STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State meets Arkansas Pine-Bluff for the first time in program history on Wednesday at the EECU Center at 11 a.m. 

The Texans will open the season with the Lady Lions. Arkansas Pine-Bluff is coming off a loss at Texas A&M on Monday (54-77). 

Wednesday will be the Texans' annual Education Day game, welcoming hundreds of local students for a field trip game. Tarleton State is 2-3 in Education Day games in the last two seasons. 

Tickets are available for purchase online or in person at the EECU Center Box Office. Fans unable to attend the game can watch on ESPN+ and/or listen on the air on Tarleton Sports Network. Live stats will also be provided through Stat Broadcast. 

STARTING OFF STRONG

• Tarleton State Women's Basketball has won their last 10 home openers, winning by an average of 26.5 points
• The last time they lost a home opener: Love Yourself by Justin Bieber was the number one song, Captain America: Civil War was the highest grossing movie, Pokémon Go launched, and Stranger Things released its first season.
• Their biggest win during the streak was in 2023 when they beat Howard Payne 106-38, their closest game during the streak was in 2024 when they defeated New Orleans 57-48
• The leading scorer during the streak is Teresa Da Silva, scoring 23 against Howard Payne in 2023. Nykesha Sanders is the leading playmaker with 7 assists vs Howard Payne also in 2023, and Malaya Kendrick is the leading rebounder with 13 in 2021 against Champion Christian.

INTERNATIONAL LOVE

• Half of Tarleton State's roster is from countries outside the United States in 2026-27. Five countries are represented on this year's roster. 
• Stephany Gonçalves (Brazil) comes from Eastern Arizona, guiding the school to its first NJCAA Division I National Championship last year. She competed for Brazil's national team and was a bronze medalist in the 2018 South American U15 Women's Championship. 
• Jovana Spasovski (Serbia) is a transfer from Wisconsin. She represented Serbia in the 2026 FIBA 3x3 World Cup qualifiers this summer. Spasovski played in 31 games at Wisconsin last year. 
• Lesline Salim Penge (South Africa) finished second in all NJCAA Division I in blocked shots in 2025-26. She also competed on the Phoenix Mercury Club Team in 2017-19. 
• Lucia Navarro (Spain) is a transfer from Oregon State. She was part of the Valencia Basketball Club who has established herself on the U18 Spanish Team. In her U18 league, averaged roughly 14 points and 11 rebounds per game
• Astrid Mukulumpe (France) is a transfer from FIU. She averaged 12.2 points and 11.1 rebounds per game in the France U18 National Championships. 
• Marie Diame (France) grew up in France, but was born in Senegal. She played on the Senegal National Team in 2026, lifting her team to qualify for the 2026 FIBA World Cup. 
• Rose Boisnel (France) played in 14 games at Utah Tech, a former conference foe of Tarleton State. She played for the ESBVA club team in the French Ligue Feminine de Basketball (FLB) in 2024-25

HAPPY NEW YEAR

• Tarleton State Women's Basketball is tasked with replacing 91% of its scoring from last year. 
• The Texans welcome 11 new players in 2026-27, the second straight year the Texans have had at least 11 new players on the roster. 
• Tarleton State returns three letterwinners from the previous season: Nyah Buntun, Kristian Hieskill and Caroline Lyles. 
• All three will step into a larger role this season, with Lyles being the only returning starter from last year. 
• Lyles bounced back from injury to be in the starting lineup late in the season. She started the last 13 games for the Texans and played in 26 games overall. She also scored 139 points (5.3 points per game) and grabbed 106 rebounds (4.1 rebounds per game) to go with 27 steals and 16 assists in 2025-26.