MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The 2026-27 Women's Basketball season is here, and third-year head coach Darrick Matthews is saddled in for the new campaign with some new faces and a fair number of returning ones. The Muleriders will get their season kicked off at the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic in Canyon, Texas, inside the First United Bank Center, hosted by West Texas A&M University.
 
For Southern Arkansas, the squad will take on the 20^th-ranked West Texas A&M Lady Buffs on Friday, October 30, at 4:30 PM and will then face the 6^th-ranked Texas Woman's Pioneers on Saturday, October 31, at 2:15 PM.
 
Game Coverage Information
Both contests will be streamed on the Flo College with live stats being kept by West Texas A&M. Links for streaming and live stats can be found at www.MuleriderAthletics.com/coverage.
 
A Glance at Southern Arkansas
The Blue and Gold returns multiple faces, which include Blythe Crawley, Hope Bump, Kennedy Moss, Kadia Ward, Johnna Brockman, Krista Rivers, Ainsley Hall, and Kathryn Stiffler. Of those eight, Crawley, Bump, Moss, and Ward all led the Mulerider offense in scoring last go-around.
 
Blythe Crawley's 11.5 points per game and 323 total points led the Muleriders last season, as she was also the unit's leader in three-pointers made (53) and field goals made (124). Matthews also returns his three other top scorers from a season ago in Hope Bump (260), Kennedy Moss (244), and Kadia Ward (219).
 
Ward is the lone returner with at least 100 rebounds from a season ago, as the Duncanville, Texas local accounted for 153 rebounds in the 25-26 campaign, tallying 24 offensive boards and 129 defensive. She also ends up being the returner with the most assists and steals from a year ago, recording 47 assists and 36 steals.
 
A key piece for the Muleriders to replace this campaign will be the director of the offense and defense, Marlee Bright. The Amity, Arkansas native will continue to aid the Blue and Gold this season, but from the bench, as she will assume the role of the Mulerider Women's Basketball Graduate Assistant.
 
To begin the season, Southern Arkansas was voted as the tenth-ranked team in the Great American Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
First Meeting Between Southern Arkansas and West Texas A&M
10/30/26 (4:30 PM)
 
West Texas A&M begins the new year as the 20^th-ranked team in the WBCA Preseason Coaches Poll. In the Lone Star Conference, the unit was voted the second-ranked team in the league's preseason coaches poll with 794 points.

To finish the 2025-26 campaign, the Lady Buffs capped it off in the NCAA DII postseason, with group falling in the first round of the South Central Regionals to the University of Texas at Tyler, 66-56. In the LSC Tournament a year ago, West Texas made it all the way to the conference championship game, falling in a defensive bout 54-46 to Texas Woman's.
 
Four out of the top five scorers from a season ago have departed from the Lady Buffs, as Taylor Haggan is the last remaining top-five scorer for WT still in Canyon. Haggan finished last year with 331 points and an average of 10.7 points per game, ranking third for the Lady Buffs. Not only is she West Texas' returning leading scorer, but she also comes off a season in which she led WT in rebounds with 190 (66 ORB | 124 DRB).
 
Series History vs. TWU
SAU vs. Texas Woman's | 10/31/26 (2:15 PM) 
9^th meeting, TWU leads 7-1 
First meeting: 12/13/2002 – SAU won 67-51 
Last meeting: 11/15/2011 – TWU won 85-48
 
Starting the season as the sixth-ranked team nationally, the Pioneers are coming off an incredible campaign, in which the unit finished sixth after posting a 31-2 overall record and a perfect 20-0 in the Lone Star Conference. In the LSC Preseason Coaches Poll, TWU ended up being the overall favorite to win the league with 828 points.
 
In last year's season, Texas Woman's claimed its fourth-straight regular season LSC Championship, and its third-straight LSC Tournament Championship.
 
Texas Woman's top four points accountants from last season have all departed from Denton, Texas, as the lead scorer returning for the 2026-27 campaign is senior guard Madi Lumsden, as the native of Argyle, Texas tallied 335 points with an average of 10.2 points per game. The top four rebounders from the 2025-26 slate have also not made their return, leaving Lumsden as the leading rebounder returning, after the senior tacked on 87 boards. She also leads returners in assists (69), steals (33), and blocks (12).
 
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