With a 1-1 conference record after the team’s first road trip of 2026, the women’s basketball team will host Tarleton State University and the University of Texas-Arlington in Moody Coliseum this week.

The 1-1 split comes after a dominant 81-51 victory over Utah Tech University on New Year’s Day. Meredith Mayes, junior center from Bixby, Oklahoma, led the Wildcats with 19 points and 10 rebounds, registering her first double-double of the conference slate. In her sophomore campaign, Mayes recorded four such games, including a 21-point, 12-rebound performance on the road against Southern Utah University.

In the win over the Trailblazers, the Wildcats allowed just 14 second-half points, outscoring UTT by 22 in the final 20 minutes. Head Coach Julie Goodenough attributed the defensive success to the team’s ability to adjust at halftime.

“We had a huge defensive breakdown that continued to happen in the first half,” Goodenough said. “We addressed that at halftime, and then it didn’t happen again. Our players really owned that adjustment and saw a lot of success in the third quarter.”

Additionally, Natalia Chavez, senior guard from Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico, brought 14 points off the bench, shooting 66.6% from the field and 50.0% from behind the arc in the game.

“She’s been awesome,” Emma Troxell said. “She’s a great spark off the bench. When you put her in the game, she’s going to knock down that three that you need every time.”

Troxell, junior forward from Bushland, started the game but played just 16 minutes, scoring seven points and pulling down four rebounds in the blowout win.

After the Thursday victory, the team made its lone trip to Utah Valley University, falling to the Wolverines 69-67. In the loss, the Wildcats rallied from an 11-point deficit with 42 seconds to go in the third quarter.

Payton Hull, junior guard from Peaster, led the Wildcats with 21 points, while Mayes and Erin Woodson, junior guard from Richmond, Virginia, each scored in double digits.

For UVU, Amanda Barcello and Kylee Mabry caught fire, scoring 23 points each, making 11 combined threes and accounting for two-thirds of the team’s total points.

“We knew what a great shooter Barcello was,” Goodenough said. “We continued to play too far off of her. You just have to be able to make in-game adjustments. We never made that adjustment.”

With the team playing four of its next five games at home, it’ll first host their I-20 rival, Tarleton State. With a unique format in 2026, the Wildcats will host the Texans twice while visiting Stephenville just once, something Troxell and the ‘Cats are looking forward to.

“It’s awesome,” Troxell said. “I feel like every time we go to Tarleton, it’s such a battle against them and their fans. They always come prepared and loud. I think having that on our side this year is going to be a game-changer.”

The Texans will enter Moody Coliseum 7-7 overall and 1-2 in conference. Led by senior guard and Preseason Western Athletic Conference selection Jakoriah Long, the team has scored just 67.1 points per game this season. Long recently moved into the top 10 on the program’s all-time three-pointers made list, knocking down her 100th made deep shot this season.

Despite Long’s three-point prowess, senior guard Gia Adams has led the team in scoring so far, averaging 12.6 points per game.

“They’re drivers,” Troxell said. “They’re quick and very athletic. I think we need to go in being physical and playing our game.”

The Texans have made just 6.4 threes per game while allowing just 6.9 from their opponents. They’ve put their focus on scoring inside and utilizing their athleticism and talent. The high-flying and driving style varies significantly from the Wildcats, who want to control the game and rely on their three-point shooting.

“They’re just so different from us,” Goodenough said. “We’re controlled and fundamentally sound basketball players, and they rely heavily on their athleticism. They can get you in foul trouble quickly, and they’re great drivers.”

Goodenough also said the Wildcats need to come together and play great team defense while capitalizing in transition and playing great transition defense. Both teams have thrived in transition and emphasized getting points on fast breaks.

“It’ll be really interesting to see which team plays the best transition defense,” Goodenough said. “We’re both really good at scoring in transition, so that’s going to be a good competition to have with them.”

After the game on Thursday, the team will look to Saturday when they host the UTA Mavericks. The alma mater of Coach Goodenough will enter Abilene with a 6-9 overall record and 0-3 in conference play. The Mavericks will be fully rested, having not played since a home loss to SUU on Jan. 3.

“I love to beat them,” Goodenough said. “We’ve had success against them at home, but it’s when we go there that we have got to figure out how to put a game together.”

With the Wildcats playing two games in three days during conference play, the team has not yet fully prepared for the Mavericks. However, this week they’ll have an advantage with both the Texans and Mavericks playing a similar brand of basketball.

“I think going in we have to play our game and stay true to our principles,” Troxell said.

Freshman guard Kira Reynolds has burst onto the scene, averaging a team-high 11.8 points per game. Joined by her sisters, Amiyah and Mila, the three have their father, Steven Reynolds Jr., on the roster as an assistant coach.

“This is a really interesting dynamic with three sisters and their Dad all there,” Goodenough said. “I really don’t know how she’s getting open, but we’ll try to figure it out.”

Despite having just a 6-9 record, the Mavericks have only been outscored by an average of 6.4 points per game while holding their opponents to just a 23.9% on three-point shots.

The first set of conference home games for the Wildcats will include a buy-one, get-one special on tickets in Moody Coliseum on Thursday and the first-ever Girl Scout Day in Moody on Saturday.

As the team looks ahead at the start of spring semester classes next week, it posted on Instagram celebrating a 3.72 collective grade point average in the fall semester.

“I’m pretty sure that is our highest fall GPA in the 14 years I’ve been here,” Goodenough said. “That’s phenomenal. Most college students would be throwing themselves a party with a 3.72. For our team of 13 players to average that is really significant, and I’m proud of our GPA. We have really good students.”