Lady Buffs Journey to Tucson for an Exhibition Matchup with Arizona

CANYON, Texas – The Lady Buffs proceed their preseason exhibition schedule on Thursday night time as they journey to Tucson, Arizona to tackle the Arizona Wildcats with tipoff on the historic McKale Center set for 8:00 p.m. CT.
 
NEW LOOK LADY BUFFS
The Lady Buffs return 9 letterwinners from final yr’s squad that superior to the South Central Regional Semifinals. LSC Preseason Player of the Year Kyla Kane highlights a deep roster that options eight seniors. Canyon product Kenadee Winfrey joins the Lady Buffs following a stellar profession at UNLV. Returning All-LSC choices Randi Harding and Claire Graham look to proceed the storied custom of Lady Buff Basketball of their closing season in Maroon & White.
 
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
The Wildcats completed the 2024-25 marketing campaign with an total document of 19-14 with a 10-8 mark within the Big 12 as they superior to the opening spherical of the Big 12 Championships earlier than falling to Colorado, 61-58. Arizona earned a bid to the WBIT Tournament as they fell to Northern Arizona within the opening spherical, 71-69.
 
Montaya Dew is the lone returning participant on the Arizona roster because the Las Vegas product appeared in 29 video games with 4 begins final season, averaging 2.5 factors, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per sport. The switch group contains Achol Magot (Texas Tech) and Freddie Wallace (Kansas), each bringing Big 12 expertise, in addition to Mickayla Perdue, the Horizon League Player of the Year, and Sumayah Sugapong, the Big West Championship Most Outstanding Player. Sugapong, a switch from UC San Diego, additionally represented the Philippines within the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in China, whereas freshman Mireia Jurado competed internationally for Spain within the FIBA U18 Women’s Eurobasket.
 
Arizona was tabbed 14th within the 2025-26 Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll introduced on October ninth. TCU claimed 10 first place votes and 219 whole factors to take a seat atop of the ballot adopted by Iowa State, Baylor, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Kansas, Kansas State, Utah, Colorado and BYU to spherical out the highest ten.
 
ARIZONA HEAD COACH BECKY BURKE
Becky Burke was named the tenth head coach within the historical past of Arizona Women’s Basketball on April 9, 2025. Burke got here to Tucson following three seasons as the top coach on the University of Buffalo, main the Bulls to the WNIT Championship in 2024-25. Burke was 61-37 throughout her time in Buffalo with a pair of journeys to the WNIT Tournament.
 
The Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania native was a four-year standout participant for the University of Louisville from 2008-12. During her time with the Cardinal, Burke scored 1,288 profession factors as she led this system to a few NCAA Tournament appearances together with the championship sport in 2009 and the Sweet Sixteen in 2011.
 
SMU REWIND

West Texas A&M placed on a powerful efficiency throughout their first exhibition contest of the season on Tuesday night time as they fell to the SMU Mustangs, 81-69 at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas.
 
Claire Graham led the offensive cost with 17 factors, changing six of eight subject targets and making all 4 of her three-point makes an attempt. Henley West contributed effectively with 16 factors, hitting eight of her ten pictures from the ground.
 
THE SERIES
Friday night time marks the fourth all-time assembly on the hardwood between the Lady Buffs and Wildcats. WT journey to the McKale Center the previous three seasons for exhibition motion as Arizona picked up a 86-63 victory 2022 adopted by a 103-58 win in 2023, final season’s matchup noticed the Lady Buffs trailed by simply 5 factors on the half earlier than faling 84-59.
 
WT HEAD COACH JOSH PROCK
Josh Prock is now in his fifth season on the helm of the Lady Buff Basketball program. The Lady Buffs made this system’s twenty ninth look within the NCAA Division II Postseason throughout the 2024-25 marketing campaign as they went 19-13 total with a 12-10 mark within the LSC. The Lady Buffs superior to the South Central Regional Semifinals.
 

Prock was launched as West Texas A&M’s head girls’s basketball coach on June, 2, 2021. Prock isn’t any stranger to the Lone Star Conference as he spent eight seasons as the top coach at Eastern New Mexico main the Greyhounds to their solely three NCAA Tournament appearances in program historical past.
 
HOME SWEET HOME

West Texas A&M is house to one of many most interesting multi-purpose amenities within the nation because the First United Bank Center has served as the house of the Lady Buffs since January 26, 2002. The Lady Buffs are a staggering 290-47 within the FUBC throughout that point for a profitable clip of 86.6%. WT has averaged 1,035 followers per contest because the facility opened its doorways with the biggest crowd approaching Opening Night with 4,941 members of Buff Nation seeing the Lady Buffs tackle rival Abilene Christian.
 
LSC PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR

West Texas A&M senior guard Kyla Kane was tabbed the Lone Star Conference Preseason Player of the Year introduced on Monday, October twentieth. The 5-foot-10 native of Wellington, Texas, averaged 13.1 factors, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per sport. She shot 89.8 % from the free throw line and made 56 3-pointers. She was a second crew all-LSC choice.
 
LSC PRESEASON POLL

The Lady Buffs have been chosen fourth within the 2025 LSC Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Defending Regional Champion Texas Woman’s claimed 20 of the potential 51 first place votes to take a seat atop of the ballot with 810 factors adopted by Lubbock Christian (14 first place, 776), UT Tyler (eight first place, 761), West Texas A&M (six first place, 663) and Eastern New Mexico (two first place, 657) to spherical out the highest 5.
 

The preseason ballot and preseason participant of the yr are voted on by LSC head coaches, sports activities data administrators and media members. Angelo State (656) sits sixth adopted by Texas A&M-Kingsville (564), UT Permian Basin (466), Midwestern State (461), St. Mary’s (438), St. Edward’s (363), Oklahoma Christian (310), Cameron (262), Texas A&M International (one first place, 210), UT Dallas (168), Western New Mexico (161) and Sul Ross State (77).
 
RUNNIN’ IT BACK
Graduate scholar Karley Motschenbacher returns to the Lady Buffs for her closing season of eligibility in 2025-26 after a season away from the courtroom. The Moorehead, Minnesota product is a three-time All-Lone Star Conference honoree as she has seen time in 95 video games with 89 begins for the Lady Buffs, averaging 32.2 minutes per contest. She scored her 1,000th profession level again on January 20, 2024 at Eastern New Mexico and is simply the twenty fifth participant in WT historical past to attain 1,000 factors as a Lady Buff.