Date	Time	Opponent	Location	Venue	Links
Friday, October 25	8:00 p.m. CT	Arizona	Tucson, Arizona	McKale Memorial Center	Stats | ESPN+ | Game Notes

CANYON, Texas – The Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M close out their preseason at the historic McKale Memorial Center in Tucson, Arizona on Friday night as they take on the Arizona Wildcats in exhibition action starting at 8:00 p.m. CT in Tucson. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
WAYLAND BAPTIST RECAP
The Lady Buffs finished with six players scoring in double-figures led by Taylor Haggan with 17 as WT picked up a 93-83 exhibition victory over Wayland Baptist at the First United Bank Center. The Lady Buffs went 35-of-79 (44.3%) from the field including 7-of-28 (25%) from deep and 16-of-25 (64%) from the charity stripe with 52 rebounds, 21 assists, 17 turnovers, three blocks and nine steals.
 
A LOOK AT THE WILDCATS
Arizona enters the season with high expectations as they return seven letterwinners including four players with significant playing time for an NCAA Tournament participant. The Wildcats took advantage of the transfer portal as they welcome four Division I student-athletes to the roster: Ajae Yoakum (Florida International), Sahnya Jah (South Carolina), Paulina Paris (North Carolina) and Jorynn Ross (Pepperdine).
 
Jada Williams was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team for the Wildcats, going 98-of-279 (35.1%) from the floor including 29-of-111 (26.1%) from behind the arc and 86-of-102 (84.3%) from the charity stripe to average 9.4 points per game to go along with 56 rebounds, 77 assists, one block and 35 steals. 
 
The Wildcats finished the 2023-24 campaign with an overall record of 18-16 with a 8-10 mark in their final season part of the Pac-12 Conference. Arizona went 10-5 inside of the McKale Center highlighted by an 71-70 overtime thrilling victory over #15 Utah. Arizona advanced to the second round of the Pac-12 Championships to earn an NCAA Tournament bid, they topped Auburn (69-59) in Storrs, Connecticut before ending their season against #22 Syracuse (74-69).
 
Arizona will take on Cal State Los Angeles in exhibition action on October 29th before beginning their regular season against UT Arlington in Tucson on November 4th.
 
ARIZONA HEAD COACH ADIA BARNES
Since returning to her alma mater as head coach in April of 2016, Adia Barnes has built Arizona Women's Basketball into a fixture on the national stage of college basketball while developing her own legacy as one of the top coaches in the sport. The program has ascended to dizzying heights in record-breaking fashion in all aspects that include reaching the national championship game, signing elite recruiting classes, cementing its deep connections with the Tucson community.
 
The 2023-24 season saw the Wildcats earn their fourth-straight and 11th overall bid to the NCAA Tournament. Barnes was named a finalist for the prestigious 2021 WBCA Coach of the Year award, she is one of just four coaches to lead their alma mater to the National Title game. 
 
A three-time all-conference selection and 1998 graduate of Arizona, Barnes was voted USBWA First Team All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1997-98. Her 2,237 career points currently rank ninth on the Pac-12's all-time scoring list. Following her collegiate career, Barnes played professionally for 12 seasons in the WNBA and overseas. She won a WNBA Championship with the Seattle Storm in 2004, was named to the Storm's All-Decade Team, and also played for Cleveland, Minnesota and Sacramento.
 
THE SERIES
Friday night marks the third all-time meeting on the hardwood between the Lady Buffs and Wildcats. WT travel to the McKale Center the past two seasons for exhibition action as Arizona picked up a 86-63 victory 2022 followed by a 103-58 win last season.
 
WT HEAD COACH JOSH PROCK
Josh Prock is now in his fourth season at the helm of the Lady Buff Basketball program. The Lady Buffs made the program's 28th appearance in the NCAA Division II Postseason during the 2022-23 campaign as they went 21-11 overall including a 14-8 mark in Lone Star Conference action. 
 
Prock was introduced as West Texas A&M's head women's basketball coach on June, 2, 2021. Prock is no stranger to the Lone Star Conference as he spent eight seasons as the head coach at Eastern New Mexico leading the Greyhounds to their only three NCAA Tournament appearances in program history.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
West Texas A&M is home to one of the finest multi-purpose facilities in the country as the First United Bank Center has served as the home of the Lady Buffs since January 26, 2002. The Lady Buffs are a staggering 279-43 inside of the FUBC during that time for a winning clip of 86.6%. WT has averaged 1,035 fans per contest since the facility opened its doors with the largest crowd coming on Opening Night with 4,941 members of Buff Nation seeing the Lady Buffs take on rival Abilene Christian.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Friday night's exhibition contest at the McKale Memorial Center will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
 
HOME OF CHAMPIONS
West Texas A&M is home to one of the most successful athletic programs in all of NCAA Division II.
 
The Buffs and Lady Buffs finished third in the 2023-24 Division II LEARFIELD Director's Cup standings. It marked the sixth straight and eighth overall time that WT finished inside of the Top-10 including the fifth straight inside of the Top-5.
 
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1940 - Hall of Fame college basketball coach Bob Knight is born in Massillon, Ohia
 
1968 - The United States men's basketball team defeats Yugoslavia, 65-50 to win the gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics, the seventh straight basketball title for the USA
 
1971 - Eight-time All-Star and MLB Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez is born in Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic
 
1987 - The Minnesota Twins top the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-2 in Game 7 to win Minnesota's first title in franchise history
 
1999 - Three-time major champion golfer Payne Stewart dies in a plane crash at the age of 42