OMAHA, Neb. – College of Saint Mary returns most of its production from last season as it aspires to make the climb up the Great Plains Athletic Conference basketball ladder.

The Flames finished 1-27 a year ago, including 0-22 in GPAC play, under first-year coach Natalie Miller. As she begins her second season on Saturday with a noon game at Bellevue University, Miller expressed optimism about what she's seeing.

"We want to build on the foundation we've laid and take another step forward competitively,'' she said. "For us, that means being more efficient offensively, defending with greater consistency and learning how to win.''

CSM returns its top five scorers, led by seniors Madelyn Gaughen and Haley Debuse.

The 5-foot-9 Gaughen, a Cedar Bluffs, Neb., native and North Bend Central graduate, led the Flames last season in rebounding (4.9), assists (2.0), steals (1.1) and field-goal percentage (41.5%), and was second in scoring (9.7). She earned honorable mention all-GPAC honors.

The 6-0 Debuse, out of Elkhorn, Neb., and Elkhorn High School, paced the team in scoring (9.8) and was third in rebounding (3.5). She made the all-tournament team during last year's trip to Hawaii.

CSM also welcomes back its third- through fifth-leading scorers in sophomores Freda Moore (5.4), Adriana McGee (5.2) and Ella Klusman (5.1).

"We return a solid core of players who have experience and confidence on the offensive end,'' Miller said. "Our scoring and shooting ability should be a real strength – we've got several players who can stretch the floor and put points up in different ways. We've also added a talented point guard (Jai'La Porter) who gives us more playmaking and leadership.''

The 5-6 Porter is a junior who played two years of junior college basketball at Northwest (Wyo.) College.

The goal is to become more competitive in the rugged GPAC. Led by two-time defending national champion Dordt University, the conference held four of the top 18 positions in the final NAIA national poll of the 2024-25 season and four of the top 20 in the preseason poll for 2025-26.

"The GPAC is always competitive – there's no easy night – but I think we're in a position to take a step forward,'' Miller said. "We've got the talent and experience to compete with anyone when we play to our potential. If we can continue to grow defensively and take care of the ball, I like our chances to surprise some people and be right in the mix come conference play.''

The preseason has shown Miller that the program is trending in the right direction.

"The energy and buy-in have been really encouraging,'' she said. "Our returners have set a strong tone, and the newcomers have adjusted quickly. There's a noticeable emphasis on detail – players are locked in on skill development, communication and holding each other accountable.''