PUEBLO, Colo. – The West Texas A&M women's basketball team is set for the 2017 NCAA South Central Regional Final Monday evening at 8 p.m. CT against Angelo State at Massari Arena on the campus of Colorado State University-Pueblo. 

The Lady Buffs, seeded fourth in the NCAA South Central Regional, are making their fourth-straight appearance in the Sweet Sixteen in 2017.  WT is 34-22 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and won the regional in 2014 and 2015.  WT lost to eventual national champion Lubbock Christian last season in the regional final.  WT has played in six Elite Eights with a runner-up finishes in 1988 and 2014.  Angelo State is the No. 2-seed and is 26-5 on the year, while WT is 25-8.

Fans can access live stats and streaming links for the championship at www.gobuffsgo.com on the women's basketball schedule page.  Lucas Kinsey and Kent Johnson will have play-by-play coverage of the game on the official home of Lady Buff basketball on 98.7 JACK FM throughout the Texas Panhandle. 

WT opened the regional with a 75-67 win over fifth-seeded Regis on Friday as the Lady Buffs shot a blistering 58.1 percent from the field on 25 of 43, while draining seven triples and went 18 of 25 from the line.  WT held a 39-26 lead at halftime and led by as many as 16 in the game.  Regis came roaring back in the second half, outscoring WT 41-36, as the 41 points allowed in the second half was the most in the final stanza all season.  Senior Alie Decker had a game-high 22 points on seven of 10 from the field with four triples and four free throws leading three Lady Buffs in double figures.

Regis shot 41.4 percent for the game on 24 of 58, while going four of 15 from range and 15 of 23 from the line.  Regis, who is among the nation's best in rebounding, held a 35-26 lead in rebounding and a 19-3 lead in second chance points as Regis had 17 offensive rebounds in the game.

WT then faced top-seeded Colorado State-Pueblo and needed overtime to defeat the ThunderWolves in a true road game with over 900 fans in attendance for a 70-67 win.  The Lady Buffs again jumped out to big lead and led for 43:06 as CSUP held a lead for just 19 seconds in the game.  The Lady Buffs led by as many as 13 in the first quarter and held a 40-27 lead at intermission.   WT shot 16 of 26 from the field in the first half, but was just six of 20 in the second half with a seven-minute drought in the third quarter.  CSUP only was able to make up six points in the third (14-8) thanks to great defense by the Lady Buffs.  In the fourth, CSUP evened the score, outscoring WT 19-12 forcing the extra session. 

The experienced Lady Buffs kept their composure and outscored CSUP 10-7 in the free frame, and shot 25 of 52 for the game for a 48.1 clip.  WT was five of 12 from beyond the arc and 15 of 21 from the line.  Both teams tied with 39 rebounds, but CSUP held an 18-7 lead on the offensive end.  Senior Sasha Watson had team-high 17 points on five of 11 from the field and seven of 10 from the line, while Wild added 12 points.  The Lady Buffs made their free throws down the stretch in overtime to seal the win, as the team did not hit a field goal in the final 2:20 of overtime.

The ThunderWolves struggled shooting the entire night, as they were just 18 of 66 from the field for 27.3 for 27.3 percent, but went nine of 31 from beyond the arc and 22 of 27 from the line to stay in the game.  CSUP had three players in double figures led by a game-high 22 off the bench from Jaszymn Johnson, as she was deadly in the second half from range, going five of nine from deep and seven of 18 from the field for the game.  Molly Rohrer added 16 points and was a perfect 10 of 10 from the line. 

For the regional, Watson is leading the team at 15.0 points per game.  She is 10 of 20 from the field and 10 of 17 from the line. She entered the tournament as one of the nation's best in assists at 4.7 per game, but only has five for the tournament.  Decker is nine of 15 from the field and six of 10 from range, while going four of five from the line.  She has 84 triples on the year to lead the LSC and the 84 triples ranks tied for second all-time in 3's in a season in school-history.  Decker is second in scoring for the tournament at 14.0 points per game.  Wild is third in scoring at 13.5 points for the tournament on nine of 13 from the field, while going a perfect six for six from the line and is averaging 3.5 rebounds per game.  Wild entered the tournament at 6.1 rebounds per game. 

The team is shooting .526 from the field for the two games so far on 50 of 95.  WT is 12 of 24 from beyond the arc and 33 of 46 from the line for a .717 clip.  Uncharacteristically, the Lady Buffs have been outrebounded for the regional as the team is averaging 32.5 rebounds and allowing 37.0.  WT entered the championship as one of the top teams in the nation, holding teams to 28 rebounds per game.  WT is averaging 72.5 points and allowing 67 per game as they are allowing teams to shoot .339 from the field and .283 from beyond the arc for the championship. 

This will be the fourth meeting between WT and Angelo State this season as the Rambelles have won the last two.  ASU won 68-66 in San Angelo in February and won 70-68 in the Lone Star Conference semifinals.  WT won in Canyon Jan. 12, 68-61.

 ASU has won five of the last six in the series as WT leads the all-time series 48-18. The teams have met five times on neutral floors, but never in the NCAA Tournament.  This will be the second-straight meeting at a neutral site with WT leading 3-2.  The teams have split the past ten meetings and WT is 16-4 in the last 20.  The past six meetings have been decided by a combined total of 19 points with five overtime periods played in the last five games.  In the last six games, WT has scored 442 points (73.7 ppg.) and Angelo State has scored 448 points for 74.7 points per game.

In the three meetings with ASU this season, Decker leads the team averaging 15.0 points per game on 16 of 29 from the field (.552), while going a blistering 12 of 24 from beyond the arc and averaging 7.3 rebounds, which is good for second on the team in the series.  Watson is second in scoring at 14.0 points per game on 17 of 35 from the field (.486) and eight of eight from the line.  She has 10 assists and three steals.  Vander Zee is averaging a double-double against ASU at 12.7 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game on 13 of 27 from the field (.481) and a team-high 12 of 18 from the line.  She has 16 offensive rebounds against the Rambelles and 14 on the defensive end with six blocks to lead the team.  Freshman Lexy Hightower scored a team-high 16 points in the win in Canyon, but injured in the previous two meetings, before returning for the NCAA Regionals.

As a team, the Lady Buffs have struggled against the Rambelles shooting at a .403 clip on 71 of 176.  WT is 21 of 54 from beyond the arc, while going 39 of 53 from the line.  The Lady Buffs have had success on the glass, outrebounding ASU by a 42-34 average, but have committed 44 turnovers against ASU compared to just 32 for the Rambelles.

Conversely, ASU also has struggled from the field, shooting at a .378 clip on 70 of 180, but has been strong from beyond the arc at a .410 average on 25 of 61.  The Rambelles are shooting .680 from the line on 34 of 50.  WT leads the scoring margin at 67.3 to 66.3, leading in total points 202-199.