CANYON, Texas – The West Texas A&M Lady Buffs take a five-game winning streak on the road for the beginning of their longest road trip of the year at Tarleton State and at Texas A&M-Commerce this week.  WT enters with a 13-4 record overall and a 6-2 mark in Lone Star Conference play, while Tarleton State is 6-8 and 5-3 in league play and Texas A&M-Commerce is 11-5 and 5-3 in the LSC.

HOW TO CATCH THE GAMES – 98.7 JACK FM is the home for Lady Buff Basketball throughout the Texas Panhandle with Lucas Kinsey and Kent Johnson having the call.  Links to live audio/video and live stats are on the women's basketball schedule page at www.gobuffsgo.com. 

CLOSING OUT THE FIRST HALF – This is the final week of the first half of the conference slate for the Lady Buffs.  WT currently sits third in the standings with a 6-2 record behind 7-1 Angelo State and 8-0 Eastern New Mexico.  Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Commerce are tied for fourth one game behind the Lady Buffs.  The top eight teams in the final regular season standings will make the LSC Championship in Allen, Texas, Mar. 2-5 at the Allen Event Center.  WT has played in the championship game of the last four conference tournaments and won two. 

RECAPPING LAST WEEK – WT extended its winning streak to five games with a pair of crucial wins this past week at home.  The Lady Buffs avenged three losses from last season a with 68-61 upset win over the No. 2/6 Angelo State Rambelles last Thursday.  WT freshman Lexy Hightower led five Lady Buffs in double figures with a game-high 16 points on five of 13 from the field, three of eight from beyond the arc and 3 of 4 from the line.  She added three assists and three steals.  The WT "D" held the high-scoring Rambelles to just 61 points as they came in averaging over 80 per game.  WT held a 40-32 lead in rebounding and went 18 of 23 from the line, while ASU was just seven of 13.  After having its worst quarter of the season in the first against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday with just five points and two of 12 from the field, the Lady Buffs responded nicely with a 20-6 second quarter and blew the game open with a 31-point outburst in the third en route to a 73-50 win.  WT shot 51.9 percent from the field and 15 of 20 from the line, while out-rebounding the Javelinas 46-25.  TAMUK was just six of 10 from the line as free throws proved the difference in both games.  Senior Sasha Watson scored 23 points on 9 of 17 from the field and 4 of 5 from the line, while junior Sydney Walton added 15 points off the bench.

BUFFALO BLITZ ON TUESDAYS – The Buffalo Blitz Radio Show returned to Feldman's Wrong Way Diner last Tuesday and will continue each Tuesday evening throughout the rest of the regular season.  The show will be broadcast on the home of West Texas A&M Athletics, KPRF 98.7 JACK FM, and streamed on Facebook Live.  It will run from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Feldman's will have dinner specials for WT students with a valid WTAMU ID.  Come and listen to head women's basketball coach Kristen Mattio speak about the Lady Buffs and select women's basketball players will be in attendance each week.

THIS WEEK'S LSC SLATE – Along with WT at Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Commerce, the pivotal games in the league this week see unbeaten Eastern New Mexico travel to Texas A&M-Kingsville, while Midwestern State visits Texas Woman's on Thursday.  Saturday's slate features a matchup of the top two teams in the league in San Angelo as ENMU visits Angelo State, Cameron visits Texas Woman's and UT Permian Basin travels to Tarleton State.

ROAD WARRIORS – WT begins its five-game road trip this week and will cover 950 miles this week to Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Commerce.  Next week with trips to Eastern New Mexico and Western New Mexico the Lady Buffs will travel 980 miles and the following Tuesday at UT Permian Basin will be 476 miles round trip.  For the whole trip, WT will travel 2,406 miles.  WT's previous long trip this season was to Florida Southern for 1,530 miles.

VANDER ZEE TABBED WEEKLY BEST – Senior Lilley Vander Zee earned Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts in the two wins last week.  Vander Zee averaged 7.5 points and 7.0 rebounds.  She just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds in the upset win over Angelo State.  Against the Rambelles she went a career-best 7 of 10 from the line and followed that performance with two blocks and five rebounds against Texas A&M-Kingsville. 

HIGHTOWER AND VANDER ZEE START – The Lady Buffs made a change to the starting lineup before the University of the Southwest contest Dec. 30 as senior Lilley Vander Zee returned to the lineup and freshman Lexy Hightower made her first career start.  Since they started, WT has gone 5-0 as Hightower is leading the team in scoring at 13.6 points and is 26 of 51 from the field (.510) and 10 of 25 from beyond the arc (.400).  Vander Zee is third in scoring at 11.8 points and per game and a team-high 8.0 rebounds per game.  During the run, WT is shooting .507 (143-282) and .407 from beyond the arc (33-81).  The Lady Buffs are averaging 43.6 rebounds per game, allowing 26.2, while scoring 78.8 points and allowing 52.2.  WT is holding teams to just .340 from the field and .311 from beyond the arc.  In addition, the Lady Buffs have cut the turnovers down as they are averaging just 15.6 during the streak and 3.0 blocks per game.

SASHA MOVING UP – Senior Sasha Watson moved over 1,000 career points with a season-high 27 points at Texas Woman's on Dec. 8.  She now has 1,121 career points ranking her 16th all-time in school history.  She needs 14 points to move into 15th all-time to surpass Denise Hunt (1987-1991) with 1,134 points.  Watson ranks seventh all-time in free throws made (323) and eighth in free throws attempted (475).  She moved into fourth all-time in assists with 394 over the weekend. 

SEEING TIME – In the lopsided win over University of the Southwest (Dec. 30), all of the WT players were able to play and some saw significant playing time.  Sophomore Taylor LaCour went 2 of 3 from the field and 4 of 4 from the line for eight points, while senior Bailey Thiel played a career-best 23 minutes going 2 of 5 from the field and 2 of 2 from the line for six points and posted four assists with two steals. 

OVER 50 PERCENT – The Lady Buffs returned to shoot over 50 percent against University of the Southwest Dec. 30 going 37 of 63 from the field (.587).  It was the first game in the past four of shooting over 50 percent and the Lady Buffs followed shooting 53.6 percent at Midwestern State on Jan. 5 and .519 from the field against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Jan. 14.  The Lady Buffs are a perfect 8-0 when shooting over 50 percent and is 3-3 when shooting 40-49 percent, while going 2-1 when shooting under 40 percent this season. 

LADY BUFFS THIRD IN FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE – The Lady Buffs rank third nationally in field goal percentage at a .487 clip.  Ashland (Ohio) leads the nation at a .502 clip.  WT is 432 of 887 from the field this season.  Conversely, WT is holding teams to just .361 from the field ranking 48th nationally and second in the LSC on 344 of 952.

GETTIN' TO THE LINE – WT is 273 of 367 from the line this season for a .744 clip.  WT has made five more free throws than the opposition has attempted (173-268).  Senior Sasha Watson leads the team from the charity stripe going 74 of 99 (.747).  Freshman Lexy Hightower has a team-best .808 average on 21 of 26.   This past week, WT dominated the free throw line going 33 of 43 (.767), while the Rambelles and Javelinas were a combined 13 of 23 (.565).  WT ranks 14th nationally in free throws made, 23rd in free throw attempts and 40th in free throw percentage.  Texas A&M-Commerce leads the LSC in free throws made and attempted, while Western New Mexico leads in free throw percentage.  Watson leads the LSC in free throws attempted (99) and is 25th nationally, while ranking 28th in free throws made (74). 

FROM DEEP – The Lady Buffs are 94 of 255 in triples made this season for a .369 clip and have gone 33 of 81 in the last five games for a .407 average.  Senior Alie Decker leads the team with 35 made triples this season.   The .369 average for the Lady Buffs leads the LSC and is 20th nationally.

BLOCK PARTY – The Lady Buffs have recorded at least one block in each of the 17 games this season with a season-high eight rejections coming against St. Edward's (11/18).  WT has recorded two or more blocks in each of the past four games and has 60 on the year for a 3.5 average per game.  Vander Zee leads the LSC in blocks (23) and is second in blocks per game at a 1.35 clip.  As a team, the Lady Buffs are 62nd nationally and second in the LSC in blocks (60) and third in the LSC in blocks per game. 

CLEANING THE GLASS – WT is outrebounding the opposition this season by a 10.1 margin, which is eighth nationally and leads the LSC.  WT is averaging 38.7 rebounds per game (3rd in the LSC) and allowing just 28.6 which is the best in the conference.  The Lady Buffs have 464 defensive rebounds and 194 offensive boards.  Senior Maddison Wild leads the team in rebounding at a 6.8 clip as she ranks second in the LSC in total rebounds with 115.

IN THE POLLS – The Lady Buffs are not ranked or receiving votes in the latest WBCA Coaches Poll for the second-straight week and the first time since the 2012-13 season.  WT fell out of the D2SIDA Top 25 as it was receiving votes in the Jan. 3 poll and fell out of the D2SIDA South Central Region rankings for the first time in the three-year history of the poll.  After receiving votes last week in the D2 SID South Central Region Poll, WT moved up to sixth this week.

WITH THE ASSIST – This season WT ranks 25th nationally in assists with 264 and 46th in assists per game at 15.5 both lead the LSC.  In addition, WT is third in the LSC In assist/turnover ratio at a 0.89 clip.  Senior Sasha Watson is 44th in assists with 75 and 68th in assists per game (4.4) both also lead the LSC.

KEEPING TEAMS OFF THE SCOREBOARD – The Lady Buffs are 25th nationally and lead the LSC in scoring defense holding teams to just 56.2 points per game and are 20th in scoring margin at 16.2, which also leads the league.  WT is fourth in the LSC in scoring offense at 72.4 points per game. 

ABOUT THE LADY BUFFS – After going 3-3 in the past six games to end 2016, WT began off 2017 on the right foot with five-straight wins.  The Lady Buffs are led by senior Sasha Watson who leads the team averaging 14.6 points per game.  She is 82 of 163 from the field (.503), 11 of 31 from beyond the arc (.355) and 74 of 99 from the line (.747).  Watson has 75 assists to lead the team, along with 30 steals and is averaging 3.2 rebounds per game.  Senior Alie Decker is second in scoring at 11.3 points per game on 60 of 145 (.414).  Decker leads the team with 35 triples in 89 attempts (.393) and is 37 of 47 from the line (.787).  Decker has 44 assists and 18 steals while also averaging 3.2 rebounds per game.  Freshman Lexy Hightower is third in scoring at 9.5 points per game and second in triples made with 22.  Senior Maddison Wild leads the team in rebounding at 6.8 per game.

STRONG AGAINST THE LSC – The Lady Buffs are 55-7 since Feb. 9, 2013, in Lone Star Conference regular season play and have an overall mark of 66-9 overall including both LSC and NCAA playoffs during that span.  WT is 31-2 at home (30-2 regular season), 25-5 on the road (regular season) and 10-2 in neutral sites (LSC playoffs).  WT is 356-70 all-time in LSC regular season play.

WINNING TRADITION – Last season marked the fourth-straight year of 20 or more wins for the Lady Buffs.  WT has won 30 or more games in 2013-14 and 2014-15 and have 30 wins in six seasons since 1980-81.  The Lady Buffs have not had a losing season since 1980-81 and have won 20 or more games in 27 seasons during that span with a string of nine-straight from 1983-1992.  Since the 2012-13 season, WT is 120-27 (.816) with three NCAA postseason appearances, a national runner-up finish (2014), two Elite Eight trips (2014, 2015), and a NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance (2016).  In the LSC the Lady Buffs have been just as successful with three Lone Star Conference regular season titles (2014-2016), two Lone Star Conference tournament championships (2014, 2015) and four-straight trips to the LSC championship game.

LADY BUFFS SIGN THREE – WT announced the signing of three for the 2017-18 season during the early signing period in November as Daria Cosgrove (Plano, Texas), Abby Spurgin (Fredricksburg, Texas) and Zada Swoopes (Whitewright, Texas) all inked with the Lady Buffs.

ABOUT TARLETON STATE – The TexAnns are 6-8 overall and 5-3 in Lone Star Conference play and have played must better as of late after a slow start.  Tarleton State, led by Mackenzie Hailey, who is averaging 15.5 points per game on 78 of 160 for a .488 clip ranking fourth in the LSC.  She is 13 of 33 from beyond the arc (.394) and 48 of 65 from the line to lead the team (.738).  She leads the LSC in rebounding at 9.2 per game ranking her 56th nationally, while leading the team in steals with 30 ranking her third in the LSC.  Bailey Wipff is second in scoring at 12.5 points per game and leads the team with 23 made triples, while Ikpeaku Iwobi is third in scoring at 10.4 points per game.  The TexAnns are shooting .396 from the field on 338 of 854, while going 75 of 258 from beyond the arc (.291) and 153 of 212 from the line (.722).  TSU is averaging 37.1 rebounds per game, allowing 37.8, while scoring 64.6 points per game and allowing 65.5.  The opposition is shooting .415 against the TexAnns and .320 from beyond the arc, while shooting .730 at the line.  Tarleton State leads the LSC in fewest fouls at 219 ranking 22nd nationally and personal fouls per game at just 15.6 ranking 36th nationally.  Head coach Misty Wilson is 40-29 in her third season at TSU.  She is 1-4 against West Texas A&M with a 53-52 win in Stephenville last season.

INSIDE THE SERIES WITH TARLETON STATE – The Lady Buffs lead the all-time series 35-5 with the TexAnns.  WT won the previous meeting with a 52-43 win in the semifinals of the LSC Championship last year.  WT has won four of the last five meeting, is 14-6 in Stephenville, with the last win coming there in overtime on Jan. 21, 2015 in an 87-86 thriller.  The Lady Buffs have won eight of the past ten and nine of the past 11 in the series with both losses coming in Stephenville.  WT has gone 2-2 in the past four meetings in Stephenville.

ABOUT TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE – The Lions are 11-5 overall and 5-3 in conference play.  TAMUC is coming off a 111-73 win over Arlington Baptist Monday and split a pair of conference games last week with a win over Tarleton State (89-74) and a loss to Texas Woman's (75-69) marking the first home loss of the season for the Lions (5-1).  Leading the way for the Lions this season is Artaejah Gay who leads the team averaging 13.1 points per game.  She is 82 of 196 from the field (.418) and 11 of 38 from beyond the arc (.289).  Gay is 35 of 46 from the line, while averaging 5.4 rebounds per game.  She leads the team in blocks with 18 and is second behind Vander Zee in the league in blocks.  Khala Riley is second in scoring at 12.9 points per game.  She is 71 of 179 from the field (.397) and a team-best 59 of 79 from the line (.747).  Riley leads the team in assists with 64 (3rd in LSC) (4.0) and 25 steals.  Krystal Pickron is third in scoring at 11.1 points per game as she has a team-best 19 triples in 74 attempts (.257).  Jenna Price leads the team in rebounding at 7.5 per game and is second in free throws made with 52 for a team-best .800 average on 52 of 65 ranking her second in the LSC in free throw percentage.  As a team, the Lions are shooting .384 from the field on 420 of 1093, while the opposition is at a .374 clip on 395 of 1056.  TAMUC is 70 of 251 from range (.279) and is 300 of 408 from the line for a .735 clip.  Both the free throw attempts (10th) and makes (7th) lead the LSC and rank in the top ten nationally.  The Lions are averaging 46.3 rebounds per game, which leads the LSC and is 11th nationally, while allowing 41.6.  TAMUC is scoring 75.6 points per game (3rd in LSC) and allowing 70.6.  The Lions rank 17th nationally in offensive rebounds per game at 17.0 per contest.  Head coach Jason Burton is in his third year at the helm of the Lions and is 41-32 overall and 0-4 against WT.

INSIDE THE SERIES WITH TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE – WT leads the all-time series 52-5 and has won 15-straight in the series, including a 69-67 win in Commerce last season as former Lady Buff Zantaya Davis scored on a jumper with 1.7 seconds left for the win.  WT battled back from as many as 14 in the second half.  The Lady Buffs are 24-3 in Commerce and have won the last seven there since an 81-71 loss on Mar. 3, 2007.  WT has won 19 of the past 20 in the series.