COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Texas A&M women’s basketball team tips off a new season Monday night when Arkansas-Pine Bluff visits Reed Arena in College Station, Texas, for a 7 p.m. Central start.
Joni Taylor enters her fifth season leading the Aggies and has won 10 of the 11 season openers she has coached. The roster she brings into Monday mixes nine returning players with four newcomers who transferred in from other SEC programs and two freshmen.
Senior guard Janae Kent is back after making 24 starts a year ago and scoring in double figures 13 times. LSU transfer Kailyn Gilbert, part of the Tigers’ run to the Elite Eight in 2025, will play her first game in maroon. The freshman class ranks 22nd nationally and includes four-star signees Rieyan DeSouze and Jayda Porter.
Texas A&M went 14-13 last season and was 8-6 in its home gym. The Aggies scored 64.7 points a game while hitting 38.7% of their shots and 29.2% from 3-point range.
The Golden Lions finished 15-16 a year ago and struggled away from Pine Bluff, going 5-12 on the road. They averaged 61 points a game, with 31.1 coming in the paint.
The Aggies have won both previous meetings between the schools, most recently a 79-51 victory in 2002.
Fans who cannot make it to campus can stream the opener on SECN+, and the radio call is carried by the Aggies’ statewide network and the team app. Tickets remain on sale through the 12th Man Foundation.
Monday’s opener gives Taylor a first look at how the transfers fit alongside Kent and the returning core before the nonconference schedule picks up and SEC play arrives after the holidays. Pine Bluff, which plays in the SWAC, makes the trip to Brazos County for the first time in more than two decades.
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