BEAUMONT, Texas - Lamar University women's basketball team stepped onto the court at the Neches Federal Credit Union Arena Monday for the first practice of the 2025-26 season. The Cardinals will have their first official regular season game on Nov. 8th on the road in Greenley, Colo., against Northern Colorado (3 p.m.).
Last season, the Cardinals recorded their third straight 20-win campaign in the
Aqua Franklin era by going 22-8 overall and finishing 17-3 in the Southland Conference. Big Red earned the second seed in the conference tournament, but fell short of returning to the conference title game.
The Cardinals are returning six members from last season's squad. Headlining this group is
Jacei Denley (5'7, Jr., Beaumont), who led the Cardinals with 93 assists and 54 steals while also averaging close to 10 points per game. Denley would receive her first conference recognition as SLC Player of the Week (Dec. 16th, 2024), when she scored a career-high 20 points in a win over UT Rio Grande Valley.
Also returning for this season are
T'Aaliyah Miner (5'11, Gr., New Orleans, La.),
Taliah Hill (6'0, Gr., Arlington),
R'Mani Taylor (5'6, Sr., Houston),
KJ Walker (5'8, Sr., Ft. Worth), and
Kamryn Wilson (5'9, So., Grand Prairie).
Big Red is also welcoming eight newcomers for the season, including transfers
Solenne Olenga (6'1, Lumbumbashi, DR Congo),
Chisom Oguego (5'10, Jr., Lagos, Nigeria),
Alexis Parker (5'9, Sr., San Antonio),
Molly Powell (6'1, So., Nome), and Melinda Watson (6'0, So., Houston) and freshmen
Shaila Forman (5'9, Baton Rouge, La.),
Keyiona McDaniel, (5'11, Kountze) and
Niyah Waters (5'11, Pflugerville).
