STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton State Women’s Basketball never trailed in its 2026-27 season debut, defeating Arkansas-Pine Bluff 66-47 on Wednesday at the EECU Center to win its 10th consecutive home opener.
In front of the highest-attended crowd for women’s basketball at the EECU Center (1,263), the Texans fed off the kid-filled arena with 44% shooting while holding the Lady Lions to just 25.9% shooting. The Texans also held Arkansas-Pine Bluff to just 18 points and 20% shooting in the second half. Strong defense from the Texans forced SWAC Preseason Player of the Year Indiya Bowen to just 1-for-16 shooting from the floor.
Fifth year guard Olivia Medford posted her first Division I double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, posting career-highs in both categories. Medford, who accomplished that feat on her birthday, is just the second Texan to post a double-double in the season opener in the Division I era.
Senior guards Stephany Gonçalves and Caroline Lyles also gave the Texans a boost. Gonçalves led the Texans in scoring with 16 points and seven assists. Lyles matched a career-high 15 points and four steals.
“Our team was very business-like from beginning to end,” head coach Bill Brock said. “One thing we did in the second half is we started sending more people on transition defense because Arkansas-Pine Bluff loves to lay it on the glass. Our kids took a lot of pride defensively today.”
A 3-pointer from Lyles followed by a steal and bucket got the Texans off to a fast start in the first quarter, with 3-pointers from Gonçalves and Lyles putting Tarleton State ahead 13-4 at the media timeout. The Lady Lions got a basket while drawing the foul to end an 8-0 scoring run, but Tarleton State answered right back with a 3-pointer to make it an 11-point lead.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff answered back with a 3-pointer in the closing minutes of the opening period before Medford countered with a basket while drawing the foul. Making half their field goals in the first quarter, Tarleton State managed to go up by 11 points at the end of the first quarter.
The Lady Lions cut the deficit to single digits to open the second quarter, but once again the Texans answered the bell. Freshman Kendall Ford provided a spark off the bench and scored a layup to make it a 12-point Tarleton State lead. Baskets by Ford and Lyles kept the Texans ahead by double-digits before Arkansas-Pine Bluff scored a last-second layup to make it a nine-point game at halftime.
Despite not getting a basket in the first five minutes of the second half, the Texans stretched their lead. The Texans knocked down 10 free throws that opened the third period with a 10-0 Tarleton State scoring run.
After senior guard Lucia Navarro got the first second half bucket for the Texans, Arkansas-Pine Bluff drew a foul while converting a score. Tarleton State’s guards kept the lead in check, with Ford finding Navarro for a bucket and Gonçalves assisting on back-to-back layups to help the Texans to a 56-38 lead going into the final period.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff cut the deficit to 12 with five minutes left to play before a pair of buckets put the Texans back up 62-46. Medford capped off the scoring with a 3-pointer with just under four minutes left. The Texans prevented an Arkansas-Pine Bluff score for the final three and a half minutes, resulting in a season-opening win.
Tarleton State goes on the road for the first time in 2026-27 on Sunday, going up against No. 15 nationally-ranked TCU in Fort Worth at 2 p.m.
Postgame Notes
- Tarleton State picked up a 66-47 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Wednesday at the EECU Center to open the 2026-27 season. The Texans have now won their last 10 home openers.
- The Texans picked up their third Education Day win under head coach Bill Brock. It is their first Education Day win in the EECU Center.
- Wednesday’s attendance of 1,263 marked the highest-attended women’s game at the EECU Center. It is the highest attended home opener in the Division I era.
- Fifth year guard Olivia Medford posted her first Division I double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, accomplishing that feat on her birthday. She is just the second Texan to post a double-double in the season opener in the Division I era.
- Medford posted career-highs in both points and rebounds against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Her previous career-highs came during the 2024-25 season.
- Senior guard Stephany Gonçalves led the Texans in scoring with 16 points and seven assists. Her seven assists were the most by a Texan in a season opener since 2023.
- Senior guard Caroline Lyles matched a career-high 15 points and four steals on Wednesday. She last posted those numbers on Feb. 5, 2026 against California Baptist.
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