EDWARDSVILLE – SIUE women’s basketball Head Coach Samantha Quigley Smith continues to enhance her roster for the 2026-27 season, announcing the addition of transfer Riley Abney (Ortonville, Michigan).
Abney is a 5-foot, 9-inch guard who comes to SIUE after spending a year at Schoolcraft College, a junior college in Livonia, Michigan. Abney played her freshman year at Oakland.
“Riley is a great addition to our Cougar family,” Smith said. “Her shooting ability and overall basketball experience thus far will prove to be a huge addition. She competes on both sides of the ball.”
Abney appeared in 34 of 35 games at Schoolcraft, making 32 starts. She finished third on the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game. She added 3.9 rebounds per game and 1.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
As a true freshman at Oakland, Abney appeared in 12 games for the Golden Grizzlies of the Horizon League.
While at Brandon High School, Abney was a 1,000-point scorer and a three-time All-State selection by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan. She also was selected as the Flint Area Player of the Year.
The Cougars won 16 games in 2025-26 and advanced to the second round of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.
Abney is the third offseason transfer to sign with the Cougars, joining Giselle Dogan and Pryelle Kesse-Beda announced earlier this month. She is the seventh overall addition announced by Smith. In November, the Cougars announced four early signees: Brooke Blakenship (Festus, Missouri), Jayla McClinton (Raytown, Missouri), Alex Nicastro (St. Charles, Missouri) and Taylor Trame (Avistion, Illinois) who all were announced in November.
