SAN ANTONIO – The University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team announces its 2023-24 schedule. The Cardinals will play 15 games at the McDermott Center this season.
 
Head Coach Jeff Dow enters his fifth season at the helm. Last year, the Cardinals finished on a high note with a six-game win streak before falling to No. 5 Texas A&M – Commerce at the Southland Conference Tournament.
 
The Cardinals open the season at home against Our Lady of the Lake University on November 7 at 11 a.m. UIW then hosts New Mexico State, UTRGV, Dallas Christian, St. Edward's, and Texas Lutheran before starting Southland Conference play in January.
 
"We feel we have put together a challenging non-conference schedule to prepare us for a competitive slate of Southland Conference games," Dow said.  "With two Big 12 opponents and an SEC opponent, we know our squad will be put to the test.  We are starting up a two-year series with one of the traditional powers of the SWAC in Prairie View A&M.  And combined with contests against much improved WAC opponents in New Mexico State, UTRGV, and Tarleton State before the start of conference play, we know we'll be facing a gauntlet of teams that will give us a variety of looks both offensively and defensively."
 
The team returns 12 student-athletes from last season while adding three freshmen to the mix. Mallory McQuietor, Destiny Whitaker, and Raimi McCrary will see their first season as Cardinals. Newcomer of the Year, SLC All-Defensive Team honoree and Second Team All-Conference player Nina De Leon Negron returns for her second season with UIW. She led the team in points (12.1), assists (109), and steals (59).
 
"The Southland Conference figures to be even more competitive with several teams returning the majority of their top players including Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Southeastern Louisiana, and Lamar.  We were pleased with the improvement we showed in the last month of the year by finishing the regular season on a six-game winning streak. We felt like our team culture alone gave our student-athletes an opportunity to overcome obstacles last year and be able to succeed even with our youth and inexperience.  In this day and age, it's unique to have twelve returning players and nobody enters the Transfer Portal, so it's exciting to see to what kind of progress we can make this year."
 

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