RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Thursday the 2026-27 season schedule for the Vaqueros women's basketball team, which is set to begin on Nov. 2 at the UTRGV Fieldhouse and features 14 home games. 
 
"This is probably the toughest schedule we've played in the nine years I've been here. We really challenged ourselves in the non-conference schedule. It prepares you for the conference season and that's what our goal is, to finish in the top three of the conference. We accomplished that last year with a really tough schedule as well. We're really excited about this schedule," head coach Lane Lord said. 
 
The Vaqueros are coming off their winningest season in program history. The 2026-27 campaign opens on Nov. 2 at 5 p.m. against Arlington Baptist at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. UTRGV's first road swing takes it to South Dakota on Nov. 6 for a contest against a program that reached the Fab 4 of the 2026 Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) and the Big 12's Kansas State on Nov. 8. 
 
The Vaqueros will host two postseason teams at the UTRGV Fieldhouse before a long road stretch. They'll battle Abilene Christian, a Super 16 finalist of the 2026 WNIT, on Nov. 11. North Dakota State comes to town on Nov. 19 – the Bison ended the 2026 season at No. 5 in the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 after winning the Summit League regular season title and reaching the second round of the Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament. 
 
UTRGV's next seven games will be away from home. The road trip starts in Houston at The Rice Invitational, where the Vaqueros will play Rice on Nov. 25 and UIC on Nov. 27. They'll face Sam Houston State on Nov. 30. 
 
Southland Conference (SLC) action starts Dec. 3-5 as UTRGV heads to Nicholls and LSU New Orleans. The last two non-conference games for the Vaqueros will be against NCAA Tournament squads as they play Dec. 8 at Arizona State and Dec. 13 at Texas. Texas won the 2026 SEC Tournament and reached the NCAA Final Four, where it fell to eventual champion and No. 1 seed UCLA. 
 
"This is a brutal non-conference schedule, but it'll be challenging and it'll be fun and that's why you play at this level, to play the best, and we're certainly going to do that this year," Lord said.  
 
The Vaqueros return to the UTRGV Fieldhouse for five of their next six games as the schedule turns to full conference action. UTRGV hosts Lamar on Dec. 17 and Stephen F. Austin on Dec. 19 before a quick trip to play at UIW on Dec. 31. The Vaqueros will start 2027 with three consecutive home games as rival Texas A&M-Corpus Christi comes to town for the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union, on Jan. 2, Northwestern State visits on Jan. 7, and they face East Texas A&M on Jan. 9. 
 
UTRGV then plays four of its next five on the road. The Vaqueros play at Southeastern on Jan. 14 and at reigning SLC champion McNeese on Jan. 16 before a home game Jan. 21 against UIW. They're back on the road to play at Houston Christian University on Jan. 23 and wrap up the South Texas Showdown at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Jan. 28. 
 
The Vaqueros will play three consecutive home games against Houston Christian University on Jan. 30, Nicholls on Feb. 4, and LSU New Orleans on Feb. 6 as the second round of SLC action gets underway. 
 
The last three weeks of the season will follow a two away, two home pattern. UTRGV plays at Lamar and Stephen F. Austin Feb. 11-13. The final home games of the regular season are slated for Feb. 18 against McNeese and Feb. 20 against Southeastern. The Vaqueros wrap up the regular season Feb. 25-27 at Northwestern State and East Texas A&M. 
 
"With seven returners, they all got to taste a lot of success we had last year in conference, especially on the road. When you play a lot of road games in the non-conference it teaches you how to travel and how to prepare, and this schedule really does that," Lord said. "We're excited about this group and what we can do in the Southland Conference. We're going to have a great fan base this year, so make sure you get your tickets early and come out to support." 
 
The SLC tournament is scheduled for March 8-11 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The NCAA Tournament begins March 17-18 with the national championship game set for April 4 in Columbus, Ohio. 
 
Fans can secure seats for UTRGV women's basketball games by purchasing multi-sport passes at UTRGVTickets.com or by contacting the UTRGV Ticket Office over the phone at (956) 665-8849 or via email at tickets@utrgv.edu. Single-game and season ticket information will be released at a later date. 

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