ODESSA, Texas (February 21, 2026) – The University of Texas Permian Basin women's basketball team outscored No. 23 Lubbock Christian University by 10 points (21-11) in the third quarter to get back into the game and tied the game halfway through the fourth quarter, but in the end the Lady Chapparals earned a hard-fought 60-56 victory during the Falcons' Senior Day.

The Falcons' lone senior this season was Kenadi Rising, who led all players by scoring a season-high 20 points. In addition to matching her season-high with eight made field goals (8-14), Rising also had a team-high seven rebounds and added one assist and one block.

UTPB also got an inspired performance from Juliet Esomchukwu, who scored a season-high 14 points added six rebounds while shooting 50 percent both from the field (4-8) and from three (3-6).

Madison Walters was next with nine points despite shooting 3-of-15 from the field, and Jonesha Neal contributed with seven points and five rebounds while matching her season-high with seven assists.

LCU missed its first five shots from the field and did not score a field goal until under the four-minute mark in the first quarter. UTPB, meanwhile, built up an early 10-2 lead in the first six minutes, with all 10 points coming courtesy of Rising, who started 4-for-4 from the field (all in the paint) during her Senior Day.

Despite its slow start from the field combined with seven turnovers in the first quarter, LCU would take the lead at the end of the first period (14-12) after taking advantage of eight fouls on the Falcons to shoot 6-for-8 from the free throw line. Free throw shooting combined with two 3-pointers for the Lady Chaps helped LCU get back into the game late in the opening quarter.

Then in the second quarter, it was LCU which turned up the defense and limited the Falcons to just two shots in the first five minutes of the quarter, just one made field goal in the quarter coming in the final minute, and eight turnovers in the quarter.

The Lady Chaps outscored the Falcons 17-6 in the second quarter as UTPB went more than 12 minutes without a field goal. The rough second quarter would come back to haunt the Falcons in the end.

After trailing 10-2 to start the game, LCU closed out the rest of the first half on a 29-8 run to take a 31-18 halftime lead. The first half also featured a rare eight offensive fouls between the two teams, including five on the Lady Chaps.

After trailing by as many as 15 points (35-20) early in the quarter third, UTPB was on a mission, getting a 3-pointer by Esomchukwu on the assist from Neal before a defensive rebound by Esomchukwu led to a fastbreak layup by Walters on another assist by Neal to cut the Falcons' deficit to 35-26 within the first four minutes of the period. Then with 5:30 left in the third quarter, a pair of free throws by Walters made it a seven-point margin (35-28), capping an 8-0 Falcons' run.

UTPB would fall back behind by double digits and trailed by 10 points (42-32) with under three minutes remaining in the third quarter before Rising scored the final seven points of the period. Rising gave it her all and nailed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to pull the Falcons to within just three points (42-39) at the end of the quarter.

After recording just one offensive rebound late in the first half, including zero offensive rebounds in the first quarter, UTPB looked like its old self in the third quarter, pulling down seven offensive boards and scoring seven second chance points.

Approaching the halfway point in the fourth quarter, UTPB would complete the comeback by tying the game at 49-49 on another 3-pointer by Esomchukwu, this time shooting from the corner and taking advantage of another nice pass from Neal.

However, LCU answered immediately with a smooth, go-ahead 3-pointer by Tia Johnson at the 4:56 mark, and the Lady Chaps would maintain the lead the rest of the way despite UTPB's best efforts.

Approaching the final minute of the game, a clutch 3-pointer by Neal cut UTPB's deficit to two points (56-54).

Then after two free throws by Esomchukwu made it a 58-56 deficit with 13 seconds left, UTPB was forced to play the foul game. The problem was, UTPB had zero team fouls in the fourth quarter, meaning the Falcons had to foul the Lady Chaps five times to get them to the free throw line. It was a stark contrast from the Falcons' first three quarters in which they committed eight, eight and seven fouls, respectively, and the lost seven seconds of clock time after committing five straight fouls left UTPB with just not enough time remaining after LCU's Kennedy Chappell sank both free throws to make it a two-possession game with only six seconds left.

It was another great effort for UTPB against a nationally-ranked LCU team after falling by just six points (65-59) on the road at LCU earlier this season.

The Falcons played worthy of a team that had a chance to essentially clinch a spot in the postseason, but in the end, they came up just short.

UTPB falls to 15-11 overall and 10-8 in the Lone Star Conference, and is now tied with St. Mary's University (15-9, 10-8) for seventh place in the conference standings with two games to go.

UTPB Head Women's Basketball Coach Rae Boothe reflected on Senior Day and the week ahead, saying "I am heartbroken for our team. We have one more week of the regular season. A week from today our season is either over, or we are getting ready for the LSC Tournament. The pain from this loss and what is at stake is pretty great motivation for the challenge we have next week. I believe in our team and I know they believe in each other. It all comes down to next week."

UTPB will hit the road for its final two games of the season next week. The Falcons will battle Eastern New Mexico University at 6:30 p.m. Central Time / 5:30 p.m. Mountain Time on Thursday, February 26, followed by the regular-season finale at No. 11 West Texas A&M University at 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 28.
 

Senior Day Recap:
Student Assistant Coach Tamia Flores is a native of Dallas, Texas, and joined the Falcons' coaching staff this season after four years as a player. She was named to the Lone Star Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll during all eight semesters as a player, and also earned the 2025 D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award. Tamia earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology in December 2024 and is currently working on her Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree with an emphasis in finance. After graduating with her MBA from UTPB, Tuh-mee-uh plans to "get a big girl job." Her favorite memories from UTPB include the team making its first conference tournament appearance and the lifelong relationships she has built with her teammates, peers and members of the community. UTPB Head Coach Rae Boothe said, " Tamia has been a major part of transforming and improving our basketball program and also positively impacted our entire campus over the past five years. Her time in a uniform was special, but her joining the coaching staff this season has been a major blessing for our team. I am so grateful of Tamia and always so proud of her."

Graduate Assistant Coach Dagne Apsite is a native of Latvia, she earned his Bachelor's degree from Presbyterian College, and has worked at UTPB for the last two years. Coach DA is currently working on her Master's degree in finance with an energy business certificate. After graduating with her Master's degree from UTPB, Coach DA is staying open to opportunities in the US or Europe – wherever life makes the most sense. Her favorite memories from UTPB are the relationships and connections that made UTPB fell like home. UTPB Head Coach Rae Boothe said, "Coach DA's title may be a GA, but she works as if she is a full-time coach. She is by far the best GA in the country. She has made every single person on our team better in every way possible. She is a winner in life and will be greatly missed."

Kenadi Rising is a transfer graduate student from Rapid City, South Dakota. Earlier this year, Kenadi was named UTPB's Women's Student-Athlete of the Month for December, and on January 8th at Oklahoma Christian University, she scored her 1,000 career point. Kenadi is a kinesiology master's student with a concentration in coaching and administration. After graduation, Kenadi plans to coach basketball, and her favorite memories from UTPB include getting our drill Oregon for the first time, competing our team challenges, away trips, and hanging with the team off the court. UTPB Head Coach Rae Boothe said, "I am so grateful for Kenadi. Being our only senior on the court and a transfer at that is tough, but she is built tough. She led us in so many areas this season. We would not be here without her. I wish we had more time together, she will be very missed. I look forward to her transitioning from a player to a coach at the collegiate level."