CANYON, Texas – The #23 Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M continue their postseason run on Saturday night as they take on eighth-seeded Texas Woman's in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Semifinals with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m. at the First United Bank Center in Canyon.
 
COLORADO MESA RECAP
The Lady Buffs used a 24-point performance by freshman Karley Motschenbacher as they outlasted eighth-seeded Colorado Mesa in the South Central Regional Quarterfinals on Friday night at the First United Bank Center in front of over 1,200 fans in Canyon, Texas. The Moorhead, Minnesota product went 8-of-11 from the floor including 3-of-5 from deep for a team-high 24 points to go along with six rebounds and two steals.
 
A LOOK AT THE PIONEERS
Texas Woman's enters Saturday's semifinal round with an overall record of 20-8 as they finished LSC play with a 12-3 mark to tie for second in the league standings. Friday night saw the Pioneers pick up their first NCAA Tournament victory in program history as they topped MSU Denver, 90-83 in an overtime thriller in Canyon.
 
TWU is led offensively by LSC Freshman of the Year Ashley Ingram as the Bridgeport, Texas native has gone 131-of-264 (49.6%) from the floor this season including 112-of-139 (80.6%) at the free throw line to average 14.7 points per game to go along with 188 rebounds (52 offensive, 136 defensive), 37 assists, 33 steals and 29 blocks.
 
TWU HEAD COACH BETH JILLSON
Beth Jillson is now in her 15th season at the helm of the Texas Woman's basketball program as she holds an overall record of 212-286 during her time in Denton to serve as the program's all-time wins leader. She has led the Pioneers to three South Central Regional Tournaments (2011, 2016, 2022) as well as a Lone Star Conference Tournament crown in 2011. Jillson was hired in Denton on August 17, 2007 following assistant coaching stops at Charleston Southern, New Mexico JC and Oklahoma State.
 
THE SERIES
Saturday's semifinal round marks the 69th all-time meeting between the Lady Buffs and Pioneers as WT leads the series, 61-7. The first meeting came back on January 14, 1981 as TWU picked up a 67-53 victory in Canyon. It will be the second meeting between the two teams this season, the Pioneers topped the Lady Buffs 61-50 back on January 29th in Denton during Lone Star Conference action. WT holds a 32-1 advantage in games played in Canyon with the Lady Buffs winning the last 32 matchups in the Texas Panhandle.
 
WT HEAD COACH JOSH PROCK
Josh Prock was introduced as WT's new head coach on June 2, 2021. Prock is no stranger to the Lone Star Conference as he spent eight seasons as the head coach at Eastern New Mexico leading the Greyhounds to their only three NCAA Tournament appearances in program history. Over the past four seasons in Portales, he accumulated a record of 77-41 including ENMU's first LSC Championship in program history in 2016-17 where he was named the league's Coach of the Year.
 
ON THIS DAY
The Lady Buffs are playing their fourth all-time game on March 12th this Saturday night in Canyon as they are a perfect 3-0 on this calendar date. All three matchups have come during the NCAA Postseason including a 78-50 victory over St Mary's at the First United Bank Center.
 
1988 - at Central Missouri (W, 61-46) *NCAA Tournament in Warrensburg
2004 - Emporia State (W, 60-55) *NCAA Tournament in Springfield
2010 - St, Mary's (W, 78-50) *NCAA Tournament in Canyon
 
HOME SWEET HOME
West Texas A&M is home to one of the finest multi-purpose facilities in the country as the First United Bank Center has served as the home of the Lady Buffs since January 26, 2002. The Lady Buffs are a staggering 258-37 inside of the FUBC during that time for a winning clip of 87.5%. WT has averaged 1,031 fans per contest since the facility opened its doors with the largest crowd coming on Opening Night with 4,941 members of Buff Nation seeing the Lady Buffs take on rival Abilene Christian.
 
LADY BUFFS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Lady Buffs are making their 27th overall appearance in the DII Basketball Postseason as they are 39-25 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with the 39 wins ranking tied for sixth-most all-time in NCAA Division II and ranks tied for fourth-most among active DII schools. 
 
WT has claimed seven Regional Championships with two appearances in the National Finals since the 1986-87 campaign. In the last seven NCAA tournament appearances for WT, the Lady Buffs are 17-6 during the stretch with three South Central Regional Championships and an appearance in the 2014 Division II National Title Game.
 
2021-22 marks the eighth time that the Lady Buffs have hosted the NCAA Regional Tournament in Canyon during their NCAA Division II era including the seventh inside of the First United Bank Center. WT is 12-3 inside of the facility during the postseason with three Regional Titles (2009, 2014, 2015) and an average attendance of 1,838.
 
LSC DIGITAL NETWORK
The LSC Digital Network is in its third season showcasing the academic and athletic events of the league and its 18 member institutions.
   
Fans can watch games and purchase passes online at www.lonestarconferencenetwork.com on computer and mobile devices. Viewers can also tune in to games on the LSC Digital Network via OTT apps available on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Roku by searching for "LSC Digital Network".
 
HOME OF CHAMPIONS
West Texas A&M is home to one of the most successful athletic programs in all of NCAA Division II. The 2020-21 season saw WT claim seven LSC Regular Season Championships, three LSC Tournament Titles, three Regional Championships, four Top-three track & field finishes, a men's basketball national title game appearance and the 2021 NCAA Division II Softball National Championship.