Women’s Basketball Sets Out For Pair Of Games In New Orleans Friday, Saturday Afternoon

• Texas Southern will head to the Big Easy for the annual Tulane Classic on Friday and Saturday. TSU will open with host Tulane and close out the classic versus UAB. Colorado is also in the classic but will not play TSU as both teams played Dec. 3.

• Second-year head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke returns to the TSU sidelines for the first time since 2011-12. She spent the 2011-12 season at TSU and led them to the SWAC Regular Season Championship for the first time in school history.

• Guard Ciani Cryor is off to a sizzling start as she’s averaging 13.8 points, 6.6 assists and 4 steals. She ranks 6th nationally in assists per game and 5th in steals. 

• Head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke is 34-38 all-time in the month of December and 3-5 at TSU. 

• Cooper-Dyke is 0-1 all-time versus Tulane as she fell 67-63 to the Green Wave while serving as Prairie View A&M’s head coach. She has never faced UAB.

• Tulane is 21-6 all-time against the SWAC with games against Alabama State, Alcorn State, Grambling State, Jackson State. Mississippi Valley State, Prairie View, Southern and TSU. UAB is 54-8 versus the SWAC as they’ve played all except Prairie View A&M.

• Senior forward Niya Mitchell completed the trifecta as she was named the SWAC’s Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year in addition to earning first team honors. A 5-10 senior from Bay City, Texas, Mitchell averaged a double-double last season, scoring 14.4 points and 10.7 rebounds per contest. She’s averaging 14.6 points, 9 rebounds and 3.8 steals this season. She ranks 8th in steals per game nationally.

• TSU was picked fifth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference preseason poll after finishing the 2018-19 season in fifth.

• TSU has a revamped roster with only five letterwiners retuning while they welcome nine newcomers and two redshirts.