Tarleton State Women’s Basketball faces first nationally-ranked opponent of the season at TCU Sunday

FORT WORTH, Texas – Tarleton State meets No. 15 nationally-ranked TCU for the second straight season on Sunday at Schollmaier Arena at 2 p.m.

The series is tied 1-1. Sunday's winner will take the lead in the overall series.

No. 15 nationally-ranked TCU will be the first top 25 opponent for the Texans this season. The Texans travel to No. 6 Texas next Saturday.

Fifth year guard Olivia Medford is coming off her first D1 double-double on Wednesday (14 Pts, 12 Reb).

Fans can follow the action by watching on ESPN+ and/or listening to Clayton Neville's call on Tarleton Sports Network. Live stats will also be provided for Sunday's game.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT

With 11 newcomers on the 2026-27 roster, Tarleton State's newcomers have made an immediate impact.
Fifth year guard Olivia Medford posted her first Division I double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, accomplishing that feat on her birthday. She is just the second Texan to post a double-double in the season opener in the Division I era.
Medford posted career-highs in both points and rebounds against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Her previous career-highs came during the 2024-25 season.
Senior guard Stephany Gonçalves led the Texans in scoring with 16 points and seven assists. Her seven assists were the most by a Texan in a season opener since 2023.
Freshman guard Kendall Ford came off the bench to lead the non-starters in scoring with six points to go with seven rebounds in her collegiate debut. She was the only player on Tarleton State's bench to score in the season opener.

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.

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.