increased again, until the full 64-team bracket returned in 2017.

The NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship needed just one year to double in size, as 32 teams participated in 1983. That number remained steady, though regional brackets were introduced in 1989. In 1994, 40 teams played. Then 64 in 1995.

Denison & Mary Washington Are The Reigning Division III National Champions

The last four teams standing in the 2026 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship were Denison, NYU, Scranton and Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and Denison went on to claim its first national title with a 55-41 victory over Scranton at the Cregger Center in Salem, Virginia.

On the men’s side, it was Christopher Newport, Emory, Mary Washington and Trinity College (CT) at the national semifinals in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with Mary Washington topping Emory 75-73 for the trophy in Indianapolis. 

2026 Division III Basketball Championship Brackets

Here’s a look at how things unfolded in 2026:

Women | Men

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