Game Notes in PDF Format

Tournament Central

CANYON, Texas – The West Texas A&M women's basketball team makes its fourth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and 23rd overall in program history as it heads to Pueblo, Colorado, for the NCAA South Central Regional.  The No. 4-seeded Lady Buffs will face No. 5-seed Regis University in the final game Friday evening at Massari Arena on the campus of Colorado State-Pueblo.  Tip is scheduled for 9 p.m. CT.
 
HOW TO CATCH THE CHAMPIONSHIP – 98.7 JACK FM is the home for Lady Buff Basketball throughout the Texas Panhandle with Lucas Kinsey having the call.  Links to live audio/video and live stats are on the women's basketball schedule page at www.gobuffsgo.com.  WT is 4-4 against the tournament field this year as it has played four of the teams.  Angelo State (1-2), Eastern New Mexico (1-1), St. Edward's (1-0) and Tarleton State (1-1).
 
LADY BUFFS IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP – The Lady Buffs are making their 23rd appearance in the NCAA Championship and are 32-22 (.593) all-time in the championship.  WT has appeared in six Elite Eights with two national champion runner-up finishes in 1987 and 2014.  In the last three appearances in the tournament, WT has gone 10-3 with the runner-up finish in 2014, Elite Eight appearance in 2015 and a Sweet Sixteen finish last season.  The 32 wins in the NCAA Championship ranks sixth-most all-time in Division II and fourth-most among active Division II women's basketball programs. 
 
LOOKING AT THE BRACKET – Colorado State-Pueblo earned the top seed and hosting duties as it went 24-0 to start the season and 27-3 overall.  Angelo State (24-5) won a share of the Lone Star Conference regular season title and was runner-up in the LSC Tournament.  UC-Colorado Springs earned the No. 3-seed and went 23-8 and won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament Championship this season.  UCCS has won five-straight games for the longest current winning streak of any team in the field. WT is the No. 4-seed going 23-8 as well and 15-5 in Lone Star Conference play.  Regis went 23-7 and was runner-up to UCCS in the RMAC championship, while Eastern New Mexico won a share of the LSC regular season title and is making its first trip to the NCAA South Central Regional with a 20-8 record.  No. 7-seed St. Edward's won the Heartland Conference Championship and is 20-8 on the year, while No. 8-seed Tarleton State won the LSC Tournament title as a No. 5-seed earning the automatic berth in the NCAA regional.  The TexAnns are 16-13 on the year.
 
NCAA TICKETS ON SALE – Lady Buff fans, purchase NCAA South Central Regional tickets for the WT games can be purchased through CSU-Pueblo beginning Thursday.  WT fans can buy general admission tickets for $10 for adults and youth/senior/military/student tickets are $5.  A WT athletic representative will have 100 change out tickets for behind the WT bench if fans would like to sit behind the bench for the WT games.  Fans interested in this should find the WT representative prior to the game to change out their tickets. 
 
SHOULD THE LADY BUFFS WIN FRIDAY – WT then would face the winner of No. 1 CSU-Pueblo vs. No. 8 Tarleton State Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. for a berth in the region championship game Monday at 7 p.m.  The 2017 Elite Eight is Mar. 21-24 at Alumni Hall is Columbus, Ohio.
 
RECAPPING THE LSC CHAMPIONSHIP – The Lady Buffs went 1-1 in the 2017 Lone Star Conference Women's Basketball Championship last week in Allen, Texas.  WT won 61-53 in a hard-fought quarterfinal matchup with Texas Woman's and lost in the semifinal in a 70-68 heartbreaker to Angelo State.  Against Texas Woman's, WT struggled in the first half as it went 7 of 24 from the field, including a season-low four points in the second quarter on one of 11 shooting, trailing 25-20 at intermission.  WT's 20 points at halftime was a season-low.  The second half was a different story as the Lady Buffs came out on fire shooting eight of 12 from the field in the quarte rand outscored TWU 23-8.  WT also shot over 60 percent in the fourth quarter for 15 of 23 for the half, outscoring TWU 41-28 for the win.  Junior Madison Parker had a team-high 14 points off the bench with nine rebounds leading three Lady Buffs in double figures.  Against Angelo State, another tight, down-to-the-wire finish as ASU pulled out a 70-68 win behind a career-game from Taylor Dorsey with 35 points and six triples.  Not to be outdone, WT senior duo of Sasha Watso and Alie Decker gave the Lady Buffs a chance at the win as Watson had a team-high 24 points, while Decker buried six triples in the game for the Lady Buffs.   ASU's Lexi Murphy scored the last 11 points for the Rambelles no other ASU player, besides Dorsey, was in double figures until Murphy hit a number of big shots late as WT was unable to get a stop down the stretch to keep the lead.  Trailing for much of the game, WT took a five point advantage early in the third and led for 8:33 for the game, which had eight ties and eight lead changes. 
 
ABOUT REGIS –  The Rangers were picked sixth in the preseason RMAC poll as standout Kaylie Rader was named to the preseason all-league team.  Ranger second year head coach Molly Marrin, a Dallas, native, is 41-18 in her second year as coach of the Rangers.  She was a standout player for Regis, graduating in 2003 as a four year letterwinner earning first team all-league honors and twice being named to the league all-tournament team.  Marrin guided Regis to a 23-7 record this season and a runner-up finish in the RMAC Tournament, losing to UCCS.  Regis beat league champion CSU-Pueblo in the semifinal round of the conference tournament.  Regis had four players earn all-conference honors this season as Majestie Robinson was named first team, while Mary Sigler earned second team honors and Chante Church, along with Rader earned honorable mention accolades.  Sigler and Rader were named to the RMAC All-Tournament Team as poor shooting plagued the Rangers in the conference championship loss to UCCS, 53-37.  For the season, WT and Regis have played two common opponents in Florida Southern and Colorado Christian.  Both teams beat the Lady Moccasins as Regis won 64-49 at Regis and WT won 73-63 in overtime at Florida Southern.  WT downed CCU 80-48 in the PAK-A-SAK Thanksgiving Classic in Canyon, while Regis went 2-0 against the Cougars with a five-point win on the road and a six-point victory at home.  The Rangers are led by Sigler who leads the team averaging 13.5 points per game.  She is 129 of 356 from the field (.362) and a team-best 71 of 200 (.355) from beyond the arc as she ranks 51st nationally in 3-pointers attempted, 57th in triples made and 71st in triples per game at 2.37.  Sigler is 75 of 91 from the line (.824), while averaging four rebounds per game.  She is second in assists with 69 and third in triples with 27.  Robinson is second in scoring at 12.5 points per game.  She is 110 of 305 from the field (.361), while ranking second in triples with 48 and leads the team from the line at 107 of 135 (.793).  She has a team-high 80 assists on the year with a team-best 46 steals.  Church is third in scoring at 9.9 points per game and is 87 of 261 from the field (.333), while going 35 of 109 from beyond the arc.  The Rangers have three players averaging over 6.5 rebounds per game in Rader who leads the team at 7.6 rebounds per game, leads the RMAC in offensive rebounds per game at 3.0, which ranks 59th nationally, while shooting a team-best 111 of 201 from the field (.552) and averages 9.1 points per game.  Karlyn Johnson averages 6.5 rebounds per game and 7.5 points, while Shelby Espinosa averages 7.2 rebounds per game.  As a team, the Rangers are shooting .381 from the field on 674 of 1769.  Regis is 198 of 647 from beyond the arc (.306) and 446 of 612 from the line for a .729 average.  Regis is averaging 42.8 rebounds per game, which ranks 32nd nationally and the Rangers are 38th nationally in offensive rebounds averaging 15 per game.   RU is scoring 66.4 points per contest.  Conversely, the opposition is shooting .369 against the Rangers on 607 of 1647, while going 149 of 496 from beyond the arc (.300) and 419 of 572 from the line (.733).  Regis is holding teams to just 33.2 rebounds per game (9.6 rebounding margin is seventh nationally) and 59.4 points per game, which ranks 46th nationally.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES WITH REGIS – The Lady Buffs and Rangers have met one time on the hardwood as WT won 98-83 on Dec. 30, 1991 at Regis. 
 
WT AGAINST THE RMAC – WT is playing its second game against a team from the RMAC this season as the Lady Buffs downed 80-48 Nov. 26 in Canyon.  The Lady Buffs are no strangers to RMAC teams in the NCAA Tournament as WT downed two RMAC schools last season in UCCS and Black Hills State in the first two rounds of the South Central Regional.  During the current stretch of four years to the NCAA Tournament, WT is 4-0 against RMAC teams, with two wins over UCCS, including a win in the regional championship game in 2015 in Canyon, along with a regional championship victory over Colorado Mesa in 2014 also in Canyon.
 
AGAINST THE FIELD –  WT is 5-2 all-time against CSU-Pueblo as the teams last met in Canyon in the Thanksgiving Tournament on Nov. 30, 2013, with WT winning 88-57.  WT has won two-straight in the series and is 1-2 in Pueblo against the ThunderWolves with the last win there coming on Nov. 21, 2009, with a 74-70 overtime victory...WT leads the all-time series with Angelo State 48-18, but the Rambelles have won the last two and five of six.  WT is 3-2 against the Rambelles on neutral courts...Against UCCS, WT is 7-2 and have ousted the Mountain Lions each of the last two years from the NCAA Tournament.  WT has won the last three meetings and is 3-1 in neutral site matchups...Against Sixth-seeded Eastern New Mexico, WT is 66-11 and the two teams have never played a neutral site matchup.  WT won the last meeting in Portales, 62-52 on Jan. 26, 2017...WT is 6-0 all-time against St. Edward's, including a 61-36 win this season in the 201-17 home-opener in November.  The Lady Buffs are 1-0 against SEU in the NCAA Tournament with a 90-72 victory in Canyon in the opening round Mar. 14, 2014...WT and Tarleton State split a pair of games this season as the Lady Buffs lead the series 36-10 as each team won on its home court this season.  WT is 2-0 all-time in neutral site meetings - both in the LSC women's basketball championship...WT is 169-43 (.797) against the field all-time and is 19-4 (.826) against the non-conference teams.
 
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 1,303 career points ranking her 12th all-time in school history.  She is seventh all-time in free throws made (346) and seventh in free throws attempted (519) for a .667 clip.
 
STEALING SASHA – Sasha Watson leads the team with 60 steals on the year and has 215 for her career ranking her eighth all-time in school history in steals.  She needs four thefts to pass Jennifer Brock (2002-07) for seventh all-time in school history.  Watson leads the league with her 60 thefts and is 75th nationally, while ranking second in the league in steals per game at 1.94. 
 
DECKER FROM RANGE –  Senior Alie Decker has been on fire this season from beyond the arc as she ranks 26th nationally and first in the league with 78 triples, first in the LSC and 26th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (.406) and is second in the league in triples per game (2.52), while ranking second in the league and 64th overall in 3-point field goals attempted (192).  In addition, her 78 triples this season ranks fourth all-time in school history in a season, while her 192 attempts is fifth-most.  For her two-year WT career, Decker is 123 of 316 from beyond the arc (.389).  She had six triples made in the LSC semifinal loss to Angelo State Saturday as the six triples tied her WT career-best. 
 
PARKER OFF THE BENCH –  Junior Madison Parker has come off the bench in all 31 games this season, but has made great use of her time on the court.  Against Texas Woman's last Friday, Parker tallied 14 points and nine rebounds, narrowly missing her what would have been her first double-double of the season and second of her career.  This season, Parker has eight games in double figures and two double figure rebounding games, but has tallied nine boards in each of the last two games, raising her rebounding average to 5.3 per game.
 
OVER 50 PERCENT – The Lady Buffs are second nationally in field goal shooting at a .489 clip behind Ashland (Ohio) at .517.  This season, the Lady Buffs have shot over 50 percent 13 times and are 13-0 in those games. WT is 797-130 (.489) from the field this season.
 
MATTIO WINS 50 – Second year head coach Kristen Mattio won her 50th game at the helm of the Lady Buffs with the thrilling 73-69 win over Tarleton State on Senior Day.  Mattio is 51-13 (.797) and is 28-8 (.778) in Lone Star Conference play over the last two years.   Mattio is no stranger to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference or CSU-Pueblo as she coached under former WT head women's coach Mark Kellogg at Fort Lewis.
 
WATSON HEADLINES ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS –  WT senior Sasha Watson earned her third All-LSC First Team honors this season and was named to the All-Defensive Team for the second year in a row.  WT seniors Alie Decker and Maddison Wild earned third team honors, while senior Lilley Vander Zee also was named to the all-defensive team.
 
FROM DEEP – The Lady Buffs lead the LSC in 3-point field goal percentage at a .369 clip as the team is 177 of 480 from beyond the arc this season ranking 20th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage.  WT is fourth in the LSC in triples made (177) and fifth in 3-point field goals per game at 5.7. 
 
WATSON AND WILD IN GAMES – Seniors Maddison Wild and Sasha Watson have played in a ton of games in their outstanding four-year careers at WT.  Wild ranks tied for sixth all-time in games played with 125 and a run to the Elite Eight could get her into the top spot as former Lady Buff great Chontiquah White leads the way with 129 games payed (2011-2015).  Watson has played in 123 games and is tied for eighth all-time.
 
BLOCK PARTY – The Lady Buffs have recorded at least one block in every game this season with a season-high eight rejections coming against St. Edward's (11/18) and recording eight again on Feb. 23 against Texas A&M-Commerce.  WT has recorded two or more blocks in 17 of the last 18 games and has two or more blocks in 27 games.  WT has 116 blocks on the season, which ranks fourth in the league and 46th nationally.  WT is averaging 3.7 blocks per game, which is fourth in the league and 66th nationally.  Senior Lilley Vander Zee is second in the LSC in blocks with 42 (70th nationally) and third in blocked shots per game at 1.4 for 85th nationally.
 
CLEANING THE GLASS – WT is outrebounding the opposition this season by an 8.3 margin, which is 16th nationally and leads the LSC.  WT is fourth in the LSC in rebounds with 1,144.  Defensively, WT is holding teams to just 28.7 rebounds per game, which leads the LSC as the opposition has 889 rebounds for the year.  Senior Maddison Wild leads the team in rebounding at 6.1 per game with 189 rebounds, ranking sixth in the LSC.
 
KEEPING A LID ON THE BUCKET – The Lady Buffs rank first in the LSC in scoring margin at 13.7, which is 23rd nationally and lead the LSC in points allowed per game at 57.9, which is 25th nationally for scoring defense.  Teams are shooting .372 against WT this season.
 
IN THE POLLS – The Lady Buffs are not ranked or receiving votes in the latest WBCA Coaches Poll for the tenth-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.  WT earned the No. 4-seed in the South Central Regional and returned to the D2SIDA poll last week as others receiving votes and is there again this week. 
 
WITH THE ASSIST – This season WT ranks 20th nationally in assists with 484 to lead the LSC.  WT leads the league in assists per game at a 15.6 clip, which is 27th nationally.  Senior Sasha Watson leads the LSC in assists with 144 and ranks 32nd nationally.  She also has the league's top assist per game average at a 4.6 clip, which is 48th nationally.  She has 463 career assists, ranking fourth all-time in career assists.
  
STRONG AGAINST THE LSC – The Lady Buffs are 64-10 since Feb. 9, 2013, in Lone Star Conference regular season play and have an overall mark of 76-13 overall including both LSC and NCAA playoffs during that span.  WT is 36-2 at home (31-2 regular season), 29-8 on the road (regular season) and 11-3 in neutral sites (LSC playoffs).  WT is 365-73 all-time in LSC regular season play.
 
WINNING TRADITION – The Feb. 16 win at Texas A&M-Kingsville marked the fifth-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 28 seasons during that span with a string of nine-straight from 1983-1992.  Since the 2012-13 season, WT is 133-31 (.814) 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.