Jan. 23, 2010

Final Stats

CANYON, Texas - The #11-ranked West Texas A&M Lady Buffs found themselves in a fight to the finish against the Tarleton TexAnns, finishing with the win and a final score of 74-69.  The win lifts the Lady Buffs to 19-2 overall and 3-1 in the LSC while TSU falls to 15-3 and 2-1 in conference play.

"I thought we came out a little timid when we started the game," said head coach Krista Gerlich. "I was really proud of our girls and how they fought back to get the win."

The TexAnns drew first blood, winning the tip for a quick layup. WT struggled to find offensive rhythm, turning the ball over twice in the first few minutes of play and remaining scoreless while TSU scored seven more points. Megan McLain scored the first basket for the Lady Buffs, then Simmons grabbed a steal and drew a foul for two good free throws.

The Lady Buffs stepped up their defense resulting in several empty trips for the TexAnns. Tarleton's aggressive play sent Jamie Simmons, Aly Sherman, and Joni Unruh, and McLain 8-10 free throws, the Lady Buffs' only points of the game after McLain's first jumper, for a score of 10-13. At 7:48, Simmons put away a layup to bring the score to 13-14. McLain took a charge on the next TSU possession which resulted in a good jumper by Simmons and the Lady Buffs' first lead of the game at 15-14.

With 3:57 left to play in the half, Tarleton scored two points at the shot clock buzzer, but it sparked WT into action as they finished the half with a 11-4 run and three steals. Holly Isaacs scored the last shot of the half, driving all around the key to the bucket to finish the half with a seven-point lead, 38-31.

Despite the slow start, the Lady Buffs recorded a 42.9 percent shooting clip from the field while the TexAnns tallied a 45.5 percent shooting percentage. WT shot 17 free throws, making 14, for 82.4 percent accuracy from the charity stripe. WT had eight assists, eight turnovers, and six steals in the first half.   

Two quick WT fouls and a TSU layup and free throw started the second half. Jamie Simmons started the scoring for the Lady Buffs with a tough move at the block for a layup, but Tarleton answered back with two points of their own. WT went on a 15-5 run for a 55-41 lead that included two treys by Isaacs, two jumpers by Simmons, and a jumper and three-point play by McLain.

By the 7:50 mark, the TexAnns had cut the lead to 11 points with a 59-48 score. A WT foul sent TSU to the line for two free throws to cut the lead to nine. Unruh hit a jumper in the corner, but Tarleton stole the basketball twice, scoring both times to cut the lead even more at 61-54.

Jamie Simmons tipped the ball in on an offensive board to give a 10-point lead back to the Lady Buffs. On the next possession, she drove in for a fastbreak layup, making the shot and drawing the foul. She missed the free throw, but increased the lead to 12 points at 66-54.

Tarleton took the momentum, scoring two free throws and a jumper to cut the lead to eight. Hitting a three from the corner, the TexAnns cut the lead to five points, 68-63, with one minute left in the game. WT missed free one-and-one free throw opportunities and Tarleton scored to make it a one possession game. They sent McLain to the line for two good free throws to bring the score to 70-65. Tarleton scored a basket and drew the foul for a three-point opportunity, but a missed free throw and a TSU foul sent Isaacs to the line for two good free throws.

Tarleton scored again with 11 seconds remaining for three-point game at 72-69. The TexAnns fouled again to stop the clock, but McLain stepped with two big free throws for the five-point lead. Tarleton tried a three, but it was blocked by Ceciley Johnson and boarded by Simmons to end the game with a final score of 74-69.

Simmons finished the game with a game-leading 24 points, followed by McLain with 18, Unruh with 15, and Isaacs with 10. Unruh led the team in rebounds with eight, followed by Simmons with seven, and McLain with six. Simmons and Unruh each had four steals of the team's 13 total steals.

"We had several players really step up and play well," Gerlich said. "I thought Jamie played one of her best games of the year and Joni had a lot of great hustle plays."

WT finished the game with a 54.3 percent shooting clip to the TexAnns 46.0 percent. They outrebounded Tarleton by two, 28-26, and dished out 18 assists, led by Unruh with five.

The Lady Buffs continue Lone Star Conference action on the road, taking on Angelo State on Wednesday, Jan. 27, in San Angelo, Texas. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. with the men's game immediately following.