Tarleton State Women’s Basketball goes for 1,000th program win at ACU Monday in Abilene

ABILENE, Texas – Tarleton State Women's Basketball will have a chance to get its 1,000th as a senior college on Monday at 6 p.m. at Abilene Christian in the second game of the I-20 rivalry.

The Texans begin a three-game road trip on Monday. Tarleton State lost the first matchup with the Wildcats 64-59 on Jan. 8 earlier this year.

The Texans are seeking their 1,000th win as a senior college, with the next victory giving them that mark. Tarleton State is coming off a dominant defensive performance on Wednesday, not allowing a basket to UTA in the fourth quarter.

Fans unable to attend in person can watch the game on ESPN+ and also listen to Clayton Neville's radio call on Tarleton Sports Network.

DOMINANT DEFENSE

Defense wins games and the Texans have taken that to heart.
The Texans held UTA to just 37 points on Jan. 21, the fewest in a WAC game since joining the conference in 2020. It is the fewest points the Texans have allowed in conference play since Feb. 29, 2020 (37 at Texas A&M-Kingsville).
The Texans held UTA to 0-for-15 shooting in the fourth quarter on Jan. 21. It is the first time since Dec. 4, 2021 Tarleton State held a team to 0% shooting in a quarter (0-for-11 vs. Arlington Baptist, 1st quarter).
Since women's basketball went to the fourth quarter format in 2015-16, the team never held a team to 0% shooting in the 4th quarter before the Jan. 21 performance against UTA. The closest the Texans got was on Dec. 12, 2020, when they held Champion Christian to 1-for-14 shooting in the fourth quarter.
Tarleton State also held Mississippi Valley State to 1-for-16 shooting (6%) in the second quarter at Mississippi Valley State (12/2).
The Texans held UTA to 0-for-15 shooting in the fourth quarter on Jan. 21. It is the first time since Dec. 4, 2021 Tarleton State held a team to 0% shooting in a quarter (0-for-11 vs. Arlington Baptist, 1st quarter).

QUEENS OF THE BLOCK

Tarleton State has shot blockers in its frontcourt in Tessa Engelman and Elodie Lutbert.
Lutbert blocked five shots against Texas A&M-San Antonio. She was the first Tarleton State freshman since 2005 to have five blocks in a single game (TaNesiah Leak).
Lutbert had her second five-block game against UTA (12/29). She was the first Texan in the Division I era and first since 2009 to block five shots in a conference opener (5, JoAnne Jones vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville).
Lutbert is the first Texan since 2021-22 to have multiple five block games in a season (Seynabou Thiam, 4).
Lutbert is currently second on the program's single season blocks list in the Division I era. She needs 29 more for the program record.
Engelman has five games in college basketball with 3+ blocks, including two this season. Her most recent game with 3+ blocks was against McNeese (11/16, 3).
Engelman's five blocks on Feb. 6, 2025 at Iona were the most by a Mountaineer player in a single game since Nov. 2019.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

Tarleton State Women's Basketball welcomes 12 newcomers on its 15-player roster in 2025-26. The Texans have the seventh-most newcomers in all NCAA Division I Women's Basketball.
The Texans have four Division I transfers, one Division II transfer, a pair of junior college transfers and four freshmen.
Tarleton State replaced eight seniors from 2024-25.
Five transfers (Tessa Engelman, Jailynn Brill, Gia Adams, Shadasia Brackens, and Caroline Lyles) all have previous experience in DI.
Tarleton State's three leading scorers (Brackens, Lutbert, Adams) are all newcomers. A pair of newcomers (Lutbert and Brackens) also lead the team in rebounding while Adams leads the team in assists. Lutbert currently has the most blocks on the team.