KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - The Truman State University women's basketball team returns its top six scorers and approximately 85 percent of last season's offense as the Bulldogs prepare for the 2026-27 season.

Truman finished 17-12 overall and 14-6 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play last season. The Bulldogs were selected to finish tied for fifth in the 2026-27 GLVC preseason coaches' poll after returning 10 players and adding a six-player signing class.

The returning group is led by redshirt senior guard Emajin McCallop, who earned First Team All-GLVC and GLVC All-Newcomer Team recognition during her first season with the Bulldogs.

Truman began its exhibition schedule with a 72-61 loss at Creighton on Oct. 19. The Bulldogs travel to Notre Dame for another exhibition Monday, Oct. 26, before opening the regular season Oct. 30 at the D2 CCA Midwest Tip-Off Challenge in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.

McCallop Returns After All-GLVC Season

McCallop led Truman in scoring last season with 15.6 points per game while shooting 45.6 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from three-point range and 84.3 percent from the free-throw line.

She also averaged 5.2 rebounds and led the Bulldogs with 118 made free throws. McCallop finished second on the team with 64 assists and first with 38 steals despite missing three games.

Her production remained consistent during conference play. McCallop averaged 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists across 20 GLVC contests while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 87.5 percent at the free-throw line.

The Kansas City, Kansas, native scored 405 total points during her first season at Truman.

Top Six Scorers Return

Truman returns each of the six players who averaged at least eight points per game last season.

Sophomore guard Morgan Miller finished second on the team with 10.1 points per game. Miller started 27 of her 28 appearances and led the Bulldogs with 66 assists. She made a team-high 51 three-pointers and added 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.

Senior guard Mariann Blass averaged 9.8 points while appearing in 18 games. Blass shot 44.2 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from three-point range, making 23 three-pointers. She started 17 games and averaged 24.1 minutes.

Sophomore forward Avery Rausch contributed 9.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while appearing in all 29 contests. Rausch led Truman with 15 blocked shots and made 96 free throws while shooting 82.1 percent from the line. Her production increased slightly during conference play, where she averaged 9.4 points and shot 44.9 percent from the field.

Senior guard Lexie White returns after averaging 8.3 points and 4.8 rebounds. White started all 19 games in which she appeared and shot 85.7 percent from the free-throw line. She also recorded 23 assists, 20 steals and five blocks.

Redshirt junior forward Mallory Ott led Truman with 160 rebounds and averaged 8.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Ott started all 29 contests and added 35 assists while shooting 43.4 percent from the field.

Together, McCallop, Miller, Blass, Rausch, White and Ott accounted for 1,527 points last season.

Experienced Rotation Extends Beyond Leading Scorers

Redshirt sophomore guard Braylee Rogers appeared in all 29 games and averaged 4.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists. Her production increased during GLVC play, where she averaged 4.7 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 45.3 percent from the field.

Redshirt sophomore forward Maggie Chambers played in 25 games and made four starts. She contributed 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds while recording 20 assists in 183 minutes.

Sophomore guard Kennedy Retherford appeared in 13 games and shot 44.4 percent from three-point range, making eight of her 18 attempts. She averaged 2.7 points in 5.4 minutes per game.

Redshirt sophomore guard Malia Rodgers also returns to the roster.

The 10 returning players accounted for 1,744 of Truman's 2,042 points last season. They also produced approximately 73 percent of the team's rebounds, 72 percent of its assists and 72 percent of its steals.

Bulldogs Build on 14-Win Conference Season

Truman produced a 14-6 conference record and finished among the GLVC's most effective teams at creating additional possessions.

The Bulldogs averaged 71.7 points during conference play while holding opponents to 61.9, producing a scoring margin of 9.8 points per game.

Truman forced 17.2 turnovers per conference game while committing 13.8. The Bulldogs finished with a plus-3.5 turnover margin and averaged 8.5 steals against GLVC opponents.

Truman also held conference opponents to 40.2 percent shooting and 29.1 percent from three-point range. The Bulldogs outrebounded their GLVC opponents by one rebound per game and made 15.6 free throws per contest.

Overall, Truman averaged 70.4 points and allowed 65.7. The Bulldogs concluded the season with a 75-69 loss to Drury in the GLVC Tournament.

Six Newcomers Join Bulldogs

Graduate guard Sara Hameed and sophomore forward Adriana Howard bring previous collegiate experience to the roster. Sarah Helm joins the Bulldogs as a redshirt freshman after beginning her college career at Lewis, while freshmen Riley Fazenbaker, Abby Keighron and Ava Putman begin their collegiate careers at Truman.

"Their versatility, skill sets and commitment to growth make them tremendous additions to our culture and future within the GLVC," head coach Theo Dean said when announcing the class.

Hameed arrives from the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis. She started 21 of 29 games during the 2025-26 season and averaged 7.8 points, 3.8 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals during conference play.

Her experience initiating an offense adds another playmaking option to a backcourt that already returns McCallop, Miller, Blass, White and Rogers.

Howard joins Truman from Buena Vista and gives the Bulldogs another frontcourt option at 6-foot-1. Her size, rebounding and ability to play inside or stretch the floor complement returning forwards Ott, Rausch and Chambers.

Helm appeared in five games during her freshman season at Lewis. She averaged 20 points and 7.1 rebounds during her senior year of high school while shooting 39 percent from three-point range. Helm finished her prep career with more than 1,000 points and set a single-game school record with 41.

Fazenbaker arrives from Incarnate Word Academy after helping the program win a state championship. The 5-foot-10 guard averaged 10.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks during her junior season at Mascoutah High School.

Keighron set Wheaton Warrenville South's career record with 188 made three-pointers. She averaged 11.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.1 steals during her senior season.

Putman finished her career at Central DeWitt with 1,101 points, 390 rebounds, 282 assists and 213 steals. She averaged 16.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.0 steals as a senior while helping her team earn consecutive conference championships and state tournament appearances.

Challenging Nonconference Schedule Opens Season

Truman's regular season begins with three games in three days at the D2 CCA Midwest Tip-Off Challenge.

The Bulldogs face Lake Superior State on Friday, Oct. 30, Northern Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 31, and Grand Valley State on Sunday, Nov. 1, in Wisconsin Dells.

Truman travels to Pepper Pike, Ohio, for the GMAC/GLVC Crossover on Nov. 13-14. The Bulldogs face Cedarville before meeting host Ursuline.

The schedule continues with road games at Concordia-St. Paul and Winona State on Nov. 20-21. Truman then faces Union and Saginaw Valley State at the Drury Thanksgiving Classic in Springfield, Missouri.

GLVC play begins Saturday, Nov. 28, when Truman hosts Missouri S&T at Pershing Arena.

The Bulldogs close the nonconference portion of the regular season at the St. Pete Invitational in Florida. Truman faces Wayne State on Dec. 18 and Metropolitan State University of Denver on Dec. 19.

Conference Schedule Includes 10 Home Games

Truman will play 20 GLVC games, including 10 inside Pershing Arena.

After opening conference play against Missouri S&T, the Bulldogs travel to Upper Iowa and Rockhurst before the semester break.

The January home schedule includes Southwest Baptist, Rockhurst, Quincy, Illinois Springfield, William Jewell and McKendree. Truman also travels to William Jewell, Drury, Maryville and Lincoln during the month.

The Bulldogs host Missouri-St. Louis on Feb. 6 before welcoming Upper Iowa for the Coaches vs. Cancer Game on Thursday, Feb. 11.

Truman closes the regular season with road games at Missouri S&T, Lewis and Quincy before hosting Indianapolis on Saturday, Feb. 27.

The GLVC Tournament begins March 4 in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Truman Tied for Fifth in GLVC Preseason Poll

Truman and Lewis each received 130 points and tied for fifth in the GLVC preseason coaches' poll.

Defending conference champion Maryville received six first-place votes and 186 points to lead the poll. Missouri-St. Louis also received six first-place votes and finished second with 183 points.

Drury received two first-place votes and was selected third with 171 points. McKendree placed fourth with 141.
 

2026-27 GLVC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll

2026-27 Truman Women's Basketball Schedule

*GLVC game

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