WBB: Tarleton State Texans Preview
After reaching the first Division I national postseason tournament in program history and recording their highest WAC regular season finish what does Tarleton State do for an encore in 2025-2026?
Tarleton State’s women’s basketball program, under third year head coach Bill Brock, continues to make upward progress and enters 2025-2026 coming off a WNIT appearance and regular season runner-up finish. However, much of that roster is gone (including four starters) and Brock welcomes 11 newcomers to the Texan fold.
Head Coach:
Bill Brock (3rd year)
Career Record:
430-89
At Tarleton State: 31-34
Last Year:
20-14 overall, 10-6 WAC (T2 regular season, lost in WAC tournament semifinals to UT Arlington, lost in 2nd rd of the WNIT to Lindenwood after opening round bye)
Newcomers:
11
Nyah Buntun- Won a CIF-Sac Joaquin section championship at St. Mary’s HS. Nominated for the McDonald’s All-American Game. Second rated point guard in California according to Prep Girls Hoops.
Tessa Engelman- Recorded 30 blocks last year while at Mount St. Mary’s with eight games of multiple blocks. Sixth in the MAAC as a freshman in blocks.
Luka Malinka- Was a second-team all GLIAC selection last season while at Roosevelt, averaging 15.4 points per game with seven games of 20+ points and a high of 35 in mid-February. Has previous Division I experience at Winthrop and Northern Colorado (where she worked with Texan associate head coach Geoff Golden).
Jailynn Brill- Spent last season at Chipola College, helping the Lady Indians earn a No. 1 seed in the NJCAA tournament. Averaged nearly seven points and seven rebounds a game with a 22 point and 10 rebound game in her second appearance. As a freshman was at Western Kentucky where she appeared in 21 games.
Kristian Hieskill- Averaged 19 points and five rebounds per game as a senior in HS, earning all-district honors and was a multiple time Defensive Player of the Year.
Gia Adams- While at UT Arlington in 2023-2024 was the WAC’s Newcomer of the Year, helping the Lady Mavs to a tournament semifinal appearance and would be berth in the WBI if it were held. That year she led the Lady Mavs in scoring at 14.5 points per game on 45 percent field goal shooting (37% from 3-point range). Also was second in assists at just over three assists per game. Did not enter a game while at North Texas last season.
Alexis Rynders- Holds five different records at Glen Rose High School including…single game and career 3-point percentage, single season made 3-pointers, single season free throw percentage, and assists. Four time TGCA all-state and TABC all-region selection.
Shadasia Brackens- Played 51 games while at North Texas, averaging just under three points per game. Had a career-high performance of 17 points against Chicago State and also impacted a postseason win with 12 points and nine rebounds against UT Arlington.
Jaylynn Perez-Richard- Ranked 11th in the Texas Class of 2025. Was an Offensive Player of the Year while in high school.
Caroline Lyles- Did not enter a game while at Akron last year but before that played in 35 games while at Tulsa. Shot 36 percent from 3-point range in 2022-2023.
Allie Myers- While at Seward Community College set records for single-game rebounding (23) and also set the single-season rebounding record at 389. Had 17 double-doubles in two years at the JC level.
Returners:
3
Jakoriah Long- An all-WAC second team selection a season ago, Long led the Texans in scoring during conference play at 13.3 points per game while shooting 45 percent (46 percent from 3-point range). Had three straight 20+ point performances in early February and four in an eight game stretch that ended with a 26 point performance in the regular season finale at Wisdom Gym.
Kyriana Jones- Entered 28 games last year and was efficient with her opportunities from the field, shooting nearly 40 percent.
Mar’Cyah Willis- Entered 14 games last year, averaging seven minutes per appearance
Key Losses:
Arieona Rosborough- 12.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists per game (Graduation)
Faith Acker- 9.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 32 blocks (transfer portal to Oklahoma State)
Miannah Little- 9.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists per game (Graduation)
Elise Turrubiates- 5.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game (transfer portal to South Dakota)
Outlook:
As veteran heavy as Tarleton State was last year it’ll be the opposite in 2025-2026 for Bill Brock and staff with 11 newcomers and just three lone returners.
That means there are a lot of unknowns for this edition of the Texans to answer.
Who fills the 3-point production of Miannah Little, Nikki Van Wyk, and Karyn Sanford (Colorado State transfer)? The trio combined to make 97 3-pointers a season ago, which was just over half of Tarleton State’s production beyond the arc.
Who fills the post minutes and scoring vacated by Faith Acker (transfer to Oklahoma State) and Alani Fluker (graduated)?
Brock went and got WAC experience in the portal with Gia Adams coming over from North Texas. For those who have forgotten, Adams was the WAC’s Newcomer of the Year in 2023-2024 while at UT Arlington.
Five others have Division I experience in some form. The other five are HS graduates and JC transfers without four-year level experience.
If the Texans get that level of production from Adams and Long in addition to filling the holes in the paint they’ll have a shot to be in the fight for a regular season title come late February and early March.
Scheduling Tidbits:
A new building means a bunch of new firsts and the first opponent to visit Stephenville will be Kansas State for an exhibition on October 27.
The first non-conference home game will be against Schreiner, a non DI game on November 3, while the first DI opponent is Arkansas State on November 7 for an Education Day matinee.
They’ll hit the road for three straight in late November and early December including TCU, Texas State, and a trip to Mississippi Valley State.
The last two non-conference games will come as part of ACU’s Christmas Classic, playing defending WNIT champion Buffalo and a Montana side that was an offensive rebound and putback from the NCAA tournament.
UT Arlington has the honor of being Tarleton State’s first WAC opponent to play in their new arena, the ECCU Center on December 29.
The Texans then play six on the road in January, split into two three-game road trips that are split up with a three-game homestand. Trip No.1, which covers the New Year’s Week is visits to Utah Valley, CBU, and ACU. Trip No. 2, which closes out January, is a second trip to ACU, Utah Valley and Utah Tech.
That changes in February when the Texans are home for five out of seven games. Visiting in that stretch are CBU twice, Southern Utah, Utah Valley, and Abilene Chirsitan. They visit Southern Utah and Utah Tech in mid-February before closing the regular season at UT Arlington.