ALLEN, Texas (Feb. 28, 2017) – Texas Woman's University basketball enters play in the Lone Star Conference tournament as the sixth seed and will take on the third seed West Texas A&M Friday at noon inside Allen Event Center.
TEXAS WOMAN'S (18-10, 11-9 Lone Star) versus WEST TEXAS A&M (22-7, 15-5 Lone Star)
Friday, March 3, at noon
Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center)
About the Pioneers
TWU brings a three-game win streak into the Lone Star Conference tournament.
Kenesha Saygo has moved her way up through the Pioneer record books and is now the fourth-leading scorer in TWU history with 1,317 points. She has scored over 30 points three times over the last nine games.
Alexis Nezianya ranks fourth in blocked shots per game (1.27) and sixth in the LSC in offensive rebounds per game (2.46), while
Grace Mitchell is eighth in blocks per game (.93).
About the Lady Buffs
WT has been victorious in its last two contests and have won eight of the last 10. The Lady Buffs lead the conference in assists per game (15.8), field goal percentage (.493), rebound margin (7.8), scoring defense (57.7), scoring margin (14.4) and three-point percentage (.368). Sasha Watson is first in assists per game (4.7) and total steals (57), while Alie Decker is tops in three-point percentage (.403).
History amongst Texas Woman's and West Texas A&M
TWU's 62-59 win at home Dec. 8 was the first victory over WT in five seasons. Following the 80-55 loss in Canyon Feb. 4, the Lady Buffs now lead the all-time series over the Pioneers, 53-6, dating to the 1974-75 season. Before Dec. 8, TWU's most recent victory occurred during the 2010-11 season at the quarterfinals of the LSC Tournament in a 57-56 win.
Last meeting between TWU and WT
CANYON, Texas (Feb. 4, 2017) - Texas Woman's University was unable to break a 36-year losing streak in Canyon to West Texas A&M as the Pioneers were defeated 80-55 by the Lady Buffs Saturday afternoon inside First Bank United Center.
The Pioneers (14-8, 7-7 LSC) suffered their worst defeat in three seasons, which fatefully was against WT Feb. 26, 2014, where TWU fell 96-66 to the third-ranked Lady Buffs in Canyon. The contest was a struggle offensively for the Pioneers, especially from the outside, as the team was successful on just one three-pointer to match a season-low, and attempted just seven from outside for the lowest output on the year. Defensively, WT's size presented a problem as the Lady Buffs were able to score over half of their points (44) in the paint. The one and only win for TWU in Canyon occurred on Jan. 14, 1981, in a 67-53 victory.
Last outing for the Pioneers
WICHITA FALLS, Texas (Feb. 25, 2017) -
Emily Spector and
Kenesha Saygo each scored in double digits to lead Texas Woman's University to a 56-51 victory over Midwestern State in their regular season finale Saturday inside D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
Spector totaled a game-highs with 14 points and eight rebounds while Saygo recorded 12 points. TWU (18-10, 11-9 LSC) held the Mustangs (8-18, 5-15 LSC) to just 15 field goals, a defensive season-best, while the Pioneers made 19 from the field. TWU's defense also forced 23 Mustang turnovers that were converted into 20 points. Both teams struggled from the three-point line with TWU hitting 3-of-16 and MSU converting 2-of-8.
LSC Tournament Breakdown
The top eight teams advance to the LSC Championship Tournament and the postseason begins with games Thursday, March 2.
Eastern New Mexico and Angelo State shared the LSC title with identical 16-4 league records. The Greyhounds earned the No. 1 seed via tiebreaker.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster outlets and Ticketmaster.com, as well as the Allen Event Center box office. Single-session tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students.
All seven games will be streamed live free of charge through the LSC's GameCentral portal (
http://portal.stretchinternet.com/lonestar). In addition to supporting desktop and laptop computers, GameCentral's responsive design will support mobile devices as well (iPad, iPhones, Android).
The LSC Women's Basketball Tournament Champion earns the league's automatic qualification to the 2017 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball South Central Regional held March 10, 11, and 13 at a site to be determined. The winner of the South Central Region will advance to the Elite Eight to be held March 21, 22, and 24 in Columbus, Ohio.
Here's a look at the schedule for the women's tournament:
LSC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Thursday, March 2, 2017
SESSION ONE
Game 1: Women's Quarterfinal, 2) Angelo State vs. 7) Cameron, 12 p.m.
SESSION TWO
Game 3: Women's Quarterfinal, 1) Eastern New Mexico vs. 8) Texas A&M-Kingsville, 6 p.m.
Friday, March 3, 2017
SESSION THREE
Game 5: Women's Quarterfinal, 3) West Texas A&M vs. 6) Texas Woman's, 12 p.m.
SESSION FOUR
Game 7: Women's Quarterfinal, 4) Texas A&M-Commerce vs. 5) Tarleton State, 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 4, 2017
SESSION FIVE
Game 9: Women's Semifinal, Winner G1 vs. Winner G5, 12 p.m.
SESSION SIX
Game 11: Women's Semifinal, Winner G3 vs. Winner G7, 6 p.m.
Sunday, March 5, 2017
SESSION SEVEN
Game 13: Women's Championship, Winner G9 vs. Winner G11, 1 p.m.
