2008 Southland Conference Tournament with wins of 60–48 over preseason favorite Stephen F. Austin and 63–50 over Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Islanders. The Lady Cardinals again defeated Stephen F. Austin in the first round of the 2009 tournament before falling to Texas–Arlington in the semifinals. In the 2009–10 season, the Lady Cardinals posted a 26–8 overall record and a 13–3 mark in the Southland Conference. Lamar won the Southland Conference regular-season and tournament titles, as the Lady Cards advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991. The 26 wins were the second-most in school history. Tidwell was named the Texas Basketball Coaches Association Division I Women's Basketball Coach of the Year for his efforts. One of Tidwell's 2009–10 players, Jenna Plumley, was named Southland Conference Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. Plumley was among the national leaders in 3–pointers, assists and steals. The Lady Cardinals almost matched the 2009–10 record the following season finishing 25–8 overall and 13–3 in conference. The Lady Cardinals also competed in the WNIT. After his Lady Cardinals competed in the 2013 Women's Basketball Invitational tournament finishing the season with a 22–11 overall record, Larry Tidwell resigned as Lady Cardinals head basketball coach on April 4, 2013 to take a similar position at Texas–Pan American. Tidwell's teams had a 128–66 overall record in his six seasons as head coach of the Lady Cardinals. He ranks first on Lamar's all-time list for wins. Texas-Pan American and UTRGV Tidwell came to UTPA in 2013 after serving six seasons as head coach of the Lamar Lady Cardinals basketball team. He left Lamar as that program's winningest coach in school history winning 128 victories and making three post season appearances (NCAA, WNIT, and WBI). In his first season at Texas-Pan American, his team tied program records for wins in a season and for conference wins in a season. Tidwell's 2014–15 team showed continued improvement finishing the season with a 19–15 overall record and a conference record of 9–5. Competing in the 2015 WAC women's basketball tournament, the Broncs reached the championship game where they fell to New Mexico State. Under Coach Tidwell, the Broncs received an invitation to the 2015 Women's Basketball Invitational, the first postseason invitation in the program's history. The 2014–15 season was the last for UTPA as an institution. At the end of that school year, a merger between UTPA and UTB,