Feb. 18, 2004

The West Texas A&M University women's basketball team will be going for an undefeated home portion of the regular-season when the Lady Buffs host two Lone Star Conference South division contests.

WTAMU, which had its 13-game overall winning streak snapped last Saturday, will look to extend an 11-game home winning streak when the Lady Buffs conclude their four-game homestand and the home portion of the regular-season at the WTAMU Event Center.

The weekend opens with the Lady Buffs hosting Texas A&M University-Commerce on Thursday, Feb. 19, in a 6 p.m. tip-off.

WTAMU's regular-season finale is Saturday, Feb. 21, when the Lady Buffs welcome Texas A&M University-Kingsville in a 6 p.m. contest.

WTAMU enters this weekend in a three-way tie atop LSC South standings with Eastern New Mexico and Abilene Christian, with not only first-place in the LSC South at stake, but also the right to host the conference tournament Mar. 5-6, based on first-round results.

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About The Teams

WTAMU is 20-3 overall and 8-2 in LSC South action, currently tied for first, after pulling away from Midwestern State University, 67-57, Saturday. The Lady Buffs have won 19 of their last 21 games. WTAMU is ranked No. 2 in the South Central Regional Rankings. {Complete NCAA-II Regional Rankings} The Lady Buffs moved up one spot to No. 21 in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll, after spending the last two weeks at the No. 22 spot.

On Thursday, WTAMU blasted Texas Woman's, 108-44, marking the first time the Lady Buffs broke the 100-point mark in the WTAMU Event Center and junior forward Celeste Stevenson established a new WTAMU career free throws made record. Every Lady Buff scored at least six points, with six players netting double-figures.

Saturday's 67-57 win over Midwestern State avenged a 70-66 overtime loss to MSU at Wichita Falls, Texas on Feb. 7, a loss that snapped WTAMU's 13-game winning streak. Saturday's Lady Buffs' win snapped a four-game losing streak to the Lady Indians in the series.

Texas A&M-Commerce brings a 6-17 overall and 3-7 LSC South record into the weekend. The Lions have lost five-straight and seven of the last nine contests, including Saturday's 70-48 loss at home to No. 15 Angelo State. TAMU-C shot a paltry 27.8 percent from the field and committed 22 turnovers. The Lions were led by 5-9 junior guard Hazel Woods, who tied a game-high with 21 points, including 10-10 from the free throw line, while 6-1 junior forward Althea Byfield registered a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Texas A&M-Kingsville is 2-21 overall, 1-9 in LSC South action, entering Thursday's contest at Eastern New Mexico. The Javelinas have lost five in a row, including 87-65 to Abilene Christian on Saturday. Ironically, TAMU-K lost to Angelo State by almost the exact same score, 87-66, on Thursday. In Saturday's loss to ACU, the Javelinas were led by 5-9 freshman forward Angela Trotter and 5-5 sophomore guard Kelly Beckler with 18 points and six rebounds apiece.

The Coaches

WTAMU head coach Bob Schneider (West Texas A&M, 1958), is in his 23rd year at the helm of the Lady Buffs. Schneider, who is WTAMU's winningest head coach for most wins and percentage, has a 531-147 (.783) record at his alma mater and a 580-185 (.758) in his 26 seasons as a collegiate head coach.

Overall, Schneider has coached basketball for 41 seasons, starting at the high school level before moving up to the college ranks. Schneider is approaching a milestone that some coaches can only dream about and few coaches actually achieve: a 1,000 career victory, as his overall coaching record is 991-277 (.782).

Schneider has guided the Lady Buffs to 16 seasons of 20-plus wins. He has received the LSC Coach of the Year award five time, leading WTAMU to eight LSC titles in 13 years in the league. The Lady Buffs have been to the postseason 14 times in the last 18 years under Schneider's leadership.

Texas A&M-Commerce head coach Denny Downing (Northwestern Oklahoma, 1989) is in his second season leading the Lions. Downing has a 22-38 (.367) record not only at TAMU-C, but also her career.

Texas A&M-Kingsville is coached by Dina Kangas (Minnesota-Duluth), who is in her first year as a collegiate head coach. Kangas has a 2-21 (.087) career record.

About WTAMU

WTAMU is 20-3 overall and 8-2 in LSC South action, currently tied for first, after pulling away from Midwestern State University, 67-57, Saturday. The Lady Buffs have won 19 of their last 21 games. WTAMU moved up one spot to No. 2 in the South Central Regional Rankings.{Complete NCAA-II Regional Rankings} The Lady Buffs also moved up a spot to No. 21 in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll, after spending the last two weeks at the No. 22 spot.

On Thursday, WTAMU blasted Texas Woman's, 108-44, marking the first time the Lady Buffs broke the 100-point mark in the WTAMU Event Center and junior forward Celeste Stevenson established a new WTAMU career free throws made record. Every Lady Buff scored at least six points, with six players netting double-figures, led by senior guard Carlee Howard, who broke out of a mild slump by drilling five 3-pointers to finish with a game-high 17 points on the eve of her 22nd birthday.

Junior forward Vasha Adams, sophomore guard Tiffany Lewis, and freshman Natalie Wheeler all netted 14 points apiece. Lewis and Wheeler netted career-highs.

Stevenson registered her second double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while fellow junior forward Keisha Monroe chipped in 12 points.

Sophomore guard Jennifer Brock dished out a career-high 11 assists, and tied Adams for game-high honors with four steals each.

Saturday's 67-57 win over Midwestern State avenged a 70-66 overtime loss to MSU at Wichita Falls, Texas on Feb. 7, a loss that snapped WTAMU's 13-game winning streak. Saturday's Lady Buffs' win snapped a four-game losing streak to the Lady Indians in the series.

Howard drained six 3-pointers, one short of her career-high, to finish with a team-high 18 points, while Stevenson posted her second-straight double-double and third of the season with 15 points and a team-high 12 rebounds to go with a career-high five blocked shots. Fellow junior forward Keisha Monroe scored 13 points off the bench, including 10 points and five rebounds in the first half, staking WTAMU to a 38-26 lead at intermission. Monroe led WTAMU's reserves to a 22-13 scoring advantage over the MSU bench.

WTAMU leads the LSC and is 18th in the country in scoring margin (+15.3). The Lady Buffs also rank second in the conference and 39th in the nation in scoring offense (74.7 ppg), as well as third in the league and 39th in the country in scoring defense (59.4 ppg). WTAMU is third in the LSC and 30th in the nation in 3-point FG pct. (.359) and are tied for sixth in the league and 44th in the country in 3-point FG made. The Lady Buffs also lead the league in both turnover margin (+6.0) and steals (12.96 spg).

On the season, Celeste Stevenson, a 5-10 junior forward, leads WTAMU and is sixth in the conference with 17.0 ppg and adds 6.7 rpg, which ranks tied for 12th in the league. Stevenson also ranks 13th in the LSC in both field goal pct. (.495) and blocked shots (15, 0.65 bpg), as well as ranking 14th in free throw pct. (.781).

Carlee Howard, a 5-5 senior guard, leads the league and is ninth in the nation in 3-point FG made (65, 2.8 pg). Howard has drilled 11 3-pointers in the last two games, after making a total of just five treys in the previous four games. She also ranks fourth in the conference and 10th in the country in 3-point FG pct (.436).

Vasha Adams, a 6-1 junior forward, adds 10.3 ppg to go with a team-leading 6.8 rpg, ranking 11th in the LSC. Adams leads the conference and is 50th in the nation in steals (3.00 spg), ranks fifth in blocked shots (29, 1.26 bpg) and is 15th in field goal pct. (.493). Adams has registered four double-doubles on the year.

Suni Jo Petty, a 5-7 junior guard, adds 7.7 ppg and is tied for 13th in the league in 3-point FG made (37, 1.6 pg).

Jennifer Brock, a 5-8 sophomore guard, leads the team and is ninth in the conference in assists (3.22 apg).

The Lady Buffs are most likely without the services of 6-1 junior forward Tywanda Harris for the rest of the season, due to a hand injury. Harris averaged 9.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 0.69 bpg in 16 games.

Stevenson Movin' On Up In WTAMU's Record Book:

Junior forward Celeste Stevenson has moved into WTAMU's Top 10 Scoring List, as she currently has 1,372 points and presently at No. 8, passing Rhonda Kimbrough (1981-83) with 1,270 points, and behind Debbie Webb (1974-78) at No. 7 with 1,391 points, while Vanessa Wells (1984-88) is No. 1 with 1,906 points.

Stevenson currently became the WTAMU record holder for Career Free Throws Made and is needs four more to hold the Free Throws Attempted record, . Stevenson passed Natasha Taylor (1993-97) with 465-637. Stevenson is presently 474-634 (.748).

WTAMU's Win Streak

The Lady Buffs' recent 13-game win streak was their longest since a 14-game victory run in the 1998-99 season, spanning from Jan. 16, 1999 - Feb. 25, 1999. The run was stopped by Abilene Christian in the LSC Championship game, 70-57, on WTAMU's home court on Feb. 27.

WTAMU At Home

This season, the Lady Buffs are a perfect 10-0 at home. WTAMU has established the longest winning streak in the WTAMU Event Center, currently on an 11-game home winning streak, with the last loss coming to Abilene Christian, 79-71, on Feb. 20, 2003.

Overall, the Lady Buffs are 23-5 at the WTAMU Event Center, which opened on Jan. 26, 2002, with the previous longest win streak being eight games, last season from Nov. 30, 2002 - Feb. 10, 2003. The streak was snapped on Feb. 13, 2003, with a 78-71 loss to Midwestern State.

The Lady Buffs are 2-0 vs. both TAMU-Commerce and TAMU-Kingsville at the WTAMU Event Center.

About TAMU-C

Texas A&M-Commerce brings a 6-17 overall and 3-7 LSC South record into the weekend. The Lions have lost five-straight and seven of the last nine contests, including Saturday's 70-48 loss at home to No. 15 Angelo State. TAMU-C shot a paltry 27.8 percent from the field and committed 22 turnovers. The Lions were led by 5-9 junior guard Hazel Woods, who tied a game-high with 21 points, including 10-10 from the free throw line, while 6-1 junior forward Althea Byfield registered a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

As a team, TAMU-C is fifth in the conference in steals (9.00 spg), but no higher than seventh in any other statistical category.

Individually, Woods is third in the league and 28th in the country in scoring (18.7 ppg). In the first WTAMU-TAMU-C meeting this season, Woods scored 13 of the Lions' first 14 points, but never scored the rest of the game. Woods is fourth in the conference in 3-point FG made (51, 2.2 pg) and 13th in steals (1.65 spg). Tamikki Williams, a 5-9 senior guard/forward, is seventh in the league in scoring (16.9 ppg), as well as fourth in steals (2.22 spg), and 15th in both free throw percentage (.778) and assists (2.74 apg). Amy Putnam, a 6-2 senior center, ranks 15th in the conference in scoring, netting 13.5 ppg, and is tied for seventh in rebounding (7.5 rpg).

WTAMU-TAMU-C Series History

The Lady Buffs lead the series, 30-3, having won three meetings in a row. TAMU-C swept both meetings in the 2000-01 season, snapping WTAMU's 27-game win streak in the series, and the Lions won at Commerce in 2001-02. The Lady Buffs claimed victory in both of last year's match-ups.

WTAMU won on its home floor on Feb. 1, 73-64, as Celeste Stevenson posted a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds, and led five Lady Buffs in double-digit scoring. Toyelle Rickson led four Lions in double-figures with 20 points.

At Commerce on Feb. 27, five Lady Buffs were in double-figures, led by Jennifer Brock and Carlee Massie-Howard with 19 points apiece. Brock was 11-14 from the free throw line, while Massie-Howard drained five 3-pointers. Chianti Johnson led TAMU-C with 20 points.

Last Meeting vs. TAMU-C
WTAMU Wins 10th Straight With Rout Over TAMU-C, 80-62 (Jan. 24, 2004)
Petty Nets Game-High 18 Points

COMMERCE, Texas - The West Texas A&M University women's basketball team won its 10th-straight and 14 of the last 15 with an 80-62 victory over Texas A&M University-Commerce Saturday afternoon in a Lone Star Conference South division contest.

The Lady Buffs, who never trailed in the game and were only tied three times, improve to 15-2 overall and 3-1 in LSC South action. Their 10-game win streak is the longest since a 14-game streak in the 1999 season.

WTAMU won its sixth of the last eight games at Commerce and improved to 30-3 all-time vs. Texas A&M-Commerce.

TAMU-C, which lost its second-straight game, falls to 4-13 overall and 1-2 in LSC South play. The Lions have lost seven of their last nine contests.

The game was tied at 14-all with 14:11 to play after a basket by Hazel Woods, her 13th point of the game at that point.

The Lady Buffs then went on an 11-0 streak, capped by a 3-pointer from senior forward Carlee Howard to open a 25-11 lead with 11:11 remaining in the first half.

The lead never dipped below seven points the rest of the half, as WTAMU took a 40-29 advantage into halftime.

The Lady Buffs opened their lead to 60-44 after a pair of free throws from sophomore Keisha Monroe with 11:57 to play.

Two more free throws from Monroe gave WTAMU its largest lead of 19 points at 71-52 with 4:52, part of nine-straight free throws by the Lady Buffs. WTAMU was 20-22 from the charity stripe in the second half.

Junior guard Suni Jo Petty netted a game-high 18 points, including five 3-pointers to lead WTAMU. Howard also drained five treys and finished with 17 points, while Monroe along with junior forwards Celeste Stevenson and Vasha Adams all had 10 points apiece. Adams led the Lady Buffs with seven rebounds, while sophomore Jennifer Brock dished out a game-high five assists.

Tamikki Williams led TAMU-C with 17 points, while Amy Putnam added 14 points and Woods finished with 13 points, being shut down by the WTAMU defense after scoring all her points in the first 5:49 of the game.

The Lady Buffs shot 41.1 percent (15-31) from the field, including 10-22 (45.5 percent) from behind the 3-point arc. WTAMU finished 24-29 from the charity stripe.

TAMU-C finished the game 22-49 (44.9 percent) from the floor and were 66.7 percent from 3-point land, making two of the three treys they attempted. The Lions were 16-26 (61.5 percent) from the free throw line.

The Lady Buffs' defense forced 25 Lion turnovers, snaring 11 steals.

About TAMU-K

Texas A&M-Kingsville is 2-21 overall, 1-9 in LSC South action, entering Thursday's contest at Eastern New Mexico. The Javelinas have lost five in a row, including 87-65 to Abilene Christian on Saturday. Ironically, TAMU-K lost to Angelo State by almost the exact same score, 87-66, on Thursday. In Saturday's loss to ACU, the Javelinas were led by 5-9 freshman forward Angela Trotter and 5-5 sophomore guard Kelly Beckler with 18 points and six rebounds apiece.

The Javelinas are now higher than eighth in any major conference statistical category, including last in four categories, among them scoring offense (50.5 ppg) and scoring margin (-18.4).

Individually, Trotter leads TAMU-K and ranks 13th in the conference in scoring (13.9 ppg). Trotter also is ninth in rebounding with 7.5 rpg. Cianne Johnston, a 6-0 junior forward, is 16th in the league in rebounding (6.3 rpg), as well as fourth in blocked shots (31, 1.41 bpg) and 12th in steals (1.73 spg). Beckler is second on the team in scoring (8.4 ppg) and 12th in the conference in 3-point FG made (40, 1.74 pg).

Lady Buffs-Javelinas Series History

WTAMU leads the all-time series, 32-7, but the teams have split the season meetings the last three seasons. The Lady Buffs' 60-58 win at Kingsville on Jan. 22 was WTAMU's first win on the Javelinas' home court in the last six tries.

Last year, the Lady Buffs won, 93-59, on Jan. 30, at Canyon. Suni Jo Petty led six WTAMU players in double-figures with 18 points, while Arie Wilson led TAMU-K with 15 points.

In the regular-season finale at Kingsville, the Javelinas won, 78-58, as Wilson recorded a double-double with 27 points and 19 rebounds. WTAMU's Celeste Stevenson also had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. TAMU-K pulled away from a 35-33 halftime lead by holding WTAMU to 8-34 (23.5 percent) shooting from the floor in the second half, including 2-14 (14.3 percent) from 3-point land.

Last Meeting Between WTAMU and TAMU-K
Lady Buffs Survive For Ninth-Straight Win, 60-58, At Texas A&M-Kingsville (Jan. 22, 2004)
WTAMU Snaps Five-Game Losing Streak At Kingsville

KINGSVILLE, Texas - The West Texas A&M University women's basketball team survived a major scare from Texas A&M University-Kingsville, but the Lady Buffs were able to hold of TAMU-K, 60-58, Thursday at TAMUK's Steinke Center. The win broke WTAMU's five-game losing streak at Kingsville. It also extended the Lady Buffs overall win streak to nine-straight and 13th in their last 14 games.

WTAMU improves to 14-3 overall, 2-1 in Lone Star Conference South division action, while TAMU-K lost its 13th consecutive game and drops to 1-14 overall, 0-2 in LSC South play.

Guard Carlee Howard, WTAMU's lone senior, and who hadn't won in TAMU-K's gym in her career, hit a pair of free throws with 8.8 seconds left to secure the victory, at 59-56.

TAMU-K's Kelly Beckler, who had 13 second-half points, hit a lay-up and was fouled with 6.1 ticks remaining. However, she missed the free throw and WTAMU's sophomore guard Tiffany Lewis snared the rebound and was fouled. Lewis hit one of two free throws with 3.7 seconds left. The Lady Javelinas ran a play, but turned the ball over, one of their 24 turnovers in the game, and the Lady Buffs ran the clock out for the win.

Junior forward Celeste Stevenson tied a game-high with 15 points, 10 in the second half, while Howard added 13 points, including three 3-pointers.

Angela Trotter led the Lady Javelinas with her third-straight double-double, with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Jody Brooks added 14 points and Beckler added 13 points.

WTAMU came into Thursday's game leading the LSC in scoring offense (76.0 ppg), while TAMU-K was last (49.0 ppg). However, the Lady Javelinas stayed with the Lady Buffs all night, as WTAMU's largest lead of the game was only nine points.

The Lady Buffs opened a 32-28 halftime lead, despite being outrebounded in the first half, 23-17. All five of WTAMU's starters scored three or more points in the first half, led by Stevenson's seven points.

Junior guard Suni Jo Petty gave the Lady Buffs the lead for good, at 25-23 with a 3-pointer at the 5:42 mark. Sophomore forward Keisha Monroe gave WTAMU its largest lead of the half at 30-25 with 1:10 to play, hitting one of two free throws.

The Lady Buffs opened a 43-34 lead with 13:25 remaining in the game on a layup from Stevenson, but TAMU-K clawed back with a 11-2 run to tie the game at 45-all with 10:08 to play on one-of-two free throws from Cianne Johnston.

WTAMU regained control with an 8-2 run, capped by a trey from Howard with 6:01 left, but the Javelinas wouldn't go away and pulled to 55-54 with 2:52 left on a trey from Beckler, her third of the game.

Junior forward Vasha Adams blocked a shot by Johnston, then scooped up the loose ball and made a layup with 1:12 to play and gave the Lady Buffs a 57-54 lead before Beckler hit a layup with 11 seconds left setting up Howard's game-clinching free throws.

Lady Buffs' Last Time Out:
No. 22 WTAMU Avenges Loss With 10-Point Win Over MSU Saturday
(Feb. 14, 2004)

Howard Ties Career-High By Drilling Six Treys; Stevenson Registers Third Double-Double The 22nd-ranked West Texas A&M University Lady Buffs avenged last week's loss to Midwestern State University by knocking off the Lady Indians, 67-57, Saturday night in an important Lone Star Conference South division contest at the WTAMU Event Center.

With the win, the Lady Buffs maintain the three-way logjam atop the division standings with Eastern New Mexico and Abilene Christian who both won Saturday. All three teams have 8-2 LSC South records. The win also avenges last Saturday's 70-66 overtime loss to MSU at Wichita Falls, Texas, a loss that snapped WTAMU's 13-game winning streak.

The win was the Lady Buffs' 19th in their last 21 games as they improve to 20-3 overall and 8-2 in LSC South action. It also snapped a four-game MSU win streak in the overall series, as the Lady Buffs now lead the all-time series, 23-8.

Senior guard Carlee Howard was one short of a career-high by draining six 3-pointers to finish with a team-high 18 points. Howard has drilled 11 3-pointers in the last two games, after making a total of just five treys in the previous four games.

Junior forward Celeste Stevenson posted her second-straight double-double and third of the season with 15 points and a team-high 12 rebounds to go with a career-high five blocked shots, while fellow junior forward Keisha Monroe scored 13 points off the bench, including 10 points and five rebounds in the first half, staking WTAMU to a 38-26 lead at intermission. Monroe led WTAMU's reserves to a 22-13 scoring advantage over the MSU bench.

MSU's Jel-ani Armstrong maintained her double-double per game average with game-highs of 24 points and 13 rebounds to register her 13th double-double of the season. However, she was the only Lady Indian in double-figures, as MSU's leading scorer Meosha Walker netted just seven points, 11 below her season average, but did pull down 10 rebounds.

WTAMU shot just 38.2 percent (21-55) from the field, and was 7-19 (36.8 percent) from 3-point land, but the Lady Buffs shot 72 percent from the free throw line, outscoring MSU, 18-11, from the charity stripe.

The Lady Indians had a 34.4 shooting percentage (22-64), including 2-11 (18.2 percent) from the behind the 3-point arc. MSU outrebounded WTAMU, 46-40, but committed 19 turnovers, compared to 16 by the Lady Buffs.

The intensity level in Saturday's contest was of heavyweight proportions, as WTAMU maintained a close-but-not-too comfortable lead for the majority of the game, with the Lady Buffs matching every Lady Indian run with a streak of their own.

After MSU opened an 8-6 lead three minutes into the game, the Lady Buffs scored the next six points as part of a 17-5 run to open a 23-13 lead with 9:25 remaining in the first half, capped by a layup from Monroe.

The Lady Indians went on a run of their own, reeling off the next seven points to pull within 23-20 with 7:10 to play in the first half.

Junior guard Suni Jo Petty capped an 11-0 run by giving WTAMU its largest lead of the half at 34-20 with 3:29 on the clock with a pair of free throws, and the lead never dipped below double-digits the rest of the half.

MSU came out of halftime and cut the lead to 41-36 with 15:22 left, but WTAMU regained control with seven unanswered points, capped by a layup from junior forward Vasha Adams at the 12:34 mark to put the Lady Buffs in front, 48-36.

The WTAMU lead was under eight points from there on out, and extended to 14 at 60-46 with 3:14 left in the game as Stevenson rebounded and putback her own miss.

With the win, the Lady Buffs remain in a three-way tie atop the LSC South standings and the right to host the LSC Tournament with Eastern New Mexico and Abilene Christian. ENMU pulled away from Texas Woman's, 51-38, while ACU ran away from Texas A&M-Kingsville, 87-65.

Lady Buffs' Next Action

WTAMU wraps up regular-season on the road with the LSC South title at stake, traveling to Abilene, Texas on Thursday, Feb. 26, to take on fellow LSC-South leader Abilene Christian University in a 6 p.m. tip-off.

The Lady Buffs' season finale pits them against No. 15 Angelo State University on Saturday, Feb. 28, at San Angelo, Texas in a 6 p.m. showdown.

Fans can catch the action on the Buffalo Sports Network on KGNC 710 AM and www.gobuffsgo.com.