March 8, 2006

WBB NOTES: No. 15 WTAMU Making Third-Straight And 14th Overall NCAA-II South Central Regional Appearance This Weekend in PDF Format
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The No. 15 West Texas A&M University Lady Buff basketball team will be traveling to Topeka, Kan. to play in the NCAA-II South Central Regional Tournament, the Lady Buffs' third-straight and 14th overall Regional appearance. The Tournament is hosted by top-seed and nationally-ranked No. 1 Washburn University at Lee Arena {3,904}, and runs March 10-13.

WTAMU, who won the Lone Star Conference Championship last weekend, earned the No. 2 seed in the South Central region, and will face seventh-seed and LSC-foe Northeastern State University on Friday, March, 10 at 2 p.m.

The action tips off Friday, March 10, with third-seeded and Emporia State University (25-4), who is ranked eighth nationally, against No. 6 seeded Tarleton State University (19-9) at Noon.

The Lady Buffs will face LSC foe Northeastern State (18-10) at 2 p.m. Friday.

The evening session opens with fourth-seeded Angelo State University (22-8) facing No. 5 seeded Central Missouri State University (21-9) at 5:30 p.m.

The host and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Champion Washburn (30-0), the top seed and No. 1 in the country, as well as the defending national champions, will face Heartland Conference Champion St. Mary's University (17-12) at 7:30 p.m. to close out the first-round of action.

The winners of the WTAMU/NSU and ESU/TSU games will advance to play on Saturday, March 11 at 5 p.m. The winner of the WU/STMU and ASU/CMSU games will battle at 7 p.m.

The South Central Regional Championship game will tip-off at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 13.

The winner of that game will advance to the NCAA-II Women's Elite Eight March 22, 23 and 25 at Hot Springs, Ark.

{See Page 8 for Complete NCAA-II South Central Regional Tournament Bracket} WTAMU is 27-3 overall and won its conference record eighth LSC Championship, but first since 1996-97, Saturday night with a rousing, 83-68, win over Angelo State. Friday night the Lady Buffs overcame a slow start to drop Texas A&M University-Commerce, 64-58, in the semifinals Friday. WTAMU is on a season-long 12-game winning streak.

The Lady Buffs have reached the 20-win plateau for the fourth-straight season and 19th time in WTAMU head coach Bob Schneider's 25 seasons.

WTAMU is ranked No. 15 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division II Poll, climbing two spots from last week's rankings.

Lady Buffs-Lady Reds History
This will be the second time in three years that WTAMU and NSU have hooked up in the NCAA-II Tournament and the fourth season in a row for them to meet up in the postseason. The last two match-ups have gone to overtime. Last year in the LSC Tournament Semifinals, hosted by NSU, the Lady Reds beat the Lady Buffs, 63-52, in overtime. In the 2003-04 Regional Semifinals, NSU beat WTAMU, 79-71, in OT. The Lady Reds also beat the Lady Buffs, 82-58, in the 2002-03 LSC Tournament Championship game, which was hosted by NSU as well.

NSU leads the series, 6-4, and has won the last four meetings and five of the last six match-ups. WTAMU's lone win in that stretch was the 2003-04 regular season meeting, Dec. 4, 2003 at NSU. {See Page 7 for WTAMU vs. Tourn Field History}

Lady Buffs On The Air and On The Web
Listen to Lady Buff basketball action on the Buffalo Sports Network on KGNC 710 AM, with broadcasts starting 30 minutes before tip-off. Fans can also listen to the broadcasts via the internet at www.gobuffsgo.com, the official web site of WTAMU Athletics. There, fans can additionally access rosters, schedules, statistics and press releases of the Buffs and Lady Buffs throughout the year.

CONTINUED IN GAME NOTES

-WT-