RICHARDSON, Texas - The UT Dallas women's basketball team will begin its NCAA Division II and Lone Star Conference journey Friday evening when it faces Southern Nazarene in an exhibition game in Bethany, Okla. at 5:30 p.m.
The Comets return seven players, including three starters from last season's 18-6 squad. Fourth-year head coach Joe Shotland will have two graduate students, three seniors, one junior, three sophomores and five freshmen to call upon.
Junior guard Umi Otsuka was on the LSC Preseason Players to Watch List. The Southern Nazarene transfer averaged 10.7 points per game with 64 rebounds, 39 assists, 25 steals and 6 blocks over 23 games last season.
Grad student guard Anna Yellen was the leading scorer in 2024-25, averaging 11.6 points per game and making 52 three-pointers. Senior forward Addy Self returns after contributing 8.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game.
Also returning seniors Raven Busby and Liv Pedigo and sophomores Ellery Sample, Emery Espinoza and Elsy Hartman. Added to the mix are graduate student Sheridan Kavanagh and freshmen Kinley Mears, Jaela Spencer, Abby Seitz, Clara Paynter and Danielle Oyakhire.
UTD will compete in the Lone Star Conference for the first time and will be eligible for the regular season title and awards, but not for the conference or NCAA tournament.
The Comets will have another exhibition game on Sunday at East Texas A&M in Commerce, before opening the season in Colorado at the Conference Challenge on November 14 against UCCS and at Colorado School of Mines on November 15. The home opener will be on November 22 against Oklahoma Baptist.
UTD will travel to the Puerto Rico Clasico over the week of Thanksgiving, where they will face Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras and Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. They will have two other non-conference home games against Paul Quinn on December 4 and Northeastern State on New Year's Eve.
The Lone Star Conference schedule kicks off in Richardson against Eastern New Mexico on December 11. Other home games highlighted are February 5 versus #13 Lubbock Christian, February 19 against #20 UT Tyler and February 21 versus #3 Texas Woman's.
