CANYON, Texas – The Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M begin the defense of their Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship on Thursday afternoon as they take on third-seeded UT Tyler in the quarterfinal round of the LSC Championships at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas with tipoff set for 12:00 p.m.
 
LCU RECAP
The Lady Buffs used a 30-point performance by junior Nyalam Thabach to pick up their first ever victory at the Rip Griffin Center on Saturday afternoon as WT outlasted the Lady Chaps of Lubbock Christian, 88-79 in a Lone Star Conference overtime thriller in front of over 500 fans in Lubbock.
 
Thabach finished the afternoon going 12-of-18 from the floor including a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line for a game-high 30 points to go along with 14 rebounds for her second straight double-double. Karley Motschenbacher chipped in 16 points with nine of them coming at the charity stripe to go along with seven board while Kyle Kane also finished in double-figures with 10.
 
A LOOK AT THE PATRIOTS
The Patriots enter the postseason with an overall record of 23-6 as they finished LSC action with a mark of 18-4, sitting second in the East division standings. UTT closed out the regular season in style with a 63-54 victory over then #12 Texas Woman's on Saturday afternoon at the Herrington Patriot Center in Tyler.
 
Destini Whitehead leads the way offensively for the Patriots as the junior guard from Athens, Texas has gone 137-of-333 (41.1%) from the floor including 28-of-115 (24.3%) from behind the arc and 76-of-93 (81.7%) from the charity stripe to average 13.0 points per game to go along with 94 rebounds (30 offensive, 64 defensive), 61 assists, 48 steals and six blocks.
 
UTT finished the 2021-22 campaign with an overall record of 19-9 with a 10-5 mark in Lone Star Conference action as they advanced to the semifinal round of the LSC Championships with wins over Midwestern State (55-38) and Texas Woman's (59-46) before falling to Texas A&M-Commerce (58-52).
 
UTT HEAD COACH REBECCA ALVIDREZ
Rebecca Alvidrez is now in her second season at the helm of the UT Tyler women's basketball program. She spent the previous four seasons as the Associate Head Coach at Stephen F. Austin under former Lady Buff head coach Mark Kellogg. Alvidrez played professionally overseas following a standout career at Montana State where she was a two-time All-Big Sky selection.
 
THE SERIES
Thursday afternoon marks the fourth all-time meeting on the hardwood between the Lady Buffs and Patriots as WT is 2-1 in the series that dates back to 2020. UT Tyler picked up a 76-54 victory during a divisional crossover matchup with the Lady Buffs in Tyler back in January. Thursday is the first ever postseason meeting between WT and the Patriots.
 
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), Glenville State (497), Grand Valley State (485), Cal State Dominguez Hills (438), Nebraska Kearney (420), Eckerd (397), Minnesota Duluth (372) and Central Missouri (353) to round out the top ten. The South Central Region was represented by Texas Woman's (16th) and Colorado School of Mines (21st)
 
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.
 
LADY BUFFS IN THE LSC CHAMPIONSHIP
The Lady Buffs are in the Lone Star Conference Championship for the 30th straight campaign and the 35th overall time which is the most of any LSC institutions. WT is 61-18 all-time at the LSC Championship for a winning percentage of 77.2%. The reigning LSC Tournament Champions have made 23 appearances in the Title Game with 16 Championships since 1987.
 
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.
 
NCAA SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL RANKINGS
The West Texas A&M Lady Buffs have moved up one spot to seventh in the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball South Central Regional Rankings announced on Wednesday afternoon by the NCAA's headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana.
 
Texas Woman's sits atop of the poll followed by Angelo State, Colorado School of Mines, Black Hills State, UT Tyler, Lubbock Christian, West Texas A&M, Regis, Texas A&M-Kingsville and Adams State.
 
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.