CANYON, Texas – The #13 Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M hit the road on Thursday night for LSC divisional action as they head to San Angelo, Texas to take on the Angelo State Rambelles with tipoff set for 5:30 p.m. at the Stephens Arena inside of the Junell Center.
 
CU RECAP
The #5 Lady Buffs closed the first half on an 18-3 scoring run and never looked back on Sunday afternoon as they picked up an 81-48 Lone Star Conference victory over the Cameron Aggies at the First United Bank Center in Canyon.
 
Karley Motschenbacher led the way for the Lady Buffs as the sophomore guard went 6-of-8 from the floor including a perfect 4-of-4 from behind the arc for a team-high 16 points to go along with four rebounds, one assists and two steals. Lauren Taylor finished the game with 12 points as she hit four times from deep while Zamorye Roberts (11) and Kamirah Decker (10) also finished in double-figures.
 
A LOOK AT THE BELLES
The Belles enter the weekend with an overall record of 11-2 with a 6-1 mark in Lone Star Conference action as they carry a five-game win streak into Thursday night's matchup with WT. Angelo State went on the road last weekend and picked up league wins over Western New Mexico (54-50) and Eastern New Mexico (73-63).
 
Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant leads the way offensively for the Belles as the junior from Amarillo has gone 83-of-187 (44.4%) from the floor including 11-of-40 (27.5%) from deep and 29-of-46 (63%) from the free throw line to average 15.8 points per game to go along with 105 rebounds (31 offensive, 74 defensive), 23 assists, 24 steals and 12 blocks.
 
ASU finished the 2021-22 campaign with an overall record of 15-13 with a 12-4 mark in league action as they fell to Lubbock Christian in the quarterfinal round of the LSC Championships, 60-51 at the Comerica Center in Frisco.
 
ASU HEAD COACH ALESHA ELLIS
Alesha Ellis is now in her second season at the helm of the Angelo State women's basketball program after spending eight seasons at Wayland Baptist where she led the Flying Queens to an overall mark of 189-52 with eight NAIA Tournament appearances. Ellis was a standout prep-player at nearby Plainview High School where she claimed three 3A State Championships followed by a standout collegiate career at Texas Tech.
 
THE SERIES
Thursday night marks the 79th all-time meeting on the hardwood between the Lady Buffs and Belles as WT holds a 58-20 advantage in the series that dates back to 1987. The Lady Buffs are 51-11 all-time in San Angelo as they have won their last three trips to the Junell Center.
 
WBCA DIVISION II TOP-25 POLL
Ashland picked up 19 of the possible 21 first place votes for a total of 521 points to move atop of the poll followed by Glenville State (470), Drury (469), Grand Valley State (two first place, 447), Minnesota State Mankato (398), Western Washington (392), Central Missouri (355), Tampa (343), Eckerd (316) and Colorado School of Mines (309) to round out the top ten. The South Central Region was represented by Colorado School of Mines (10th), WT(13th), Texas Woman's (18th) and Angelo State (RV).
 
WT HEAD COACH JOSH PROCK
Josh Prock enters his second season at the helm of the Lady Buff Basketball program after guiding WT to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight during his first season in Maroon & White, finishing the campaign with an overall record of 26-11 as WT claimed the LSC Regular Season and Tournament Titles followed by a run to the South Central Regional Championship.
 
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 267-37 inside of the FUBC during that time for a winning clip of 87.7%. WT has averaged 1,025 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.
 
LONGEST ACTIVE DIVISION II HOME WIN STREAKS
111 - Lubbock Christian (LSC)
28 - Thomas More (G-MAC)
25 - Glenville State (MEC)
21 - West Texas A&M (LSC)
18 - Savannah State (SIAC)
 
LSC BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL
The Lady Buffs picked up 31 of the possible 39 first place votes for a total of 612 points to sit atop of the poll followed by Lubbock Christian (four first place, 557), Texas Woman's (four first place, 538), Angelo State (519), UT Tyler (479), Texas A&M-Kingsville (408), Texas A&M International (371), Cameron (347), Midwestern State (314), Eastern New Mexico (233), St. Edward's (219), UAFS (216), UT Permian Basin (172), Oklahoma Christian (154), St. Mary's (94) and Western New Mexico (71).
 
The 2022-23 LSC basketball schedule will feature 16 women's teams in two divisions. Each team will play a double round-robin schedule within their division. Additionally, teams will play eight crossover competitions against the opposite division for a total of 22 LSC games.
 
HOME OF CHAMPIONS
West Texas A&M is home to one of the most successful athletic programs in all of Division II.
 
The 2021-22 campaign saw WT claimed six Lone Star Conference Championships, three LSC Tournament crowns, two Regional Championships and four Top-5 track and field finishes including the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Women's National Championship. 2022-23 has already started off on a high-note as Lady Buff Volleyball claimed the program's fourth National Title in early December.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The contest will be broadcasted on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network. For more information, visit the Women's Basketball Schedule page at GoBuffsGo.com.