Georgia Tech’s Karen Blair set to open women’s basketball season Thursday

Staff Reports

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech women’s basketball ushers in a new era bright and early Thursday morning as first-year head coach Karen Blair leads the Yellow Jackets against the Radford Highlanders at 10:00 a.m. inside McCamish Pavilion.

The seventh head coach in program history, Blair takes the helm after spending the past seven seasons at Maryland. She is one of two new head coaches in the ACC this fall and is leading a program that earned an NCAA Tournament berth last season.

Radford treks to Atlanta coming off a 14-17 campaign last season with a 10-6 mark in Big South action. Tech is the second-straight ACC foe for the Highlanders, having lost at Wake Forest 71-64 on Monday.

The 2025-26 season opener for Tech will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra and on the radio via the Georgia tech Yellow Jackets App or SiriusXM 970.

Thursday also marks Georgia Tech women’s basketball’s partnership with Atlanta Public Schools for the third-annual “Education Day” game.

SERIES HISTORY

Thursday marks the first meeting between the Yellow Jackets and Highlanders and the 19th overall meeting for Tech against a Big South foe. Georgia Tech is 17-1 (.941) all-time against the Big South.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

3 – Georgia Tech returns just three student-athletes from the 2024-25 squad with Ariadna Termis (C – Junior), Inés Noguero (G – Senior) and D’Asia Thomas-Harris (G/F – Junior) back for the Jackets this season.

6 – Georgia Tech has won six-straight season openers dating back to the 2019-20 campaign.

10 – Georgia Tech brings aboard 10 newcomers to the roster this season. Collectively, this group has averaged 20.7 minutes and 7.2 points per game in their collegiate careers.

12 – Georgia Tech has emerged victorious in 12 consecutive home openers on The Flats.

51 – Thursday tips off the 51st season of competition for Georgia Tech women’s basketball, adding to a prestigious history that includes 12 NCAA tournament appearances, eight trips to the WNIT and one WBIT berth.

INSIDE THE ROSTER

The 2025-26 campaign features a 13-person squad led by a pair of senior guards: a returner from Gijón, Spain, Inés Noguero and a Charleston Southern transfer from Snellville, Ga., Catherine Alben. The duo represented Tech at ACC Media Day with head coach Karen Blair in the preseason. Rounding out the returners are junior center Adriadna Termis and junior guard/forward D’Asia Thomas-Harris.

Noguero played in 27 games with 21 starts a season ago, finishing second on the team with 39 steals. She has earned three-consecutive All-ACC Academic Team and Honor Roll awards. Termis made 21 starts for Tech last season while averaging 42.6% from the floor. She was named a 2024-25 Hawaii North Shore Showcase All-Star after leading Tech with 13 points in a 74-58 win over No. 21 Oregon. Thomas-Harris has played in 33 career games at Tech as she enters her junior season.

Tech brings 10 newcomers to the hardwood this season including fifth year guard and Boston College transfer Savannah Samuel. She led the Eagles’ bench last season with 6.3 points per game and posted a career-best 16 points in the WBIT opening round against Villanova.

Coach Blair’s incoming production includes two senior guards: Brianna Turnage from Florida State and Alben. A 5-7 Grayson High School product, Turnage played in 90 games for the Seminoles in three seasons, averaging 30.8% from the floor. Alben is a two-time All-Big South Conference honoree with over 1,000 career points, having earned a first team nod last season and an All-Freshman team selection in 2022-23.

The junior class of newcomers features guard La’Nya Foster and forward Jada Crawshaw. Foster, a transfer from Austin Peay, was named Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year in 2023-24 and made 47 starts in 64 games played for the Governors. Crawshaw, a native of Darwin, Australia, arrives to The Flats from Long Beach State where she earned Big West All-Freshman Team honors in 2023-24. She saw action in 62 games in two seasons.

Three sophomores have earned their spot on the Tech roster including guards Talayah Walker and Erica Moon (redshirt) and center Déborah Mukeba. Walker played 29 games at Penn State a year ago averaging 5.6 points on 44.6% shooting and 3.3 rebounds per game. Moon spent two seasons at Texas A&M and also played in 29 games last season, getting starts in seven of the Aggies’ last eight games. Mukeba saw action in just three games at Boston College last season.

Rounding out the 2025-26 squad are two freshmen: McKayla Taylor, a 6-1 center from Langston Hughes High School and Leyre Urdiain, a 5-11 guard from Zaragoza, Spain.