RUSTON, La. (Interstat) — A pair of teams riding high off dominant victories and sporting identical records will open their Conference USA women’s basketball schedules against each other Friday when the Sam Houston Bearkats visit the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters.

Both teams enter the Jan. 2, 2026, matchup at the Thomas Assembly Center with 7-4 overall records. Each is coming off a lopsided home win in late December, with Sam Houston routing Dallas 110-38 on Sunday and Louisiana Tech defeating Central Baptist 97-24 last Saturday.

The game features a compelling clash of backcourt stars. Sam Houston’s Fanta Kone is coming off a near triple-double, posting 22 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in just 26 minutes against Dallas. Over her last four games, the guard has averaged 13.3 points and 6.5 assists.

She will be matched by Louisiana Tech’s Paris Bradley, who has been a consistent scoring threat. Bradley put up 14 points and four assists in the win over Central Baptist and averaged 15 points per game across her last five contests, including a 19-point performance in a loss at LSU.

The Bearkats have shown a stark contrast in performance, registering explosive offensive outings alongside some stifling defeats. Their four losses have come by an average of 28 points, but in their seven wins, they have prevailed by an average margin of 33 points.

Louisiana Tech’s results have followed a similar pattern, with decisive victories over mid-major opponents and double-digit losses to power-conference foes Baylor, LSU and Arkansas. Their most notable win was an 82-80 victory over South Alabama on Dec. 4.

Friday’s contest marks the conference opener for both programs and will serve as an early indicator of their standing in the CUSA race. The teams share nearly identical upcoming league schedules, making this head-to-head result a potential tiebreaker factor.

Sam Houston will look to translate its high-scoring home form to the road, while the Lady Techsters aim to protect their home court and build momentum as they embark on a challenging January slate.