PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MX –  The opening day did not disappoint in what has become one of the most anticipated Cancun Challenge in recent years, with the women's side featuring multiple NCAA Tournament worthy squads facing off at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, hosted by Triple Crown Sports.

The morning action featured a record breaking performance by Indya Nivar, who registered the second triple-double in North Carolina Tarheel history and a program-record 10 steals. Kansas State was able to outlast Columbia, while NC State held strong in their opener against Green Bay. UAB handed Southern Miss their first loss of the 2025-2026 season in the first of the night games in convincing fashion, and the night cap was headlined by a top ten TCU team battling their way to a win over Richmond.

North Carolina 83, Soutn Dakota State 48
Nivar Records WBB's Second Triple-Double In 83-48 Win Over South Dakota State
As its offense continues to fire on all cylinders, No. 12 women's basketball ran off to a Thanksgiving Day win over South Dakota in its opening game of the Cancun Challenge, 83-48. Taking on the Jackrabbits from the Hard Rock Riviera Maya, Indya Nivar wrote history of her own with the second triple-double for Carolina women's basketball.
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Kansas State 95, Columbia 92
K-State used a school record 17 three-pointers to rally back from a halftime deficit against Columbia, 95-92 on Thanksgiving in the Mayan Division of the 2025 Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Riviera Maya. K-State (5-3), who entered Thursday's game following a 2-of-23 effort from long range at Green Bay on November 22, broke the school record for 3-point field goals made in a game with a 17-of-26 effort (.654).
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NC State 79, Green Bay 67

The No. 25/24 NC State women's basketball team used a 14-4 run late in the fourth quarter to take care of business and beat Green Bay, 79-67, in the first of two games at the 2025 Cancun Challenge.
The Pack outrebounded Green Bay 49-30 with Khamil Pierre accounting for a career-high 21 of those boards. Pierre's 21 rebounds became the third most in a single game by a player for the Pack. She is the first Pack player since DD Rogers (vs. Georgetown in 2018) to pull down 20 boards in a game and the first player since 1992 (Rhonda Mapp vs. Georgia Tech) to log 21 rebounds in a contes
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UAB 77, Southern Miss 72
UAB women's basketball (3-3) gave Southern Miss (6-1) its first loss of the season with a 77-72 win on Thursday night at the Cancun Challenge in Cancun, Mexico. Eleecia Carter led the Blazers with 21 points and seven rebounds. Molly Moffit recorded a career-high 19 points while adding five rebounds. Monae' Duffy came away with 12 points, while Cali Smallwood also recorded double digit points with 10. 
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TCU 68, Richmond 52
A first half surge carried No. 8 TCU to a comfortable 68-52 victory over Richmond on Thursday to begin the Cancun Challenge. The Horned Frogs raced out to a 49-23 halftime lead and maintained a double-digit advantage for more than 30 minutes of the ballgame. Marta Suarez single-handedly outscored Richmond in the first half. Suarez tallied all of her game-high 24 points over the first two periods. The reigning Big 12 Player of the Week, Suarez hit her first nine shots from the field, including six from behind the arc.
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Make sure to follow all the latest news for day two of the 2026 Women's Cancun Challenge on Friday, November 28 as each team returns to action for the second day of their trip to Cancun. Each game will be streamed live on FloHoops.