West Texas A&M at SMU
Date	Tuesday, October 21st | 6:30 p.m.
Location	Dallas, Texas | Moody Coliseum
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CANYON, Texas – The Lady Buffs open their 2025-26 campaign on Tuesday night as they travel to Dallas, Texas for an exhibition contest with the SMU Mustangs, tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. at David B. Miller Court at Moody Coliseum.
 
NEW LOOK LADY BUFFS
The Lady Buffs return nine letterwinners from last year's squad that advanced to the South Central Regional Semifinals. LSC Preseason Player of the Year Kyla Kane highlights a deep roster that features eight seniors. Canyon product Kenadee Winfrey joins the Lady Buffs following a stellar career at UNLV. Returning All-LSC selections Randi Harding and Claire Graham look to continue the storied tradition of Lady Buff Basketball in their final season in Maroon & White.
 
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
SMU enters the season with high expectations as they signing 15 new players ahead of the 2025-26 season. Of the 15, eight players transferred in from a Power Four institution. The Mustangs will also be one of the more experienced teams in the nation, having added eight seniors/graduate students to the roster this season.
 
A native of Washington D.C., Tyi Skinner transferred to the Hilltop after three years at Arizona State. After missing the 2023-24 season, Skinner bounced back and earned All-Big 12 honorable mention honors last season, averaging 16.8 points per game and shooting 39.8% from the field. During the 2022-23 season, Skinner earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors for her play, averaging over 19 points per game. Kyla Deck joined the Mustangs following one season at North Texas where she averaged 10.4 points per game and was third in the American Conference with 63 steals.
 
The Mustangs finished the 2024-25 campaign with an overall record of 10-20 with a 2-16 mark in ACC action as SMU went 7-9 inside of Moody Coliseum last season. SMU hosts Cal State Los Angeles in exhibition action on Monday, October 27th before beginning their season in Dallas on November 4th against Grambling State.
 
SMU HEAD COACH ADIA BARNES
Adia Barnes was named Head Women's Basketball Coach at SMU on April 5, 2025. Boasting an impressive resume, Barnes arrived on the Hilltop after spending nine seasons in Tucson as the head coach of the Arizona women's basketball team. During that time, she compiled a record of 169-114, reaching the post-season six consecutive seasons and collecting five consecutive 21-plus win seasons.
 
The 2021 WBCA of the Year Finalist and Naismith Coach of the Year Semifinalist led the Wildcats to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and finished the 2020-21 season as the national runner-up.
 
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
Tuesday night is the fourth all-time meeting on the hardwood between the Lady Buffs and Mustangs, it is just the second matchup at Moody Coliseum in Dallas. The series began in 1982 as SMU claimed a 75-59 victory during the AIAW playoffs in Plainview. The Mustangs claimed a 63-59 victory in Dallas in 1983 followed by a 74-57 SMU victory in Canyon in 1984.
 
WT HEAD COACH JOSH PROCK
Josh Prock is now in his fifth season at the helm of the Lady Buff Basketball program. The Lady Buffs made the program's 29th appearance in the NCAA Division II Postseason during the 2024-25 campaign as they went 19-13 overall with a 12-10 mark in the LSC. The Lady Buffs advanced to the South Central Regional Semifinals.
 
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 290-47 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.
 
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 announced on Monday, October 20th. The 5-foot-10 native of Wellington, Texas, averaged 13.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. She shot 89.8 percent from the free throw line and made 56 3-pointers. She was a second team all-LSC selection.
 
LSC PRESEASON POLL
The Lady Buffs were selected fourth in the 2025 LSC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Defending Regional Champion Texas Woman's claimed 20 of the possible 51 first place votes to sit atop of the poll with 810 points followed 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 round out the top five.
 
The preseason poll and preseason player of the year are voted on by LSC head coaches, sports information directors and media members.
 
Angelo State (656) sits sixth followed 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 student Karley Motschenbacher returns to the Lady Buffs for her final season of eligibility in 2025-26 after a season away from the court. The Moorehead, Minnesota product is a three-time All-Lone Star Conference honoree as she has seen time in 95 games with 89 starts for the Lady Buffs, averaging 32.2 minutes per contest. She scored her 1,000th career point back on January 20, 2024 at Eastern New Mexico and is just the 25th player in WT history to score 1,000 points as a Lady Buff.