CANYON, Texas – The Lady Buffs return to the First United Bank Center on Saturday afternoon in a Lone Star Conference in a battle atop of the west division standings with the Angelo Rambelles with tipoff set for 1:00 p.m. during Alumni Day in Canyon.
 
UTPB RECAP
The Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M shot 60% in the opening quarter on their way to a 72-65 Lone Star Conference divisional victory over the UT Permian Basin Falcons at the First United Bank Center in Canyon, Texas.
 
Lauren Taylor led the Lady Buffs offensively with a season-high 18 points as the senior went 5-of-10 from the floor including 1-of-3 from deep and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe to go along with five rebounds and four steals. Karley Motschenbacher registered 15 points as the sophomore also grabbed six boards with three assists and a steal.
 
A LOOK AT THE BELLES
The Belles enter the weekend with an overall record of 19-3 with a 13-2 mark in LSC action to sit atop of the West division standings following a 60-57 win at Lubbock Christian on Thursday night, running their win streak to five contests while snapping an NCAA record 113-game home win streak by the Lady Chaps inside of the Rip Griffin Center.
 
Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant leads the way offensively for the Belles as the junior from Amarillo has gone 142-of-315 (45.1%) from the floor including 25-of-67 (37.3%) from deep and 50-of-74 (67.6%) from the free throw line to average 16.3 points per game to go along with 173 rebounds (45 offensive, 128 defensive), 36 assists, 42 steals and 24 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 80th all-time meeting on the hardwood between the Lady Buffs and Belles as WT holds a 58-21 advantage in the series that dates back to 1987. The Rambelles are 7-33 all-time in Canyon as they have dropped their last three trips to the First United Bank Center.
 
WBCA DIVISION II TOP-25 POLL
Ashland picked up all 23 first place votes for a total of 575 points to remain atop of the poll followed by Drury (550), Tampa (527), Texas Woman's (494), Glenville State (470), Grand Valley State (441), Central Missouri (440), Eckerd (383), Western Washington (380) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (354) to round out the top ten. The South Central Region was represented by Texas Woman's (4th), Colorado School of Mines (15th), Angelo State (T20th) and UT Tyler (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 269-37 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
31 - Thomas More (G-MAC)
30 - Glenville State (MEC)
24 - West Texas A&M (LSC)
16 - Nebraska-Kearney (MIAA)
13 - Michigan Tech (GLIAC)
 
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 WT 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.