ROCK HILL, S.C. -- The Winthrop University women's basketball squad returns from their weeklong hiatus from the court, traveling to Knoxville to take on the Eighteenth-ranked squad in the nation, Tennessee, on Sunday afternoon.
| WINTHROP PROBABLE STARTERS |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
Noteworthy |
| G |
3 |
Madison Ruff |
5-9 |
So. |
11.5 |
3.5 |
1.6 |
1.6 |
Transfer from The Mount / Appeared in 31 games, starting in six contests / Finished freshman year on 7.2 ppg and 3.6 rpg / Reached double digits in scoring seven times during her freshman season |
| F |
25 |
Tocarra Johnson |
6-0 |
Jr. |
6.2 |
7.0 |
1.0 |
1.4 |
Transfer from Blinn College / Saw action in all 32 games Blinn, starting 31 / Averaged 11.7 ppg and 10.1 rpg |
| G |
13 |
Mya Pierfax |
5-9 |
Sr. |
14.5 |
1.9 |
1.7 |
1.3 |
Played in 31 games, starting 18 of them / Had six games in double figures in points, with a season-high of 21 vs. High Point |
| F |
15 |
Amourie Porter |
5-10 |
Jr. |
13.4 |
6.6 |
2.7 |
1.3 |
2025 Big South Conference First Team honoree / Played in all 31 regular-season games, starting 16 of them / 13.1 points per game in 2024-25 |
| G |
22 |
Cori Lard |
5-9 |
Sr. |
7.6 |
3.5 |
3.6 |
2.4 |
Appeared in 27 games, earning three starts / Posted averages of 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. |
WINTHROP
- The Eagles are off to its best start in the non-conference stretch since 2013, with seven wins. The last time a non-Randall Lay led team had six-plus wins in non-conference was 2013-14, when the Eagles made their first NCAA tournament appearance.
- Semeka Randall Lay returns to Knoxville following her playing days for the Lady Vols, after playing there last season, falling 114-50.
- The Eagles have had their best ten game starts in back-to-back years since the 2013-14 season, with marks of 6-4 and 6-4.
- Mya Pierfax, Tocarra Johnson, Amourie Porter, and Madison Ruff all went off last week, with the quartet averaging 15.5+ PPG in the Eagles two games.
- The Eagles rank 18th in the nation in turnovers forced per game and 25th in the country in steals per game.
- Winthrop is 7-0 in games in which they score 66+ points, and 0-4 in games in which they do not.
- Six Eagles reached double figures against Johnson & Wales with Tocarra Johnson, Mya Pierfax, Amourie Porter, Madison Ruff, Ryiah Wilson, and Cori Lard all teaming up for 10+ points, the first time since 2017 against NC Wesleyan that Winthrop had six scorers in double figures.
- Tocarra Johnson and Mya Pierfax went off against Johnson & Wales on Wednesday, with Johnson scoring 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Pierfax scoring 20 with four threes.
- Tocarra Johnson put together her best week in an Eagle Uniform. Johnson averaged 16.0 PPG on .583 shooting while absolutely dominating the glass with 14.0 RPG helping guide the Eagles to a 2-0 week as the only available big. In the win over Johnson & Wales, Johnson put together a Winthrop career-high mark of 23 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, seven of which were offensive. She then followed that up with another performance controlling the boards against UNC Wilmington, pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds while adding on nine points to lift the Eagles to their best start through eleven games since 2013.
- The Eagles reached 100 points for the first time this season against Johnson & Wales. The last time they did so was against Paine last year.
- Mya Pierfax was named to the Coast 2 Coast Music City Classic All-Tournament team, with her 14.5 PPG performance in the two-day tournament.
- Madison Ruff reached a career-high mark of 16 points against the win over SIU.
- Pierfax powered Winthrop's offense throughout the week of Nov. 17, averaging 14.5 points while knocking down threes at a scorching .462 clip on 6-of-13 shooting. She set the tone against No. 2 South Carolina with 16 points on .500 shooting, then backed it up less than 24 hours later with another double-digit effort, finishing with 13 against Clinton on Friday.
- Wilson was a problem for opposing offenses all week, averaging 9.0 points and 5.5 rebounds while turning in one of the most disruptive defensive performances Winthrop has seen in years. She erupted for a career-high 12 points against Clinton on Friday and nearly posted a triple-double, piling up eight rebounds and a staggering eight steals. Her eight-steal outing was the program's most since Jada Ryce logged 10 in December 2023, and the first by a Winthrop freshman since Dequesha McClanahan in 2010.
- Amourie Porter sunk fourteen free throws in the win against Queens on Nov. 15, marking the first time an Eagle has made over thirteen free throws since Jennifer Churchill (2/12/97) at UNC Asheville and Kim Segars (11/26/88) vs Fordham. The most recent time an Eagle has come close to that mark was Dequesha McClanahan (11/30/13) at Robert Morris
- Naomi Wilson became the first Eagle since Blessing Okoh did so against Presbyterian in 2024 to record 3 blocks in a game.
- Ryiah Wilson has provided juice and defensive intensity to the Eagles' bench unit early in her freshman season. Her three steals against Chicago State marked the first Eagle freshman since 2023 to record three steals in a contest.
- With her 15-point 16-rebound performance against Chicago State on Wednesday, Amourie Porter is the first Eagle to record a double-double since herself in the Big South Tournament against Charleston Southern Last year.
- Amourie Porter was tabbed with Big South Preseason All-Conference First Team honors
- The 5-foot-10 guard/forward started all 31 contests, shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from beyond the arc. Porter also proved effective on the glass, averaging 6.3 rebounds per game while adding 77 assists, 22 blocks, and 66 steals.
- Porter held the 13th best free throw percentage in the country with a mark of .890 percent, also pacing the Big South.
- She is the first Eagle to garner first team honors since Erica Williams in 2017, and she was also the recipient of the Big South's first ever Newcomer of the Year award.
- For the Eagles, they only return five letterwinners from last season, Amourie Porter, Mya Pierfax, Ar'Mani Reid, Jada Ryce, and Persais Williams.
- Under Head Coach Semeka Randall Lay, the Eagles have improved every season after starting with six wins in 2020-21, Randall Lay collected the highest win total of her career last season with 16 wins.
- After missing the 2024-25 season with injury, standout guard Jada Ryce returns to the court. Ryce led the Eagles in scoring in 2023-24, averaging 11.1 PPG and earning an Big South Honorable Mention All-Conference nod.
- Winthrop checked in at 4th in the Big South Preseason Poll
- After not scratching the top four spots since 2015-16, the Eagles have now garnered a second-straight top four placing.
- The Eagles welcome in nine newcomers, three freshmen and six transfers
- Among the transfers are Nessa Walsh (Purdue Northwest), Madison Ruff (Mount Saint Mary's), Naomi Wilson (Weatherford College), Uniyah Franklin (Louisiana Lafayette), Cori Lard (Miami of Ohio), and Tocarra Johnson (Blinn College)
- Randall Lay led the team to 16 wins last season, her most at the helm of the Eagles
- The Eagles only return 37% of its scoring from last season
SEASON HONORS
Amourie Porter – Preseason All-Conference First Team
Mya Pierfax - Music City Classic All-Tournament Team
CAREER MILESTONES
Jada Ryce
- Five points away from 700 career points
- Six assists away from 150
- Two three-point field goals from 50 career made three-pointers
Cori Lard
- One rebound away from 150 career rebounds
Mya Pierfax
- Four points away from 350 career points
Amourie Porter
- Eleven points away from 750 career points
- Seven rebounds away from 400 career rebounds
Madison Ruff
- Reached 350 career points against UNCW
- Reached 150 career rebounds against UNCW
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