PUEBLO, Colo. – Behind a season-high 22 points from West Texas A&M senior Alie Decker, the fourth-seeded Lady Buffs battled an upset-minded No. 5-seed Regis University squad in the final game of the first round of the NCAA South Central Regional at Massari Arena on the campus of Colorado State University-Pueblo Friday evening, 75-67.  With the win, WT improved to 24-8 on the year and will face top-seeded Colorado State-Pueblo Saturday evening at 8:30 p.m. in the second round of the regional.  Regis ended its season at 23-8.

"This was exactly the battle we thought we were going to get from Regis," WT head women's basketball coach Kristen Mattio said.  "Give them a lot of credit, they are a well-coached and well prepared team as they have had a great season with a lot of young players returning next year.  They average 15 offensive rebounds and got their quota plus two on us and that's what kept them in the game and gave us a dogfight in the second half.  Rader (Kaylie) was a game changer within the game with eight offensive rebounds against us.  With that being said, we shot 58 percent and got great shots and gave ourselves a chance late with a few stops in a row late and close out the game."

Decker, who was physically ill all evening, had an outstanding game the game-high 22 points on seven of 10 from the field with four triples and went four of five from the line leading three Lady Buffs in double figures.  Senior Maddison Wild scored 15 points – all in the second half, while senior Sasha Watson added 13 points.  Decker's four triples moves her into third all-time in triples in a single-season with 82.

"Alie was throwing up before the game and after it," Mattio added.  "She can shoot the basketball and thank the lord she had a little Michael Jordan performance tonight, but she made some big threes that gave us a good lead early on and when Regis went on the run we had some padding to work with, but she has been solid for us all year long and we rely on her as she is a strong leader for our team."

As a team it was a bit of a tale of two halves as WT raced out to a game-high 16-point lead, but to see  Regis come all the way back and take the lead late in the third.  WT shot 25 of 43 from the field for 58.1 percent, but turnovers and second chance points by the Rangers kept Regis in the contest.  RU led 19-5 in second chance points and pulled down 17 offensive rebounds, as it came in averaging 15 on the offensive end per game.

Despite that, WT buried seven triples in the game on 12 attempts and went 18 of 25 from the line, making critical free tosses late in the contest for the win. 

Regis, led by 16 points from Majestie Robinson and a double-double from Kaylie Rader with 12 points and ten rebounds as Robinson was five of 12 with two triples and four free throws.  WT held Regis to just 41.4 percent shooting on 24 of 58.  The Rangers were four of 15 from range and 15 of 23 from the line, while out-rebounding WT by nine at 35-26 and 17-5 on the offensive end.

With WT leading 67-65, a three-second call gave Regis the ball back with 1:50 left.  Decker picked off the pass at the other end on a backwards no-look catch.  After a WT timeout with 1:17 left, Watson scored inside for a 69-65 lead and a timeout by Regis. The Lady Buffs got a big rebound and back-to-back fouls by Regis put WT lead at the line with 36.1 seconds left.  One of two free throws from Decker put the WT lead at 70-65 as Regis chose to advance ball.  Out of a timeout by Regis' leading scorer, Mary Sigler, missed a triple and junior Sydney Walton gathered the rebound and was fouled, making one free throw as WT earned the rebound.  Sigler entered the game averaging over 13 points per game and finished with nine Friday evening.

Decker was fouled making two free throws for 22 points and a new WT high.  Robinson scored a bucket, but Walton hit two free throws pushing the lead to 75-67 with 18 seconds left.    A missed trey from Sigler followed as WT gathered the rebound to run out the clock for the eight-point win.

The Lady Buffs jumped out to an early 13-6 lead on five of eight from the field as freshman Lexy Hightower made her return after missing the last seven games due to injury.  Regis came back with a triple and a bucket for a 13-11 lead with 2:56 left in the first.  Senior Sasha Watson led the way early for WT with four points and Decker buried her 79^th triple of the season moving her into a tie for third all-time in triples in a season with former Lady Buff and 2016 WT Hall of Fame inductee Lori DeShields (1994-95). 

"Lexy, is Lexy," Mattio said.  "She is a fearless basketball player and we knew we needed to get her in the rhythm of the game again and she would relax.  She hasn't played in a month and getting acclimated to the game again and she would relax.  She did great tonight with some really big buckets, especially early and we look forward to having her for the next few games."

Junior Cece Wooten drove to the bucket and scored the "and one" with four on the shot clock and a 16-11 WT lead, ending the 5-0 run by the Rangers with 1:31 left in the first quarter.  Decker buried her second triple of the game at the buzzer for a 21-14 lead through the first period.  WT opened the game eight of 12 from the field, while Regis was five of 12.  WT dominated inside, out-scoring the Rangers, 12-4. 

Decker scored and "and one" for a 24-16 lead with 7:20 left in the first half.  Three offensive rebounds by Regis and a triple from Robinson cut the WT lead to 24-19 with 6:10 left in the half.  Decker buried her third triple for a 27-19 lead as she tied her WT-high six triples against Angelo State last week in the Lone Star Conference Women's Basketball Championship.  Junior Madison Parker scored her sixth point of the game with a turnaround in the lane for a 29-19 WT lead with just over four minutes in the half and Hightower buried a long two for her first bucket since Feb. 9 against Cameron. 

Out of a timeout, Hightower hit a triple for five points and a 36-23 lead – the largest of the game to that point for the Lady Buffs.  Following one free throw from Regis, Hightower hit her second triple with 27 seconds left in the half and a 39-24 lead.  WT held a 39-26 lead at intermission. 

WT shot a blistering 65.2 percent for the half on 15 of 23 from the field, with five triples in eight attempts, while going a perfect four for four from the line.  WT entered the game second nationally in field goal percentage at a .489 clip.  Decker had a game-high 14 points on five of six from the field with three triples and a free throw as the only player in double figures.  Watson spent a good portion of the first half on the bench with foul trouble, as did senior post Maddison Wild.

Regis shot just 32.1 percent on nine of 28.  The Rangers had two triples and went six of 10 from the line.  Robinson had a team-high seven points in the half.  WT uncharacteristically trailed in rebounding as Regis held an 18-10 lead in rebounding and 10-0 in offensive rebounds, as Regis led 9-0 in second chance points.

Two offensive rebounds and a put back by Wild swelled the lead to 41-26 out-of-the-gate in the second half for WT.  Wild buried a triple for the first five points of the half and a 44-28 WT lead with 8:30 left in the quarter.  Regis' big post picked up her third foul early in the second half.  She had five points to that point as Kaylie Rader transferred to Regis from the University of Wyoming. 

Robinson buried her second triple, but Watson beat the entire Regis team down the floor at the other end and earned the "and one."  Rader cut the WT lead to 49-38 as Regis was on a 10-5 run since the 8:30 mark.  Two more free throws from Rader cut the WT lead to 49-41 with five minutes left in the third.  Wild pushed the lead back to ten at 51-41 with under four minutes left in the quarter. 

A turnover by the Lady Buffs and the old fashion three-point play cut the WT lead to 54-49 with 1:23 left in the third as fouls mounted up for both teams.  WT led 58-51 after three quarters. Regis outscored WT 25-19 in the third quarter, as the 25 points were the most allowed by the Lady Buffs in the third quarter this season.  WT

Robinson again had a bucket in the paint pulling Regis within 58-53 early in the fourth.  Decker hit her fourth triple and 82^nd of her career for 19 points in the game as WT pushed the lead to 61-53, but Regis' leading scorer Mary Sigler hit her first triple in three attempts for five points in the game and a 61-56 WT lead with eight minutes left.

Regis forced the 14^th turnover by WT and pulled within 61-60 and a timeout by WT with 5:39 left.  An offensive foul gave Regis the ball and the Rangers took their first lead of the game with a runner in the lane, for a 62-61 Regis lead with five minutes left.  Regis opened the fourth quarter on an 11-3 run through the first five minutes.  Watson tied the game with one free throw at 62. 

Watson made on free throw, but Sigler scored at the other end and Wild then put up her 13^th point of the half for a 65-64 WT lead with three minutes left.  Wild pushed the WT lead to 67-64 with 2:28 left after a turnover by the Rangers. 

WT now will face top-seeded Colorado State-Pueblo Saturday evening in the second round.  The Lady Buffs now are 33-22 all-time, in their 23^rd NCAA Tournament appearance, and have qualified for their fourth-straight, Round of 32 matchup.  WT is 5-2 all-time against CSU-Pueblo as the teams last played in the PAK-A-SAK Lady Buff Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 30, 2013, in Canyon as the Lady Buffs won 88-57.  The Lady Buffs have not played in Pueblo since a 74-70 overtime on Nov. 21, 2009.  WT is 1-2 all-time in Pueblo, but has won two-straight in the series.

"They (Pueblo) have a great home-court advantage and a great fan base," Mattio added.  "You may only be down by five, but it feels like 25 with their great crowd.  You have to keep your mind right in games like that. It is going to be a battle tomorrow, as they are young but they have mobile post players who can defend and score so they are a very solid team.  Our prep work starts now."