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March 4, 2009

Box Score

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. –West Texas A&M put away Northeastern Oklahoma, 66-61, in the first round of the Lone Star Conference Tournament on Wednesday afternoon at the Bruin Fieldhouse in Bartlesville, Okla.

The win lifts WTAMU to 23-5 overall, while Northeastern finished the season with a 16-12 overall record. The Lady Buffs are currently ranked atop the NCAA South Central rankings.

Dixie Bell (senior, guard, Canyon, Texas) put Northeastern on the line for a free throw to begin scoring in the game. She then answered with a three-pointer to put the Lady Buffs on the board. WT then went on a 13-4 run to lead by 12 points at the 11:40 mark. Two quick NSU treys brought the once 17-point Lady Buff lead to within eight points and a score of 34-26 at the end of the half.

For the RiverHawks, Jazmine Webb (sophomore, forward, Owasso, Okla.) led the team in scoring in the first half with five points, while Lindsey Sams (senior, guard, Garfield, Okla.) and Cristy Nitz (freshman, forward, Dewey, Okla.) each registered three boards.

Leading the Lady Buffs in scoring in the first half was Joni Unruh (sophomore, guard, Amarillo, Texas) with 11 points, followed by Jamie Dreiling (senior, forward, Lake Kiowa, Texas), Courtney Lee (senior, guard, Arlington, Texas), and Holly Isaacs (junior, guard, Brownfield, Texas) with six points each. Dreiling tallied seven boards in the first half.

Dreiling and Lee opened up the half with a layup and a jumper. NSU quickly answered with a layup and a three-pointer, followed by a three-point play to close the gap to six points. Northeastern would eventually battle to within five points, but an Isaacs trey boosted the lead back to eight.

Both teams struggled to find the basket, but back-to-back three pointers by the RiverHawks put them within two points. Another clutch three-pointer by Isaacs, followed immediately with a trey by Lee kept the game just out of reach for Northeastern. The Lady Buffs went on a 13-3 run to increase the lead to 13 points with four minutes left to play.

With only 1:04 left in the game, the RiverHawks had battled back to within three points. Dreiling hit a jumper on the baseline, but NSU put in a layup to keep the game at one possession with only 23 seconds on the clock. Dreiling missed a one-on-one opportunity, giving NSU a look at a three-pointer. Lee grabbed the defensive board and was fouled, hitting two free throws to seal the win for the Lady Buffs.

“This game was exactly what we expected,” said head coach Krista Gerlich. “We knew this would be a game of runs. I have the utmost respect for Coach Gibson. His offense is difficult to guard and we had to fight for every possession.”

Leading the RiverHawks in scoring was Jessica White (junior, guard, Jenks, Okla.) with 14 points, followed by Sams with 13 pints. Webb led the team in rebounds, tallying seven boards. NSU committed only nine turnovers and shot 42.0 percent from the field.

Four Lady Buffs tallied double-digits, led by Dreiling, who registered her eighth double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Lee tallied 15 points, followed by Unruh with 13 and Isaacs with 12. Isaacs was 4-5 from three-point range, leading the Lady Buffs to a 58.3 percent shooting clip from behind the arc.

WT shot 51.0 percent from the field, but struggled with turnovers, collecting 13 as a team. The Lady Buffs outrebounded the RiverHawks by seven boards, totaling 32 to NSU’s 26.

“I liked how we fought through adversity, making positive things happen in critical possessions,” Gerlich said. “We set the tone and did some positive things early that helped gain confidence quickly.”

The Lady Buffs face second round tournament action on Friday, March 6, against North division second seed Southeastern Oklahoma. Tipoff at Bartlesville, Oklahoma’s Bruin Field House is set for 6:00 p.m. CST.