CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M senior Lilley Vander Zee put on a career show on Senior Day as the Lady Buffs clinched the No. 3-seed in the upcoming Lone Star Conference Women's Basketball Championship with a thrilling 73-69 victory over visiting Tarleton State Saturday afternoon.  Vander Zee finished the game eight of eight from the field with six free throws for 22 points.

The Lady Buffs ended the regular season with a 22-7 record and a 15-5 record in Lone Star Conference play with the win and avenged a loss in Stephenville from earlier in the year.  Vander Zee's previous best points was 19 set twice, including her last game at No. 22 Angelo State last Saturday.  Her eight made field goals also was a career-high.  She led four Lady Buffs in double figures as senior Sasha Watson had 16 points on eight of 16 from the field with a team-high eight rebounds and five assists.  Senior Alie Decker added 10 points with two triples – the only two triples made by the Lady Buffs in the game.  Junior Madison Parker added 11 points off the bench.

Tarleton State (13-13, 12-8 LSC) also had four players in double figures with 18 points from Mackenzie Hailey on seven of 12 from the field with two triples and two free throws.  Tiara Tatum added 13 points, while Travonti Downs chipped in 11 points off the bench and Bailey Wipff added 10 points. 

Prior to the game, the Lady Buffs honored five seniors playing in their final regular season game in the First United Bank Center.  Along with Decker, Vander Zee and Watson, senior Maddison Wild (9 pts., 5 rebs.) and senior Bailey Thiel (2 pts.) completed the senior class.  It was Thiel's first career start Saturday.

WT shot 44.4 percent from the field on 27 of 55 from the field for 49.1 percent, but was just two of 17 from beyond the arc marking a season-low.  The Lady Buffs were 17 of 23 from the line and out-rebounded the TexAnns 37-26, while dominating in the paint, 50-20. 

TSU shot 44.4 percent from the field on 24 of 54.  The TexAnns stayed in the game with crafty shooting from beyond the arc, going eight of 19 as five different players made triples, while going 13 of 15 from the line.  The teams committed a combined 20 turnovers as WT led just 9-3 in points off turnovers.  The nine miscues by the Lady Buffs marked the third-fewest for the season.

The game saw seven ties, but every time TSU made a run and either tied it or cut the deficit to one, the Lady Buffs responded in fron of a season-high 2,147 fans, as the game was the Division II Showcase Game of the Week broadcast on the American Sports Network.

Early on the game was tight as foul trouble was a key in the contest as Tarleton State's bigs of Hailey and Ipkeaku Iwobi spent much of the first half on the bench with foul trouble.  Despite that, the bench and triples kept the game close each time WT built a lead and looked to run away with it.  Following a jumper from Hailey to tie it at six, the Lady Buffs closed the first quarter on a 9-2 run for a 15-8 lead through one.

Vander Zee pushed the lead to a game-high nine early in the second quarter, but the TexAnns cut it to four on a triple from Kylie Collins with 3:20 left in the half.  Watson buried a jumper in the paint for a 29-23 lead with 2:06 left for the halftime score.

In the third, Iwobi hit a jumper for a 29-28 WT lead with 9:17 left as it was the first of four times in the quarter TSU cut the WT deficit to one, but the Lady Buffs had the answer each time.  Two free throws from Tatum tied the score with 1:46 left in the quarter, but a triple by Decker – the first of the game to that point pushed the lead to three and Vander Zee scored inside for a five-point advantage through three at 52-47.     

In the fourth, WT swelled the lead to six on a layup from Wild with 8:03 left.  Two free throws from Travanti Downs and a bucket form Hailey cut the deficit to two at 58-56 with 7:14 left.  Hailey played the entire fourth quarter with four fouls. 

Wild had the answer for the Lady Buffs once again and Decker's second triple pushed the lead to seven moments later.  Hailey scored the next six points for the TexAnns tying the game at 63 with 4:38 left.  Vander Zee added two free throws and Watson scored inside for a four-point cushion with 3:42 remaining. 

A quick five points and two free throws from Iwobi tied the game for the seventh time at 69 with 59 seconds left.  Wild gave WT the lead for good with her ninth point off an assist from Watson with 37 seconds left. 

The TexAnns, out of a timeout, advanced the ball and Hailey had a good look at a contested layup as it caromed off the front of the iron as Wild grabbed the rebound.  TSU had to foul as Parker made her final two free throws, on a seven-for-seven night at the line, for the four-point win.

The Lady Buffs are the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Lone Star Conference Women's Basketball Championship, Mar. 2-5 at the Allen Event Center in Allen, Texas.  Advanced tickets are on sale at the WT Ticket Office by clicking here for more information.

WT will face Texas Woman's in the 3-6 matchup Friday at 12 p.m.  WT split the season series with Texas Woman's, as TWU won 62-59 in Denton on Dec. 8, 2016, while WT won 80-55 in Canyon on Feb. 4, 2017.