LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech now knows its early-season opponents after the Lady Raiders put together a 13-0 non-conference record in 2025-26, which eventually led to a program record 19-game win streak to start the season.
The quest for another burst at the beginning of the year starts with the home opener on Nov. 5 against Charlotte at the United Supermarkets Arena. The game begins a stretch of five straight home contests, with no true road game until Dec. 13.
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The non-conference schedule includes matchups with Lamar (Nov. 9), Auburn (Nov. 13) and Southeastern Louisiana (Nov. 15).
From there, Tech will participate in two invitational events – the WBCA Showcase in Orlando and the Paradise Jam Tournament in the U.S.Virgin Islands – before three more non-conference games: Dec. 1 against Texas Southern, Dec. 13 at Mississippi State and Dec. 16 versus North Florida.
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Head coach Krista Gerlich is 61-11 in non-conference games going into her seventh season leading her alma mater. The 19-game win streak a year ago matched the longest streak ever for the Lady Raiders and included just the fifth undefeated non-conference slate in program history.
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Four of the six non-conference opponents are coming off losing seasons in 2025-26. Against Lamar, who reached the second round of the WNIT, the Lady Raiders have won 12 consecutive contests head-to-head. Mississippi State finished 18-13 and 5-11 in SEC play to sit 12th in their conference standings.
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Another stretch of wins can certainly be in the cards for the Lady Raiders, who will feature a handful of new faces this season.
Despite the men’s basketball team on campus finding benefit in the bringing players back through temporary injunctions and extra eligibility, the Lady Raiders have not had news of similar transactions. Still, Gerlich hit the transfer portal hard this past spring to reload the roster.
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Rhema Collins leads the way for the newcomers. The 6-2 senior forward comes to Texas Tech as the reigning Conference USA Newcomer and Player of the Year while at Florida International. Collins led the Panthers and the conference in scoring with 17.7 points per game, along with 14 double-doubles on the year.
Collins is likely to be joined on the inside by 7-1 center Stephanie Okechukwu, who hails from Nigeria and joined the Lady Raiders midway through last season, but has yet to make her debut.
In total, Collins is joined by a five-player transfer class that includes Tahys Da Silva, Kiki Smith, Destinee Hooks and Jalayah Ingram.
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Headlining the crop of freshmen is a star-studded quartet of high school prospects: Gianna “GiGi” Jordan, Natalia Jordan, Milania “MiMi” Jordan (all siblings), and Ambrosia “Bro Bro” Cole.
The Jordan sisters each come with notable high school endorsements. GiGi is a top-75 national recruit and one of the best point guard recruits in the country. She is joined by her sister, Natalia, who is the No. 22-ranked recruit in the state and has a 50-point game on her high school resume. MiMi is a top-15 prospect in the state after anchoring a team that won three district titles in undefeated fashion.
Cole is a local product of Lubbock Monterrey and a former teammate of No. 1 overall recruit Aaliyah Chavez, who just completed a strong freshman season at Oklahoma. Cole is a four-star prospect, ranked inside the top-10 in Texas and No. 92 in the nation, according to Tech Athletics.
“With the graduation of nine seniors, we felt the need to give our 11 new players extra time together – extra time to practice, compete, and build chemistry before the season begins in the fall,” Gerlich said. “Clearly, we saw the benefits of this type of summer opportunity las year and want to give this team as much of an advantage as we can. Just the team togetherness and bonding experiences is invaluable in itself, but the extra time on the court will go a long ways, especially with our six freshmen.”
Texas Tech hit the floor together for the first time in Canada with exhibition wins against UBCO, 75-52, and UBC, 69-42.
