WT Notes
- This is WTAMU's 24th straight LSC Tournament appearance where they have a 13-5 quarterfinal record.
- The Lady Buffs swept the Pioneers in all three meetings this season. WT had a nine-point victory at home (Dec. 10) and an 11-point victory on the road (Feb. 11). They won the first round match-up 72-60 on Thursday.
- This is head coach Krista Gerlich's 148th victory at the helm of the Lady Buffs.
- The first round game was a rematch of last year's first round match-up where TWU defeated WT 57-56. The Pioneers went on to win the tournament championship.
- Joni Unruh had a season-high 10 rebounds.
- WT forced 21 turnovers from the Pioneers and out-rebounded them 35-25.
- Eight different Lady Buffs scored in Thursday's contest.
- WT made just one three pointer in six attempts in the game.
TWU Notes
- The loss drops the Pioneers to 13-14, with an 8-13 conference record.
- This was the 48th game played between TWU and WT
- Crystal Atwood scored a career-high 16 points tonight. Her previous high was 12 points.
- This was the third meeting between these schools in the LSC Tournament. West Texas defeated Texas Woman’s 78-50 in the 1989-90 Championship Game. TWU knocked off the Buffs in the first round last season.
- The loss drops TWU’s LSC postseason record to 6-9, including a 3-7 record in first round games.
- The Pioneers had 21 turnovers in the game, nine more than West Texas.
- Jessica Hanna fouled out in her final game as a Pioneer. She completes her career with 1,531 points, third in TWU history.
WT Quotes
West Texas A&M
Head Coach Kristina Gerlich
On TWU: “We knew that the game was going to be tough and we knew what a fight they would give us.”
“We showed nerves in the first half and missed shots, but we responded in the second half, hit shots and rebounded.”
“Joni Unruh didn’t have a great game and didn’t think she had a great game. But, she brought a great fight.”
On TWU’s offensive rebounding in first half: “We talked about keeping them off the boards at halftime, as that helped keep the ahead early.”
On getting TWU in foul trouble: “That’s our game. To take it inside. We play a lot of forwards and actually start four and try to get match ups to get them in early foul trouble. We didn’t take advantage in the first half, but did in the second. We try to get to the line. Free throws win big road games.”
On the first round win: “Getting the first win is so hard. This is a great tournament environment, we are looking forward to playing in it longer.”
On UIW: “Everyone will say it is a #2 seed vs #6 seed, but when you get to the tournament it is a new season. Incarnate Word played well and held off a big run from MSU (Midwestern State). We have our work cut out for us. It should be a good game.”
Devin Griffin
“I couldn’t sleep last night, because we were so excited to get out there and play.”
“On the tournament in Allen: “It’s great. It’s a great bonding time. We have gotten to go to a lot of places that aren’t in Canyon.”
Ashley Leven
“At the start of the game, I was nervous, but as the game progressed, I settled down.”
On the defensive stops at end of the game: “It was huge. Getting the blocks and steals. Defensive stops are the name of the game.”
TWU quotes
TWU head coach Beth Jillson Opening Statement
“We hurt ourselves at times with turnovers, they caused some havoc with us defensively but we fought hard. Defensively we gave up too many shots in the paint.”
Coach Jillson on inside game/rebounding
“Our inside depth has been an issue all season, we’re not very deep inside and they attached that. They were very patient offensively and only having three turnovers in the second half was a huge key. They dominated the offensive glass and that’s always a key to the game.”
Coach Jillson on WT
“I knew that our team would play hard no matter what, all of our games against WT this season were alike. Costly turnovers led to easy layups. It looked like we got tired toward the end of the game. They have four players averaging double digits so any of them can go off.”
Senior Jessica Hanna on her career at TWU
“It’s been a fun time at TWU, it’s hard to beat a team three time so we knew we had that advantage but it didn’t work out. We played hard for 40 minutes and left it on the court, I’m just glad I got to play with this group of girls this season.”
Junior Crystal Atwood on her performance
“I’m actually a lot more comfortable facing the basket than playing inside so it felt pretty good to shoot from outside today.