The Winthrop University women's basketball team returns home to the Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill, S.C., to face Clinton College on Friday afternoon. The Eagles, picked fourth in the Big South Preseason Poll, enter the matchup with key returners like Amourie Porter leading the way after strong early-season performances.
Winthrop, under head coach Semeka Randall Lay, looks to build on a 16-win season from 2024-25, the program's highest under her tenure since taking over in 2020-21. The Eagles return five letterwinners: Amourie Porter, Mya Pierfax, Ar'Mani Reid, Jada Ryce, and Persais Williams, accounting for 37% of last season's scoring.
Porter, a Big South Preseason All-Conference First Team selection—the first Eagle to earn first-team honors since Erica Williams in 2017—has been a standout early in the season. She recorded a 15-point, 16-rebound double-double against Chicago State, her first since the Big South Tournament last year, and sank 14 free throws in a 75-69 win over Queens on Nov. 15. That marked the first time an Eagle made over 13 free throws in a game since Jennifer Churchill on Feb. 12, 1997, and Kim Segars on Nov. 26, 1988. Porter, who also won Big South Newcomer of the Year last season, started all 31 games, shooting 46.1% from the field and 39.3% from three, while averaging 6.3 rebounds, 77 assists, 22 blocks, and 66 steals. Her .890 free-throw percentage ranked 13th nationally.
Jada Ryce returns after missing the 2024-25 season due to injury. She led the Eagles in scoring during 2023-24 at 11.1 points per game and earned Big South Honorable Mention All-Conference honors. Ryce is 19 points shy of 700 career points and nine assists from 150.
The team has added nine newcomers, including three freshmen and six transfers: Nessa Walsh from Purdue Northwest, Madison Ruff from Mount Saint Mary's, Naomi Wilson from Weatherford College, Uniyah Franklin from Louisiana Lafayette, Cori Lard from Miami of Ohio, and Tocarra Johnson from Blinn College. Naomi Wilson notched three blocks in a recent game, the first Eagle to do so since Blessing Okoh against Presbyterian in 2024. Freshman Ryiah Wilson contributed three steals against Chicago State, the first by a freshman since 2023. Madison Ruff reached 250 career points against Newberry, while Porter hit 600 career points versus Chicago State.
Winthrop has finished in the top four of the Big South Preseason Poll for the second straight year, the first such streak since 2015-16.