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March 6, 2006

To the victors go the spoils. After becoming the first school to sweep both the women's and men's Lone Star Conference Championships for the first time since 1991, the West Texas A&M University basketball program cleaned house with the LSC South awards, announced Monday (March 6) by the conference office.

Highlighting the honors was women's head coach Bob Schneider and men's head coach Rick Cooper being acknowledged with Coach of the Year awards. Cooper was named Co-Coach of the Year, sharing the honor with Texas A&M University-Kingsville's Pete Peterson and Tarleton State University's Lonn Reisman.

The two awards now give the WTAMU Athletics Staff four LSC Coach of the Year Awards this year, as women's cross country coach Kimberly Dudley and football coach Don Carthel.

Schneider was quick to defer the praise to his coaching staff and the players.

"The credit goes to everybody else, I'm just a slice of the pie," Schneider said. "All these honors that we got are a tribute to the team, especially with how they've persevered through all sorts of adversity this season with all the injuries. Our coaching staff of Coach Brett Schneider and Coach Christy Epstein have done all the work behind the scenes of breaking down video and scouting, among the countless other work."

On the women's side, freshman guard Emily Brister was named the LSC South Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, and was selected to the first-team.

"It's quite unusual for a player to come in and be the Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. It is a tribute to her hard work in the offseason and throughout this season."

Brister was joined on the first-team by senior forward Keisha Monroe. Junior forward Alicia Saunders was recognized as the Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the honorable mention list, along with junior guards Jennifer Brock and Natalie Wheeler.

For the men, senior guard Steve Jackson was honored as Defensive Player of the Year. Junior guard Damien Lolar, who was the LSC Tournament MVP Saturday night, was named to the first-team, while senior guard Ronnie Holmes was tabbed to the second-team and sophomore forward Tyler Cooper earned honorable mention recognition.

"I'm just so proud of this team," Cooper said. "The great thing about this group is we have matured tremendously as a team and we are peaking at the perfect time of the season. Our team looks up to guys like Steve Jackson, who is a fifth-year senior and just a phenomenal leader, and Ronnie Holmes who has really developed into one of our best shooters and someone we can rely on to hit a big shot at crucial moments."

Both the Lady Buffs and Buffs will be in action this weekend at their respective NCAA-II South Central Regional Tournaments. The women are the No. 2 seed and will take on seventh-seeded and LSC foe Northeastern State University on Friday at 2 p.m. at Topeka, Kan., hosted by top-seed Washburn University, the top-ranked team in the country and the defending NCAA-II national champions. The men are the fourth seed and will take on fifth-seeded Northwest Missouri State University on Saturday at 6 p.m., at Bolivar, Mo., hosted by top-seed Southwest Baptist University.

Fans are invited to join the Buffs & Lady Buffs on Tuesday night at Feldman's Wrong Way Diner in Canyon. Come by for dinner and wish the teams and coaches good luck as they enter the NCAA Division II Championship tournaments this weekend.

Senior guard Damien Lolar, the LSC Tournament MVP, was named to the first-team All-LSC South list.

Leading the WTAMU men is 6-4 junior guard/forward Lolar (Arkansas City, Kan./Cowley County CC), who was named the LSC Tournament MVP after scoring a career-high 34 points, including 26 in the second half, as WTAMU rallied from a 40-29 halftime deficit by outscoring TSU, 63-45, in the second half. In Friday's semifinal win over Southeastern Oklahoma, Lolar hit the game-winning free throws with 6.8 seconds left and snared a career-high 18 rebounds to go with 15 points for his sixth double-double of the season. For the year, Lolar is averaging 17.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals per contest, and has returned to form after being hampered by a late season hand injury. In the LSC statistics, Lolar ranks sixth in scoring, 11th in rebounding and 15th in steals.

Senior guard Ronnie Holmes was selected to the All-LSC South second-team list.

Holmes (Los Angeles, CA/Ohlone CC), a 6-2 senior guard, nets 13.4 ppg, as well as dishing out a team-best 3.97 assists per game, ranking eighth in the league in assists and 18th in scoring. Holmes continued to play well as he tallied 13 points and five assists in Saturday night's thriller over Southeastern Oklahoma. Holmes continued his good play against Tarleton State in Saturday night's Championship game as he tallied 13 points on 2-of-4 shooting from behind the arc and also dished out six assists. In the three games against LSC South champion Tarleton State, Holmes has tallied 16, 30, and 13 points against them this season. Holmes is fourth in the LSC in 3-point percentage (61-of-137, .445). Since division play started, Holmes has been on a hot streak averaging 18.2 ppg and 4.3 assists a game, ranking sixth in scoring in division games only, and fourth among the LSC South scoring leaders. From behind the 3-point line, Holmes has been 34-of-71 (.479) since he started playing LSC South opponents.

Sophomore forward Tyler Cooper is an honorable mention All-LSC South selection.

Cooper (Amarillo, TX/Amarillo HS), a 6-4 sophomore forward, leads the conference and would lead the nation, but doesn't reach the minimum, in 3-point FG percentage, as he is hitting 47.6 percent (39-of-82) from behind the arc. Cooper, like Holmes, has also been on a scoring spree of late, as he has scored double figures in nine out of the last 13 games. Cooper was the spark that kept the Buffs going in their comeback win at Angelo State as he scored a career high 22 points and eight rebounds. Cooper was 4-of-7 from behind the arc in the Buffs' win over ASU, topping his previous career-high of 19 points with 20 points in the second half. In Saturday night's Championship game, Cooper was one of five Buffs in double figures as he tallied 16 points which included 3-of-8 shooting from behind the line and also recorded five rebounds. Since division play started, Cooper has averaged 11.1 points and has pulled down 4.8 rebounds per game. Cooper has also been very hot from behind the arc as he is 48.8 percent (21-of-43) from behind the 3-point line since WTAMU began division action.

Senior guard Steve Jackson was named the LSC South Defensive Player of the Year.

Jackson (Amarillo, TX/Tascosa H.S.), 6-2 senior guard, has been the anchor on defense for WTAMU all season. Coach Rick Cooper was able to call on his reliable senior to defend the other team's best guard. Being named the LSC South Defensive Player of the Year is an award that isn't the one noticed by fans but is a coach's favorite. As the anchor of the Buffs' defense, Jackson helped WTAMU rank second in the league in 3-point opponent field goal percentage and sixth in total field goal percentage, as well as fifth in scoring defense, yielding just 67.8 ppg. Jackson has really elevated his offensive play over the last four games as he has been averaging 10.8 ppg and 4.8 rpg beginning with WTAMU's huge win over TSU on Feb. 25, 80-60. Jackson scored in double figures in both of the games this past weekend as he tallied 12 points in the semifinal game and tied a career-high with 13 points in Saturday's Championship win. Jackson also ranks 13th in the LSC in minutes per game as he averaged 32 minutes a game this past season.

Freshman guard Emily Brister was named the LSC South Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, as well as a first-team All-LSC South selection.

Leading the way for the WTAMU women is 5-9 freshman guard Brister (Amarillo, TX/Amarillo HS), who leads the nation in steals, swiping 4.1 per game. Brister also leads the LSC and is eighth in the NCAA-II in scoring, netting 21.5 ppg, along with 2.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game. Brister is fifth in the conference and 42nd in the country in 3-point FG made, hitting 2.27 per game (68-of-184, .370), which also ranks her 12th in the league and 38th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage. From the free throw line, Brister is a team-best 81.1 percent (185-of-228), ranking eighth in the league in FT percentage and leading the conference in both free throws made and attempted. Brister was named the LSC Tournament MVP for her performance this past weekend as she led the Lady Buff to their first conference championship since the 1996-97 season. In Saturday's championship game, Brister established a new career high in rebounds as she tallied 11 rebounds to go along with 17 points to record her third double-double of the season. Brister also dished out four assists in the championship game as well as swiping four steals.

With 645 points on the year, Brister has already moved into third place in the WTAMU record books for most single season points. In Friday night's semifinal game Brister tallied 21 points which moved her past both Pat McDonald who was No. 5 with 611 points in the 1991-92 season and Natasha Taylor who No. 4 with 619 points in the 1994-95 season. On Saturday night Mar. 4, Brister tallied 17 points which put her past then No. 3 Brandi Green who tallied 637 points in the 2000-01 season. Brister is currently sitting in the No. 3 spot but can move into the No. 2 spot this weekend as the current No. 2 is Vanessa Wells who scored 657 in the 1987-88 season. Rhonda Kimbrough is No. 1 with 756 points in the 1981-82 season.

Senior forward Keisha Monroe received first-team All-LSC South honors.

Monroe (6-1, Garland, TX/Lakeview Centennial HS), the Lady Buffs' lone senior, returned to the lineup on Feb. 9, her first action since suffering a knee injury in WTAMU's win over SOSU on Jan. 12. On the season, Monroe is averaging 16.3 ppg and 8.0 rpg, which would rank fourth in the league in scoring and seventh in rebounding, but Monroe has missed too many games to reach the 75.0 percent appearance, as she has been in just over half (20 of 30 games). Monroe was the other Lady Buffs besides Emily Brister to be named to the LSC All-Tournament team as she tallied 14 points, six rebounds, five blocks, and four steals in Friday night's semifinal win. Monroe then moved on to Saturday night where she tallied her sixth double-double of the season by tallying 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Junior guard/forward Natalie Wheeler was named to the LSC South honorable mention list.

Junior guard/forward Wheeler (5-9, Turkey, TX/Valley HS) adds 12.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. In the conference stats, Wheeler ranks 26th in scoring. Wheeler is second on the team in free throw percentage, hitting .783 (65-of-83). In Saturday night's championship win over Angelo State, Wheeler tallied 10 points and four rebounds which included a 2-of-3 shooting from behind the arc.

Junior guard Jennifer Brock earned honorable mention All-LSC South accolades.

Another added spark to the Lady Buffs' lineup has been 5-8 junior guard Brock (Abernathy, TX/Abernathy HS), who returned this season after missing last year due to a knee injury. Brock set a career-high by dishing out a career-high 14 assists on Feb. 11 against TAMUK. For the season, Brock is doling out a team and league-high 6.87 assists per game, which is eighth in the nation. Brock has dished out at least six assists in 19 games this season. Brock had nine points and nine rebounds to go along with five assists in WTAMU's semifinal win on Friday night. In the Championship game, Brock tallied 11 points and doled out five assists en route to the Lady Buffs first conference title since the 1996-97 season.

Junior forward Alicia Saunders was tabbed to the All-LSC South honorable mention list.

Saunders (Kansas City, Mo./Independence CC), a 6-5 junior forward, has soared in action since the first part of December, posting double-doubles in nine contests, patern-ly on Dec. 10, 20 and 30, and then a triple-double on Jan. 14 against ECU.

This past Wednesday, Saunders became WTAMU's single-season blocked shots record holder as she only needed two to break the record and she got nine, surpassing former WTAMU All-American Brandi Green's 99 blocks in the 1998-'99 season. Saunders also tallied her eighth double-double of the season against MSU as she almost had her second triple-double of the season, posting 12 points and 12 rebounds to go with the nine blocks.

In last Saturday's win over TSU, Saunders posted her third straight double-double with 13 rebounds and 10 points, and more importantly, swatted six shots, giving her 113 for the season and establishing a new LSC single-season blocked shots record, topping the previous mark of 112 by Ankse Steponaviciute of Abilene Christian University in 1995-96.

For her performance last week, Saunders was recognized as the LSC South Player of the Week, becoming the third different Lady Buff to receive the accolade.

In this weekend's games Saunders tallied five points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks in Friday night's win over TAMU-Commerce. Saturday night she logged 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and also recorded six rebounds. Saunders averaged 9.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, as well as 4.6 blocks per game in WTAMU's 14 LSC South games.

On January 14 against ECU, Saunders posted a rare triple-double with an LSC-record 12 blocks, a career-high 17 rebounds and 10 points. For the year, Saunders is averaging 8.3 points, a team-high 9.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game, leading the conference in both blocked shots and rebounding. She second in the nation in blocked shots and 32nd in rebounding. Saunders also leads the league in field goal percentage (103-of-165, .624), and would be second in the country, but does not meet the minimum to qualify for this week's rankings.

-WT-