Box Score

Season Stats

LUBBOCK, Texas  – In a matchup of the top two teams in the region, top-seeded Lubbock Christian downed third-seeded West Texas A&M 88-68  in the South Central Region final Sunday evening at the Rip Griffin Center on the campus of Lubbock Christian University.  WT ends its season at 28-5, while LCU improved to 32-0 and advances to the NCAA Elite Eight.
 
Despite the loss, the Lady Buffs had another outstanding season winning their third-straight Lone Star Conference regular season title with a 13-3 record, advancing to the LSC title game for the fourth-straight year and 28 wins marking the fourth-straight year of 20 or more wins under first year head coach Kristen Mattio. 
 
The Lady Buffs now are 32-22 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with six Elite Eight qualifications and two national championship runner-up finish, including the 2013-14 season.  Since the 2013-14 season, WT is 10-3 in the NCAA Tournament and the 32 overall wins ranks seventh all-time in NCAA Division II.
 
The all-time series with Lubbock Christian is now tied 1-1. 
 
For the game, the Lady Buffs outscored LCU in the second half 41-38 and 23-19 in the fourth quarter.  Junior Sasha Watson led the way with 21 points and was named to her second-straight NCAA South Central Region All-Tournament Team.  She was 8 of 20 from the field and 5 of 7 from the line with four assists and one steal.  Senior Michaela Neuhaus, playing in her final game as a Lady Buff, had 11 points on 5 of 8 from the field and a triple.  Senior Zantaya Davis had five points and five steals, while senior Madison McLain finished with eight points on 4 of 14 from the field with a team-high four steals.
 
As a team, the Lady Buffs shot 40.9 percent on 27 of 66.  They were just 2 of 11 from beyond the arc and 12 of 17 from the line.  WT had 31 rebounds in the game and outrebounded LCU 15-6 on the offensive end, but led just 8-5 in second chance points.  Going against a taller team, points in the paint were tied 42-42 after LCU had a 16-8 lead in the paint early in the second quarter.
 
LCU sophomore Tess Bruffey, who earned Region Most Valuable Player honors, had a game-high 26 points with 18 in the first half on 8 of 10 from the field with three triples and 7 of 7 from the line.  Haley Fowler, who also earned all-tournament honors, finished with 16 points, while Kelsey Hoppel had 17 and Canyon, native, Nicole Hampton finished with 18 earning all-tournament accolades, too.
 
The Lady Chaps shot a blistering 63.8 percent on 30 of 47.  They were 5 of 9 from beyond the arc and 23 of 32 from the line, while pulling down 32 rebounds and 26 on the defensive end. 
 
A 5-0 run after a 2-2 start by the Lady Chaps gave LCU a 7-2 lead, but Davis scored inside for a 7-4 margin with eight minutes left in the first quarter.  After a bucket from LCU, McLain scored her second jumper of the game for a 9-6 LCU lead.  Following a turnover by the Lady Buffs, Hoppel scored the "and one" for a 12-6 lead with 6:53 left.
 
WT scored a quick four points on a pair of free throws from junior Maddison Wild and a defensive from Watson and then score from her for a 12-10 LCU lead. 
 
Bruffey hit a triple for a 19-11 LCU lead with 3:02 left in the first as the Lady Chaps used a 7-1 run since the Lady Buffs cut it to 12-10 midway through the quarter.  She then buried another triple for a 22-11 lead and a timeout by WT as the run swelled to 10-1.  Out of the timeout, Bruffey scored the old fashion three-point play for a 25-11 lead. 
 
Davis ended the run with a layup in the paint for a 25-13 score.  After a bucket inside from Bruffey, Neuhaus buried a triple – just her second of the NCAA Tournament.  Bruffey, however, had the quarter of her life and she hit a banked triple from past NBA range as time expired in the quarter for a 30-16 Lady Chap lead.
 
Bruffey had 18 of the Lady Chaps' 30 points in the quarter as LCU was 10 of 15 from the field and she was 6 of 7 with three triples.  WT struggled as the quarter went on with the height of the Lady Chaps going 6 of 16 and just 1 of 3 from beyond the arc.  Davis had five points in the frame to pace the Lady Buffs.

WT scored its first point of the second quarter with a free throw from Watson, but the second one was nullified for a lane violation as LCU increased its lead to 37-17 with a 7-1 start to the quarter.  Junior Lilley Vander Zee scored the first field goal of the second quarter inside with 5:05 left in the half and a 37-19 score.  Fowler was fouled after a basket for a 41-19 lead with 4:55 remaining.
 
LCU kept the score at 21 as WT sophomore Madison Parker scored in the lane and Bruffey answered at the other end for a 44-23 lead with two minutes remaining in the half.  Watson scored with a finger roll for a 46-25 LCU lead with 70 seconds left in the half, but Kellyn Schneider earned the fifth "and one" of the night for the Lady Chaps for a 48-25 lead.  Schneider hit a jumper for a 50-25 lead as the shot clock was winding down. 
 
Watson scored two free throws with 1.1 seconds left for a 50-27 LCU lead at intermission.  It was the biggest halftime deficit for the Lady Buffs of the season.
 
For the half, WT shot 37 percent on 10 of 27.  It was just 1 of 5 from range and 6 of 8 from the line.  WT committed 11 turnovers in the half leading to a 14-0 lead in points off turnovers for LCU as the Lady Chaps had seven miscues.  Watson had seven points to lead the Lady Buffs, while Davis had a team-high five rebounds and Watson had three assists. 
 
LCU was led by Bruffey who had a game-high 22 points on 7 of 8 from the field and 5 of 5 from the line.  She was the lone player on either team in double figures.  LCU shot 17 of 29 from the field for a blistering 58.6 percent.  It was 4 of 7 from range and 12 of 13 from the line.  LCU led 22-14 in points in the paint. 
 
WT had chances to cut into the deficit to begin the second half with a pair miscues from the Lady Chaps as Watson scored with a floater in the paint, but Hoppel answered at the other end with a trey for a 53-29 lead.
 
The Lady Buffs cut the deficit to 22 at 65-43 with 1:08 left in the third period as WT kept competing and fighting.  LCU led 69-45 at the end of three.  In the third quarter, WT evened the points in the paint to 30-30 as Watson reached double figures with 11 points. 
 
Two free throws from Watson and a steal and layup from McLain pulled WT within 73-53 with 7:04 left in the game.  Hoppel scored to end the run by WT, but Neuhaus answered at the other end to bring it back to 20 at 75-55.  Hampton scored with a drive to the bucket for a 77-55 lead with six minutes left. 
 
McLain put the deficit under 20 for the first time since the first half with a bucket in the lane for an 82-64 score with 2:05 left. 
 
NCAA South Central Region All-Tournament Team
Tess Bruffey, So., F, Lubbock Christian (Most Valuable Player)
Nicole Hampton, Sr., G, Lubbock Christian
Sasha Watson, Jr., G, West Texas A&M
Haley Fowler, Sr., G, Lubbock Christian
Jasmine Prophet, Jr., F, Angelo State