Box Score

Season Stats

Postgame Interview

ALLEN, Texas  – West Texas A&M junior Sasha Watson scored a game-high 19 points as the top-seeded Lady Buffs downed No. 8-seed Midwestern State 63-44 Wednesday evening in the first round of the 2016 Lone Star Conference Women's Basketball Championship at the Allen Event Center.  With the win, WT improved to 25-3 on the year, while Midwestern State ended its season at 5-22. 
 
The Lady Buffs were led by Watson who tied her season-high going 8 of 14 from the field with a triple and 2 of 3 from the line leading three WT players in double figures.  Senior Michaela Neuhaus was 5 of 8 from the field, but didn't make a triple in two attempts, while going 3 of 4 from the line.  Senior Zantaya Davis added 11 points on 5 of 9 from the field with one free throw and two blocks as she moved into 10^th all-time in a season with 39 rejections surpassing Teresa Tinner (1987-88). 
 
WT shot 51.1 percent for the game on 23 of 45.  WT was a season-low 1 of 7 from beyond the arc and 16 of 19 from the line.  The Lady Buffs out-rebounded MSU 33-26 and forced 13 steals. 
 
MSU did not have one player in double figures as Whitney Taylor led the way with nine points on 2 of 6 from the field and 5 of 6 from the line.  The Mustangs were 16 of 49 from the field for 32.7 percent and were 1 of 13 from beyond the arc and 11 of 16 from the line.  WT led 34-20 in points in the paint and, after being down 10-4 in points off turnovers in the first half, the Lady Buffs closed to 19-17 in the second half.  WT forced MSU into 18 miscues and recorded 13 steals.
 
In a rematch of the conference final from a year ago, both teams came out cold through the first two minutes as MSU's Krishawn Crockett scored with 7:34 left in the first quarter for the first points of the game.  Off an out-of-bounds play, Neuhaus buried a triple and Davis got a block at the other end.  Davis then hit a jumper at the other end for a 4-2 WT lead with 6:38 left.
 
Watson scored off another set play for a 6-2 lead with 5:32 left in the first quarter and a mini-6-0 run by the Lady Buffs.  Out of a media timeout, Watson scored off a nice assist from junior Lilley Vander Zee for an 8-2 lead with just over four minutes remaining in the quarter.  At the other end, a steal and score from Watson game WT a 10-2 lead with 3:45 left.  Watson hit on free throw for an 11-2 lead with 3:11 remaining in the quarter extending the run to 11-0.  Whitney Taylor ended the run with two free throws for an 11-4 score with 2:56 left ending scoreless streak of almost five minutes. 
 
Vander Zee added two free throws for a 13-4 lead and Kathryn Odom hit a jumper in the paint in transition with 47 seconds left in the period for just MSU's second made field goal of the quarter and a 13-6 score. 
 
The Lady Buffs opened the game 6 of 13 from the field, while MSU was 2 of 12.  WT was 5 of 6 from the line and MSU was 0 of 4 in the first quarter as Watson led the way with seven points. 
 
Two free throws by sophomore Hannah Alexander swelled the lead to 21-8 with 7:12 remaining in the half for the Lady Buffs.  Montroia Tripp hit a jumper for a 21-10 WT lead with 5:55 remaining, but Davis scored on the inside at the other end. 
 
Tripp pulled MSU within 24-14 with 3:54 left as it was as close as the Mustangs had been since the first quarter.  A turnover by the Lady Buffs – the seventh of the half, gave the Mustangs a chance to trim the deficit to single digits.  Taylor buried a jumper for a 24-16 lead, but Alexander had the answer for the Lady Buffs for her team-leading eighth point and a 26-16 lead. 
 
MSU got bailed out on a foul call as the shot clock expired with two free throws from Katie Brown with the WT lead trimmed to 26-18 with 1:30 left.  Brown then was fouled and made two more free throws pulling the Mustangs within 26-20 with just over a minute left in the half. 
 
Neuhaus hit a jumper for a 30-20 lead off a jump ball in the final minute as WT settled for the 10-point advantage at intermission.  MSU made just one of its final five shots in the half. 
 
For the half, WT shot an even 50 percent on 11 of 22 from the field and was 0 of 3 from beyond the arc, while going 8 of 10 from the line.  Watson led the way with nine points on 4 of 8 from the field, while Alexander had eight. 
 
MSU shot just 28 percent on 7 of 25 from the field.  The Mustangs were 0 of 6 from beyond the arc and 6 of 6 from the line.  Midwestern State stayed in the game as it forced WT into nine turnovers and led 10-4 in points off turnovers.  WT led 12-6 in points in the paint. 
 
Davis scored inside off a nice assist from senior Madison McLain for a 32-20 lead and then, following a turnover by MSU, Neuhaus scored for a 34-20 lead with 8:31 left.  Neuhaus forced a steal and junior Maddison Wild was fouled in transition for two free throws and a 36-20 lead.
 
Watson scored on a drive and was fouled by Crockett earning the three-point play and a 41-22 WT lead with 6:24 left in the third as WT opened the second half on an 11-2 run.  It was Crockett's fourth foul.  Watson buried the first triple of the game by either team off an assist from Neuhaus for a 44-22 lead and a timeout by MSU as the Lady Buffs made their last three field goals and an 8-0 run.
 
Two free throws by Taylor gave her eight points in the game and pulled the Mustangs within 48-28 with three minutes left in the third.  WT led 52-34 at the end of three quarters as the Lady Buffs made six of their final seven shots of the quarter and outscored MSU 22-14 in a quarter traditionally the Lady Buffs have struggled this season.
 
WT ended a scoring drought of over three minutes with a layup from sophomore Madison Parker off an assist from Watson for a 59-37 lead with four minutes left.  Crockett buried the first triple of the game for MSU with just over one minute left as MSU was 0 of 12 before that. 
 
With the win, WT pulled within 9.5 – 6.5 in the Highway 287 Challenge Series with Midwestern State.  WT plays at Midwestern State for four games (four points) in softball this weekend and there is a chance the men's basketball teams could play Friday in the semifinals of the LSC Championship if both teams advance past their first round opponents. 
 
The Lady Buffs now will await the winner of Texas A&M-Commerce and Tarleton State for a matchup in the semifinals Friday at 6 p.m. in the Allen Event Center.  TAMUC and TSU play Thursday at 6 p.m.
 

West Texas A&M Notes
 

• Senior Zantaya Davis tallied a block early in the game for her 38^th of the season moving into 10^th all-time by herself in blocks in a season (Teresa Tinner, 1987-88)
• The six points WT allowed in the first quarter was the third-fewest in a quarter this season (UTPB with four and Midwestern State five)
• Lady Buffs run conference tournament winning streak to seven games
• Rematch of LSC Championship game from last season
• WT improves to 45-14 all-time versus Midwestern State and runs its winning streak to five games over the Mustangs
• The Lady Buffs have struggled in the third quarter as of late, but outscored MSU 22-14 in the third
• Junior Sasha Watson led the team in scoring with 19 points as it was her eighth time this season she led the team in scoring
• WT held MSU to one triple made matching the season-low allowed (Texas Woman's Jan. 9)
• West Texas A&M moves within three points of tying MSU in the Highway 287 Challenge at 9.5 to 6.5
• Watson tied her season-high with eight field goals made (Angelo State, 2/3) and now needs 13 assists to tie for 10^th all-time in career assists and 26 assists for 10^th all-time in a season
• The one triple made by WT was a season-low
• It was the 21^st time WT has held the opposition under 40 percent shooting and the 12^th time allowing under 50 points