SMU (0-0) vs Grambling State (0-0)
David B. Miller Court at Moody Coliseum – Dallas, Texas
Tuesday, November 4, 2025 – 11 a.m. CT
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DALLAS (SMU) – The SMU women's basketball team begins its 50^th season in program history by hosting Grambling State on Tuesday, November 4, inside Moody Coliseum.

The game will tip off at 11 a.m. CT and be aired on ACCNX. Fans can also listen to the action on the Mustang Radio Network on the SMU Mobile App or follow along via live stats found here.

Tuesday's game is also the Mustangs' annual Education Day game, as Moody will be filled with students from local schools.  Game day giveaway items include schedule magnets and pom poms.

Season and single-game tickets for the 2025-26 season are available now and can be purchased here. For the first time this season, fans can also purchase an 8-Game Flex Pass. Use all eight at one game or spread them out however you like across the season.

More information on all ticket options can be found here. For any ticket questions, please contact 214-SMU-GAME or email tickets@smu.edu.

The opener will also be the program's first game under head coach Adia Barnes. Barnes, a former WBCA Coach of the Year Finalist and Naismith Coach of the Year Semifinalist, was named Head Women's Basketball Coach at SMU on April 5.

As SMU enters year two in the ACC, it will do so with an entirely new roster and coaching staff. signing 15 new players ahead of the 2025-26 season. Of the 15, eight players transferred in from a Power 4 institution. The Mustangs will also be one of the more experienced teams in the nation, having added eight seniors/graduate students to the roster this season.

// A NEW ERA BEGINS

• SMU Women's Basketball enters a new era under Head Coach Adia Barnes.
• Barnes came to the Hilltop after nine seasons as the helm at Arizona, where she built Arizona Women's Basketball into a fixture on the national stage of college basketball while developing her reputation as one of the top coaches in the sport.
• Under Barnes, the program ascended to new heights - reaching the national championship game, signing elite recruiting classes and cementing deep connections with the local community. She led UA to six straight post-season appearances and five straight 20-win seasons, highlighted by an impressive run to the NCAA Championship Game in 2021.
• Barnes was the first coaching hire by new SMU Athletic Director Damon Evans, who called the SMU women's basketball program "a sleeping giant."

// HOME OPENERS

• The Mustangs have won their past four-season openers, all of which have been at home. SMU is 9-1 in its past 10 season-opening games.
• Last season, SMU defeated North Carolina A&T 77-64 in its season opener.

// SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

• Grambling is led by Courtney Simmons, who is in her third year at Grambling State. She holds a record of 38-25 and led GSU to a 15-15 record last season. The team fell in the first round of the SWAC tournament last year.

// ROSTER OVERHAUL

• SMU hit the portal hard this offseason, adding 12 transfers and bringing in three freshmen.
• Paulina Paris, Sahnya Jah and Mailien Rolf all played at Arizona last season.
• Elizaveta Filchagina, Jazzy Gipson, and Roxy White are the three freshmen on this year's roster. Filchagina appeared in both exhibition games.
• The Mustangs were named one of the top-10 portal winners by ESPN for its 2025-26 portal class.

// THE COACHING STAFF

• Head Coach Adia Barnes brought her entire coaching staff over from Arizona with her. The four assistant coaches include Salvo Coppa, Barnes' husband, Bett Shelby, Anthony Turner, and Kamiko Williams.
• This exact core of experienced staff has been together for the past two seasons, with Williams joining in 2024, Turner in 2023, Shelby in 2022, and Coppa since Barnes took over at Arizona.

// SHOW-STOPPING SKINNER

• A native of Washington D.C., Tyi Skinner transferred to the Hilltop after three years at Arizona State. After missing the 2023-24 season, Skinner bounced back and earned All-Big 12 honorable mention honors last season, averaging 16.8 points per game and shooting 39.8% from the field. During the 2022-23 season, Skinner earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors for her play, averaging over 19 points per game.
• Skinner has recorded 33 games scoring 20 or more points in her career,
• "Tyi is a really good shooter," Barnes said. "She's a fun player to watch. She loves to drive and collapse the defense and kick out the shooters. She's a great person, too. I think once the fans get to know her, they fall in love with her. Her personality is amazing and super contagious."

// A TEXAN THROUGH AND THROUGH

• After beginning her career at SFA, the Frisco, Texas native, senior Kyla Deck transferred to SMU after one season at North Texas. Last season, Deck averaged 10.4 points per game and was third in the American with 63 steals with the Mean Green. She led UNT to the second round of the WNIT.
• She can also play on both ends of the court. She can play denial defense, is athletic and can shoot. Barnes also pointed out that Deck is one of the toughest Mustangs.

// BOW DOWN TO THE KING

• One of the youngsters on a roster that leans heavily towards upperclassmen (10 of 15) is sophomore guard Zahra King, a transfer from Cal. As a freshman on a packed Golden Bears team, she played in 19 games and averaged 2.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and dished 10 assists.
• "Zahra is a lefty, really athletic, and her handles are on a string," Barnes said. "She shoots the ball well. She has these amazing moves, like 'Wow! Where did that come from?' She's also a super high-IQ student, really smart. She's in the Cox Business School, which is really hard to get into. You can be a 4.0 student and not get in. She's the total package."

// A DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE

• After dominating the last three seasons at UT Martin, Anaya Brown transferred to SMU, looking to take the next step in her career. The forward has recorded 16 doubles in her career and 13 20-point games. She has the most career double-doubles on this year's roster.
• Named All-OVC First Team after averaging 15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks in 28.3 minutes per game at UT Martin last season.
• She shot 44.2% from the field, 31.8% from beyond the arc and 75.1% from the free throw line…Ranked among OVC leaders in scoring (third), field goal percentage (fifth), and blocks (fourth).
• Scored in double figures 26 times with eight games of 20 points or more, including a career high 29 points at Tennessee Tech, and recorded six double-doubles on the year.

// JZANIYA KNOWS THE WAY

• Another guard in the mix is senior Jzaniya Harriel, a transfer from Stanford. She shot almost 40% from the field and 43% from beyond the 3-point line last season. On the floor, she is "really calm, poised, super analytic, understands the game, has a very high basketball IQ and is from a winning program," Barnes said.

// THERE IS ANOTHER PARIS IN TEXAS

• One of three Arizona players to transfer to SMU, Paulina Paris has been one of the early leaders on the team
• "Paulina is playing at a really high level," Barnes said. "She's doing a good job running our team. I think she's been one of our most consistent players as far as shooting the ball. She's improved her mid-range game. She's improved significantly defensively, like night and day. She knows our system, and I think she'll have a great year." 

// JAW DROPPING JAH

• Sahnya Jah transferred to SMU from Arizona and has already shown flashes of being an impact player
• "She's taking care of the basketball right now," Barnes said. "She's shooting the three better. She's just improved so much. She's playing a lot more in control with purpose, playing inside now, playing multiple positions for us. I think she's going to have a great year, too."

 // HAIL TO HALL

• Grace Hall, a senior forward who transferred from Penn State, shot nearly 46% from the floor last season. She is another experienced player, who Barnes said has "an extremely high basketball IQ, makes our offense flow and is really good at distributing the ball from the post. She knows the right reads."

// EXCELLENT EXHIBITIONS

• The Mustangs had two public exhibitions to prepare for the upcoming season.
• SMU defeated West Texas A&M, who defeated Arizona in its next game, 81-69. Four Mustangs were in double figures as Kyla Deck led the way with 17 points shooting 7-of-10 from the floor. Sahnya Jah and Paulina Paris each had 14 points, while Grace Hall led the team in rebounds with eight. 
• In the second exhibition against Cal State LA, SMU cruised to an 84-49 victory.
• The Mustangs went on a 23-0 run that started halfway in the second quarter and ended early in the third. The team had multiple 10-0 runs, forced 22 turnovers and had 18 assists on 33 made baskets
• Zahra King led SMU with 15 points on 5-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the line, while also having three assists.
• SMU scored 30+ points of turnovers in both games.

// THE NON-CONFERENCE SLATE

• SMU's non-conference slate consists of 12 games, with seven home games to be played inside Moody Coliseum. The schedule is highlighted by matchups with Kansas State on November. 8, Arkansas on December 4 as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge and a trip to Nashville to compete in the Music City Classic the week of Thanksgiving.

// 50 YEARS OF SMU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

• SMU is excited to celebrate the 50th season of women's basketball on the Hilltop throughout the upcoming 2025-26 campaign.
• SMU women's basketball played its first season as a varsity team in 1976-77. Since then, the program has amassed over 700 victories, 23 winning seasons, five conference championships, seven NCAA Tournament appearances, 57 All-Conference selections, five All-Americans and 25 1,000+ point scorers. 50 years of dedication, strength, passion and a continued pursuit of excellence have defined the SMU women's basketball legacy.

// CEDAR COVER RETREAT

• To prepare for the season, the team used a weekend retreat at Cedar Cove Ranch to grow the team's chemistry and strengthen their bonds. The three-day retreat featured multiple outdoor activities, including fishing, hiking, a scavenger hunt and sitting by the campfire.

// (ACC)OPMLISH GREATNESS

• In the AP Preseason poll, the ACC had five schools in the top 25 with Duke (No.7) leading the way followed by NC State (No. 9), UNC (No.11), Notre Dame (No.16) and Louisville (No.20).
• Eight ACC teams were selected to compete in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. It marked the seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament in which eight ACC teams were selected, which ties the league record and is the most among all conferences in that span.
• A current ACC team has appeared in 17 of the last 18 Women's Final Fours, dating back to 2007.
• The ACC has sent at least one team to the Elite Eight in 23 consecutive tournaments, the longest active streak of any conference.
• Entering 2025-26, the ACC has posted 141 NCAA Tournament victories since 2014, tied for the most among all conferences.

// ACC/SECC CHALLENGE

• SMU will welcome Arkansas to Moody Coliseum on December 4 as part of the third annual ACC/SEC Challenge. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. CT and will air on ACCN.
• The women's portion of the challenge will take place on Dec. 3-4. Last season, SMU traveled to Missouri to play Mizzou as part of the challenge in the team's inaugural season in the ACC.

//MUSIC CITY CHALLENGE

• SMU will head to Nashville the week of Thanksgiving to compete in the Music City Classic by Coast-2-Coast. The Mustangs will face Saint Louis on Tuesday, Nov. 25, and Winthrop on Wednesday, Nov. 26.

// ACC TIPOFF

• Head Coach Adia Barnes and guards Tyi Skinner and Kyla Deck represented SMU at the 2025 ACC Basketball Tipoff in Charlotte, N.C. The ACC Tipoff featured interviews with head coaches, student-athletes, insiders and more.

// MOODY COLISEUM AND DAVID B. MILLER COURT

• This season marks the 10th anniversary of the opening of the renovated Moody Coliseum. The remodeled facility made its basketball debut on Jan. 3, 2014.
• On Dec. 5, 2018, SMU named the Moody Coliseum court after David B. Miller, alumnus and current chair of the Board of Trustees. He was a three-year starter on the basketball team and a member of the 1971-72 Southwest Conference Co-Championship team. Throughout his lifetime, Mr. Miller and his wife, Carolyn Lacy Miller, have committed over $100 million to SMU, including more than $50 million to the Cox School of Business, $20 million toward the expansion and renovation of Moody Coliseum and $10 million to the ACC Competitiveness Campaign as a member of the First Week Society