University of North Texas Athletics
University of North Texas
Newman
11/2/2026 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DENTON, Texas – The UNT women's basketball team opens its 2026-27 season Monday night, hosting Newman at 5:30 p.m. inside the Super Pit.
The Mean Green look to build on a successful 2025-26 campaign, in which they went 19-14 and reached the semifinals of the American Conference Championship. Head coach Jason Burton has led UNT to three consecutive seasons with at least 19 wins, a first in program history, and leads the the American Conference with 67 total wins in that span.
North Texas returns four players and welcomes nine newcomers, including senior forward Otaifo Esenabhalu. The Longwood transfer led the Big South in rebounding in each of the past two seasons while averaging 8.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, recording 13 double-doubles and earning All-Big South Honorable Mention honors throughout 2025-26. UNT also expects to receive significant contributions from Texas Tech transfer Kalysta Martin, a top 65 recruit back in the class of 2024, as well as junior college All-Americans Taylor Rietveld and KaMyra Barber. The returning core is headlined by guards Cherie Spencer and Chania Price, who each played in over 30 games last season.
Newman enters the opener after exhibition losses to Kansas City and Wichita State. A win would make the Mean Green 1-0 in all four seasons under Burton.
Monday's season opener is set for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff and will be available for streaming on ESPN+. Fans can also listen to the action on the Varsity Network App with Sam Kaman on the call.
