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WT Postgame Interview

ALLEN, Texas  – A career-high 21 points and double-double from junior Maddison Wild sparked the top-seeded West Texas A&M women's basketball team to a, hard-fought, 52-43 victory over No. 4-seed Tarleton State Friday evening at the Allen Event Center.  With the win, WT improved to 26-3 on the year, while Tarleton State ended its season at 17-11. 
 
The Lady Buffs now will face No. 2-seed Angelo State Saturday at 3 p.m. for the 2016 Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship.  The Lady Buffs have won three-straight Lone Star Conference titles and are looking for their third-straight Lone Star Conference Tournament championship. 
 
Saturday 's game is set for 3 p.m. at the Allen Event Center.  The game will be broadcast on 98.7 Jack FM with Neil Horn and Kent Johnson having the call.  Fans can access live stats and streaming links, ticket information and the official tournament home of the women's championship at www.gobuffsgo.com and click on the women's basketball schedule page.
 
If the Lady Buffs were to get past the Rambelles, it would be the first time a team has won three-straight tournament titles since the Lady Buffs from 2008-2010.  WT has won the most in a row, five, from 1987-1991 and is the only program to win three or more consecutively in LSC women's basketball championship history.  WT has won 13 tournament titles and is 13-6 all-time in the championship game, while improving tonight to 49-14 in the Lone Star Conference Tournament. 
 
Angelo State defeated West Texas A&M twice this season, including a heartbreaking 112-111, triple-overtime thriller in Canyon on Feb. 3.  ASU won in San Angelo 69-64 on Jan. 13 handing the Lady Buffs their first loss of the season (15-0).  The 15-0 start was the second-longest winning streak to begin a season in school history (1987-88) with 33-straight.
 
For the game against Tarleton State, the teams struggled offensively, but the defenses were making plays all over the court.  WT had 10 steals in the game led by four from senior Madison McLain and held the TexAnns to just 12 of 42 from the field for the game (28.6 percent).  TSU was 5 of 18 from beyond the arc and stayed close in the contest by going 14 of 19 from the line.  Three TexAnns were in double figures led by 12 points from Raven McGrath on 3 of 8 from the field with two triples and 4 of 6 from the line.  Breanna Fuller added 11 points as did Spearman, Texas, native, Morgan Ashmore. 
 
Wild had a career night as she was a career-best 9 of 12 from the field with her fourth double-double of the season with 12 rebounds tying her career-high for rebounds (Cameron, 12/31/15) and seven on the offensive end.  She hit a triple – her eighth of the season and was 2 of 4 from the line.   
 
The TexAnns, who held WT to a season-low 52 points in the last meeting, held the Lady Buffs to just 40 percent shooting on 20 of 50 from the field.  The Lady Buffs were 4 of 12 from beyond the arc and 8 of 13 from the free throw line – eight of 11 in the second half. 
 
A combination of Wild and three steals and a layup from McLain, gave WT a 6-5 lead with 3:45 left in the first quarter.  Wild began the game 2 for 2 from the field with three early rebounds as the Lady Buffs were 3 of 8 from the field. 
 
The Lady Buff "D" forced TSU into six turnovers and a scoring drought of 6:10, as senior Michaela Neuhaus answered with a triple and a sophomore Hannah Alexander steal was the seventh miscue by the TexAnns in the quarter as WT lead 9-5.  Alexander then scored inside for a 7-0 run and the scoring drought extended to 7:27 as TSU missed its last five shots. 
 
McGrath missed two charity tosses at one end as Alexander scored off a nice assist from junior Sasha Watson at the other for an 11-0 run and a 13-5 lead.  Watson ended the game with nine points, but was 5 of 7 down the stretch in the second half from the line. The eighth miscue by TSU led to a final possession for the quarter by the Lady Buffs as a shot from sophomore Madison Parker was off the back of the rim. 
 
The five points WT allowed in the first quarter tied for the second-fewest of the season with Midwestern State (at Wichita Falls, 2/10) and the fewest was four versus UT-Permian Basin (12/12). 
 
Fuller ended the drought by Tarleton State early in the second quarter with a jumper for a 13-7 score with 9:17 left in the half.  Prior to that bucket from Fuller, the TexAnns hadn't scored since the 8:16 mark of the first quarter. 
 
Another run keyed by Wild as she scored four quick points and the Lady Buffs jumped out to a 19-7 lead with 6:29 left as the defense forced three turnovers and another scoring drought of 3:45 for Tarleton State. 
 
WT also struggled late in the quarter as it missed its last five shots and made just 2 of its last nine and a scoring drought of 3:12 to TSU's 6:15 drought.  Out of a media timeout, TSU got bailed out by a foul on the Lady Buffs as McGrath went to the line making both for a 19-9 score, followed by another WT foul and two more free throws for McGrath.
 
Parker answered at the other end ending a 3:26 drought by the Lady Buffs for a 21-11 score.  Wild buried a triple for her game-high 11^th point of the game and a 24-11 score with 1:12 left as TSU missed its last eight shots and was 3 of 16 from the field.  Parker finished with nine points on four of six shooting with a triple in the game.
 
The Lady Buffs settled for the 24-11 lead at halftime and was up 13 points at Tarleton State on Feb. 20, before the TexAnns roared back in the second half for a 53-52 win. 
 
For the half, WT shot 11 of 30 for 36.7 percent.  The Lady Buffs were 2 of 7 from beyond the arc and 0 of 2 from the line.  Wild led the way with 11 points on 5 of 7 from the field with a triple and ten rebounds.  No other Lady Buff had more than four points as six Lady Buffs scored in the half.  WT tallied 21 rebounds in the half with nine on the offensive end with seven assists and seven steals, forcing the TexAnns into 12 turnovers. 
 
TSU was led by Fuller with five points on 2 of 4.  The TexAnns shot just 3 of 17 from the field and 0 of 6 from beyond the arc, while going 5 of 7 from the line as the charity stripe kept them within striking distance. 
 
It was fewest points WT allowed in a half this season (16 vs. Eastern New Mexico Jan. 30) and the best first half field goal defense (17.6 percent) of the season (22.2 vs. Eastern New Mexico on 6 of 27).  TSU made just one field goal in the second quarter and it was at the 9:34 mark.
 
McGrath buried a triple, the first of the game for the TexAnns and ended over a 10-minute field goal drought for a 26-14 score with 7:26 left in the third. McGrath then buried her second triple for a 26-17 score and a timeout by WT with 6:26 left in the period. 
 
Parker hit a three, her fourth of the season, for a 29-17 lead with 5:45 left in the quarter.  She then scored inside off a nice dish from junior Alie Decker for a 31-18 score, which was the halftime score of the last meeting between the two teams. 
 
A triple from Ashmore pulled the TexAnns within 31-21, but Wild, once again, had the answer at the other end for WT and a 33-21 score with 3:57 left in the quarter. 
 
Back-to-back turnovers by the Lady Buffs kept Tarleton State within 10 at 33-23.  Tarleton State got bailed out on a foul after a missed shot and pulled within 33-25 with 2:12 remaining in the quarter as WT was held scoreless for the remainder of the quarter (4:12) and was one of its last six.
 
With the shot clock winding down, Bailey Wipff buried a triple pulling TSU within 33-29, but Parker stretched the lead back to six with a bucket in the paint with just over seven minutes left.  Wild scored again inside for her 17^th point off an assist from Watson for a 37-29 lead with 6:20 left. 
Watson then scored the "and one" for a 40-29 lead and a 7-0 run, but Fuller answered pulling TSU within nine with 5:13 remaining.  It was the first free throw make for the Lady Buffs in three attempts on the night.
 
Wild hit a bucket off an assist from McLain for a 10-2 run and a 43-31 score with four minutes left.  Wild tied her career-high with the deuce set against Cameron 12/31/15).  Ashmore answered with a triple for a 43-34 score. 
 
Watson swelled the lead back to double-digits at 45-34 with 2:55 left on a pair of free throws.  She then was fouled following a missed triple and made one of two free throws for a 46-34 score.  Fuller cut the deficit to 10 with two minutes left.  Neuhaus hit a triple for just her sixth point for a dagger with 90 seconds left and a 49-36 lead. 
 
Ashmore hit two free throws with 35 seconds left to pull TSU within nine at 49-40.  WT called a timeout to advance the ball to inside half court in one of the new rules of women's basketball this year.  Wild was fouled immediately as she hit two free throws for her career-high and 21 points for a 51-40 lead.
 
Decker made one of two free throws with 19 seconds left for a 52-42 lead.