SAN ANTONIO -- The University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team opens its 2026-27 schedule against Tulsa on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 6:30 p.m. The Cardinals debut a new-look roster featuring seven returners, five transfers and three freshmen under second-year head coach Jhasmin Player.
UIW is coming off a 13-17 season, finishing sixth in the conference with an 11-11 record. Player's 13 wins marked the most by a first-year head coach in the program's Division I era. With the entire coaching staff returning, the Cardinals look to build on last season's success with a combination of experienced returners, impact transfers and newcomers.
The Cardinals return five players who started in at least one game last season, including Morgan Borgstadt, Destiny Whitaker and Madison Williams. Borgstadt averaged 6.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists over 208 minutes played in 2025, scoring in double figures four times. Whitaker returns after an injury sidelined her for most of last season. Before her injury, she averaged 8.7 points and 2.6 rebounds, opening the season with five consecutive double-digit scoring performances, highlighted by an 18-point outing against UTSA. Williams looks to build on her first season with the Cardinals after transitioning from the Division III ranks.
The junior pair of Gwendlyn McGrew and Londyn Oliphant look to expand their roles as upperclassmen. McGrew finished fourth on the team in scoring last season, shooting .354 from beyond the arc, the ninth-best mark in the Southland. She also ranked third on the team in rebounding, averaging 4.7 boards per game. Oliphant averaged 4.0 points and 1.6 rebounds in her first season with UIW.
Sedelia Wilson-Larkin and Martina Monton Martinez also return after completing their freshman season with the Cardinals, looking to grow in year two.
Incarnate Word also adds five transfers to its roster this season. A'Maya Holton returns to her hometown of San Antonio after spending her first year at Oral Roberts. Junior Kayanna Cox joins the Cardinals after spending the previous two seasons at UCF and SMU. UIW also adds in-conference transfer Mariah Hart, who spent her freshman season at LSU New Orleans. Rounding out the transfer class are post players Nevaeh Jones, who joins the Cardinals from Charleston Southern, and Lucia Lara, who transfers from New Mexico State.
Three freshmen round out the roster, including in-state talents Endia Stigall and Zaviyana Madison, along with Oklahoma native N'Kiyah Burge.
The Cardinals open the season with a challenging four-game road stretch, beginning Tuesday at Tulsa before heading to El Paso to take on UTEP later this week.
TULSA (0-0, 0-0 American)
WHEN AND WHERE: Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 6:30 p.m., Donald W. Reynolds Center (Tulsa, Okla.)
ABOUT THE HURRICANES: Tulsa is coming off a 19-12 season, finishing fourth in the American Conference with an 11-7 record. The 19 overall wins tied for the third-most in a season in program history. The Hurricanes return nine players, including Second Team All-Conference selection Mady Cartwright, who averaged 15.23 points per game last season, the fourth-best mark in the American. She is joined by Dora Toman, an All-Newcomer Team selection who averaged 8.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.5 blocks per game as a true freshman. Toman's performance earned her seven American Freshman of the Week honors. Tulsa rounds out its roster with four freshmen and one transfer.
MATCHUP HISTORY: This is the first-ever meeting between the Hurricanes and the Cardinals.
UTEP (0-0, 0-0 Mountain West)
WHEN AND WHERE: Saturday, Nov. 7 at 2:00 p.m., GECU Arena at the Don Haskins Center (El Paso, Texas)
ABOUT THE MINERS: The Miners concluded last season with a 13-17 record, including a 5-13 mark in CUSA play. UTEP enters its first season in the Mountain West Conference, where the Miners were picked to finish ninth in the preseason poll. UTEP welcomes 10 newcomers, including six transfers and four freshmen, while returning three players from last year's roster. Reigning CUSA Sixth Player of the Year Mary Moses Amaniyo headlines the group after averaging 8.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while shooting 51.7 percent from the field. The transfer class features 2026 All-CUSA Honorable Mention honoree Imani Warren, who joins UTEP from New Mexico State. The Miners will open their season against Western New Mexico on Monday before welcoming the Cardinals on Saturday.
MATCHUP HISTORY: UTEP leads the all-time series against UIW, 2-0, with the Miners winning meetings in 2020 and 2021 in El Paso.
FOLLOW ALONG
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on X @UIWAthletics, and on Instagram @uiw_athletics.
Follow the team on X @UIWWBB and on Instagram @uiw_wbb.
