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Feb. 8, 2007

Box Score

CANYON, Texas - Sophomore guard Emily Brister scored 29 points and a smothering Lady Buff defensive effort forced 33 turnovers as the No. 9 West Texas A&M women's basketball team defeated Lone Star Conference South foe Texas A&M-Kingsville, 78-51, Thursday night in front of 1,285 fans at the First United Bank Center. The victory secures the fifth consecutive season of at least 20 wins for the Lady Buff Basketball program as it improves its overall record on the season to 20-3.

The victory also extends the Lady Buffs' current winning streak to seven games and their winning streak on their home court to 29 straight contests. WTAMU remains alone in first place in the LSC South Division with a perfect 9-0 league mark. Texas A&M-Kingsville, meanwhile, sees its overall record fall to 8-14 and its mark in conference action drop to 3-6.

After a back-and-forth beginning to the game, the Lady buffs held a slim lead, 13-10, at the 13:32 mark, but the Lady Buffs' defense clamped down at that point. The WTAMU defenders did not allow another TAMU-Kingsville field goal until the 8:51 mark, going on an 8-0 run during that span to take control of the game. The pressure defense of the Lady Buffs was extremely active and proved to be a major factor during the half, forcing 20 turnovers to carry a 35-25 advantage into the intermission.

At the break, Brister led all scorers with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the floor. The Amarillo High product was a standout on the defensive end as well, leading WTAMU with four steals during the opening period.

In the second half, Brister again was a force on the court, converting 6-of-7 shot attempts after halftime to add 15 more points to her total. Senior Kara Pridey, who added six points during the second half, came close to her first double-double of the season, tallying 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Senior Natalie Wheeler rounded out the WTAMU players in double-figure scoring, contributing 13 points on the night, including a 5-of-6 mark from the free throw line. Classmate and point guard Jennifer Brock was also solid on the night, ending play with nine points, five assists and four rebounds.

For the game, the Lady Buffs shot 47.5 percent (28-of-59) from the floor compared to the Javelinas' 39.1 percent (18-of-46). TAMUK also struggled in the contest from behind the three point arc, converting only 18.8 percent of their shots, including a 0-of-7 mark during the opening half.

The Lady Buffs return to action this Saturday as they host the Texas Woman's Pioneers in a 7 p.m. match up at the First United Bank Center.