Posted: Feb 26, 2026
HBCUAC West Champion Women's Basketball tips off 2026 HBCUAC Championship against Stillman
The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference West Division champion Wiley University women's basketball will open its 2026 Hope Credit Union Historically Black Colleges and Universities Basketball Championship run against the host and East No. 4 seed Stillman College at noon on Thursday at Birthright Alumni Hall.
All championship games will broadcast on the Urban Edge Network, which can be viewed online or downloaded to mobile devices via the free app. Live statistics will also be available.
The Lady Wildcats (15-7, 9-3 HBCUAC) earned their third No. 1 seed in a conference tournament and their first since 2014. This is also the first time they've earned a bye since 2015. Wiley is not only looking to return to the championship game, but it's also aiming to go one step further and secure the program's second conference tournament title. It won the Red River Athletic Conference in 2013. A return to the championship would give Wiley its fifth National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national championship berth and first since 2015.
Their success seems to have gone unnoticed by the conference head coaches. Wiley was picked eighth in the preseason poll despite last season's run to the HBCUAC championship game. It didn't have anyone selected to either the Preseason All-HBCUAC team or the postseason All-HBCUAC Team.
Some of that is due to Wiley not being dependent on one person to carry the load. Eight have led the Lady Wildcats in scoring. Brandy Jones leads the team with six games. Kelechi Dike follows with five. Wiley has recorded assists on 346 of their 591 made field goals. Alexis Foster leads the team with 73. Keimora Banks leads the team with 3.6 assists per game.
Stillman College's home has become a second home for the Lady Wildcats. In the last three seasons, Wiley is 5-2 at Birthright Alumni Hall. Last season, it gave the Lady Tigers their only conference loss on January 4, 2025. Philander Smith University is the only team to beat the Lady Wildcats in Tuscaloosa.
The Lady Tigers (12-11, 7-5 HBCUAC) pulled away in the fourth quarter after it wore down Dillard, which had only five players. Jaida Minter leads offensively with 12.3 points per game. She is the only active player averaging double figures. Mya Jones follows with 9.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Jordan Harris leads the Lady Tigers with 6.7 rebounds per game.
The winner will advance to the semifinals and face the winner between East No. 2 Talladega College and West No. 3 Philander Smith at 2 p.m. Saturday.
For more coverage on the Lady Wildcats visit https://www.wileyathletics.com/sports/wbkb/index.
About Wiley University Athletics
Wiley University sponsors 13 varsity sports: women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field, softball and baseball. It competes in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC).
Wiley University sponsors 13 varsity sports: women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field, softball and baseball. It competes in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC).
FOLLOW THE WILDCATS
Facebook: /WileyAthletics
Instagram: @wileyuniversityathletics, @wiley_wbb
YouTube: /c/Wiley Wildcats