By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Raegan McCowan will be back with Western Illinois’ women’s basketball team.

McCowan, who in late March entered her name in the NCAA transfer portal, announced on Saturday night she would return to the Leathernecks after a season in which she was named the Ohio Valley Conference’s freshman of the year.

“While this might not make sense to all, it does to some, and when you know you know,” McCowan said in a post on social media site X. “I know my story’s going to get better because I know the author.

“Leatherneck nation, I’m back.”

McCowan, one of the top freshman players in the nation this season, started 28 games for the Leathernecks, averaging 19.4 points and 8.1 rebounds. She was a first-team all-conference selection after leading the conference in scoring.

McCowan ranked 31st among all NCAA Division I players in scoring, but was third in scoring among freshmen, finishing only behind USC’s JuJu Watkins and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo. Her 45-point game against Southern Indiana on February 24 tied for the fifth highest scoring game in Division I this season and was the second-highest scoring game for a freshman.

“To all the coaches who showed interest and reached out, I will forever be grateful for the opportunities presented me,” McCowan said in her post.

McCowan’s return means four of the Leathernecks’ five scorers are back from a team that went 18-12 last season, 9-9 in the OVC.

Photo: Raegan McCowan announced on Saturday night she was taking her name out of the NCAA transfer portal and returning to Western Illinois. (Photo courtesy of WIU Athletic Communications)