UAC Women's Basketball: Historic Openers, Standings

Abilene Christian and Little Rock began the 2026-27 women’s basketball season with historic offensive performances, each team scoring 108 points in their season openers. The Trojans of Little Rock broke their program record for most points scored in a game, a mark set in 1985, while all 13 players that saw the court for Little Rock scored at least five points, led by Payton Futch’s 18 points.

In the United Athletic Conference standings, five teams are 1-0 overall with a 0-0 conference record, including Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Little Rock, and Tarleton State. Three teams are 0-1 overall with a 0-0 conference record: EKU, North Alabama, and UT Arlington. Abilene Christian’s Payton Hull, the Preseason UAC Player of the Year, notched a league-high 20 points and tied an ACU single-game record with eight steals in her team’s opener.

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Top Performers From the Opening Week

Several players recorded standout performances to begin the season. Little Rock’s Payton Futch went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc to finish with 18 points. Tarleton State was led by a trio of players who each scored at least 14 points: Stephany Gonzalves with 16, Caroline Lyles with 15, and Olivia Medford with 14. Multiple players recorded double-doubles, including UCA’s Tiani Ellison (17 points, 11 rebounds), TSU’s Olivia Medford (14 points, 12 rebounds), APSU’s Clearia Peterson (12 points, 11 rebounds), and EKU’s Liz Freihofer (12 points, 10 rebounds).

Upcoming UAC Schedule

The conference’s schedule features several key matchups this week. On Thursday, November 5, North Alabama travels to No. 19 Ole Miss, while Central Arkansas faces (RV) Baylor. On Friday, Little Rock will play at home against Missouri. Sunday’s action includes Tarleton State’s game at No. 15 TCU. The full schedule for the week includes games on each day from Thursday, November 5, through Wednesday, November 11. View the complete schedule.

Preseason Coaches Poll

Abilene Christian was voted as the favorite in the preseason coaches poll, receiving eight first-place votes. The Wildcats finished the 2025-26 campaign with a 24-11 overall record and a 13-5 conference record, placing second in the WAC standings.

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