Six Lone Star Conference women’s basketball teams went undefeated last week including West Texas A&M who ended No. 3 Texas A&M-Commerce’s unbeaten season with a road win. Cameron, No. 8 Lubbock Christian, Midwestern State, Texas Woman’s and UT Permian Basin also went unbeaten heading into the final week of the regular season.
LSC women’s basketball teams are 240-214 overall this season and 20-11 against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference teams, the other league in the NCAA South Central Region.
LSC schedule and results available here: https://lonestarconference.org/calendar.aspx?path=wbball&
LSC BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
The LSC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship is set for March 3-5-6-7-8, 2020 with the opening round on campus (March 3), and the final eight teams at Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas on Thursday-Sunday, March 5-8. The top 12 men’s and women’s teams will qualify with seeding based on the conference standings (22 games). The divisional champions will automatically qualify and be seeded using the conference standings.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Abby Spurgin, West Texas A&M, JR, Education, C, Fredericksburg, Texas, Fredericksburg HS
Spurgin was dominant for the Lady Buffs this past weekend as WT picked up Lone Star Conference road wins at UT Tyler and No. 3 Texas A&M-Commerce to move to 24-5 overall. The Fredericksburg, Texas product went 13-of-20 (65%) from the floor including 13-of-15 (86.7%) from the charity stripe with 15 total rebounds (five offensive and 10 defensive), two assists, five blocks and two steals to average 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Spurgin has now scored at least 10 points in 10 straight games for the Lady Buffs.
DEFENSIVE
Alexis Bryant, Texas A&M-Commerce, SR, Sports & Recreation Management, F, Pflugerville, Texas, Pflugerville HS
Bryant had another strong week for the Lions on the defensive side of the ball. She battled in the paint in both games and had three blocks and five steals for her efforts. The senior altered several shots and cleaned up glass averaging 6.0 rebounds per game. Against ENMU, Bryant had three blocks and four steals along with eight rebounds, making things difficult on the Greyhounds all night down low. She added another steal against WT.
WEEKLY AWARDS
Offensive
N-11 Mackenzie Hailey, Tarleton
N-18 Maddi Chitsey, Lubbock Christian
N-25 Ashton Duncan, Lubbock Christian
D-2 Mackenzie Hailey, Tarleton (2)
D-9 De’Anira Moore, Angelo State
D-16 Deijah Blanks, St. Edward’s
D-23 Nicole Heyn, Texas A&M International
J-7 Mar’Shalia Lollie, UAFS
J-13 Maighan Hedge, Cameron
J-20 Elizabeth Cathcart, Midwestern State
J-27 Allie Schulte, Lubbock Christian (2)
F-3 Maighan Hedge, Cameron (2)
F-10 Hannah Wilson, St. Mary’s
F-17 Mica Schneider, Midwestern State
F-24 Abby Spurgin, West Texas A&M (2)
Defensive
N-11 Maddison Glass, Texas A&M-Commerce
N-18 Juliana Robertson, Lubbock Christian
N-25 Alexis Bryant, Texas A&M-Commerce
D-2 Juliana Louis, Texas A&M-Commerce
D-9 Sawyer Lloyd, Angelo State
D-16 Sammie Dufek, St. Edward’s
D-23 Chania Wright, Texas A&M-Commerce
J-7 Alexis Bryant, Texas A&M-Commerce (2)
J-13 Allie Schulte, Lubbock Christian
J-20 Tiana Parker, West Texas A&M
J-27 Tiana Parker, West Texas A&M (2)
F-3 Alexus Jones, Texas A&M-Commerce
F-10 Abby Spurgin, West Texas A&M
F-17 Mackenzie Hailey, Tarleton, (3)
F-24 Alexis Bryant, Texas A&M-Commerce (3)
SELECTED NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Maighan Hedge, Cameron, led the Aggie women to a 2-0 week as they wrapped up the final homestand of the regular season. The sophomore guard opened the week with 27 points on 8-18 shooting in the blowout win over Oklahoma Christian. Hedge followed that up with a 26-point outing in the 102-88 win over UAFS. Against the Lady Lions, the Aussie also recorded 10 assists for CU's first points/assists double-double since 2009. She also reached 500 points on the season (522), marking the first time a Cameron player has accomplished that feat since 1991. Hedge added a pair of steals on the week and shot 17-20 from the charity stripe.
Kayla Clark, Western New Mexico, posted a career-high 31 points against UTPB over the weekend. The Mesa, Arizona guard went 10-for-20 from the floor, to go along with 11 free throws to lead all scorers. Saturday's game marks the sixth straight game Clark has scored in double-figures this season.
Deijah Blanks, St. Edward’s, led the Hilltoppers to a 1-1 week, leading the team in scoring, blocks and steals. The senior averaged 22 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and added eight steals per contest.
Kylie Collins, Tarleton, averaged 20 points and 4.5 rebounds over the weekend in two conference matchups. On Thursday, Collins surpassed her career high with 17 points. On Saturday, Collins broke her career-high once again with 23 points. The senior tallied six assists and four steals through the weekend.
Natalie DeLonge, Eastern New Mexico, recorded her second double-double of the season with 19 points and 13 rebounds against No. 3 Texas A&M-Commerce. She tallied her second 20-point game of the season in a 20 point, 10-for-13 shooting performance against UT Tyler. The senior ranks second on the team in scoring averaging 11.5 points per game.
Mica Schneider, Midwestern State, helped lead the Mustangs to a pair of LSC wins. Schneider scored 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting against UAFS, the senior's third straight game with at least 21 points. Then on Saturday, the Boerne, Texas native recorded her second double-double of the season with a 15-point, 11-rebound afternoon. Schneider flirted with the first triple-double in program history, handing out seven assists.
Ma'K'La Woods, Texas Woman’s, was the lone Pioneer in double figures in TWU's win over St. Mary's as she led TWU to a pair of crucial conference wins at home. In the same game, Woods pulled down nine rebounds.
Catara Samuel, Angelo State, continues to show her talent and skills on the basketball court for ASU, scoring 27 total points over the weekend. Samuels shot 48 percent from the field, shooting 10-of-21 from the field, and 64 percent from the free throw line, making 7-of-11 free throws. Samuels also grabbed nine total rebounds, two on offense and seven on defense, along with nine assists and three steals against Texas A&M International and Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Emma Middleton, Lubbock Christian, helped LCU to a dominant 2-0 week with home wins over Texas A&M International and Texas A&M - Kingsville. She opened the week with 16 points against TAMIU, in a performance in which she posted 10 of her points in the game-opening 17-0 run for the Lady Chaps. She finished the game 8-of-11 from the field in 21 minutes of work, with five rebounds and a block. Middleton followed with nine points, two blocks, two assists and six rebounds in 17 minutes of work against TAMUK. She posted an average per game plus/minus of +21 on the week.
Dyani Robinson, Texas A&M-Commerce, impacted both games in a big way off the bench for the Lions. Against ENMU, she had 11 points and used her speed in transition to get the Lions multiple buckets off of turnovers and long rebounds. She then had 14 points in the team's loss to WT, going 7-of-12 from the field and aiding the Lions in a near comeback win.
Emma Middleton, Lubbock Christian, assisted LCU on the defensive side to a 2-0 week, which witnessed road wins at UAFS and Oklahoma Christian. She led LCU with 16 boards on the week (8.0 per game). Middleton matched a career high in rebounds with nine but needed one more to complete a double-double, as her 18 points and nine rebounds helped LCU to a road win at UAFS. She followed with eight points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals at OC. Middleton also went 8-of-8 from the free throw line.
Katie Mayo, Oklahoma Christian, averaged 13.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots a game in a pair of losses at Cameron (79-58) and at Midwestern State (71-61). Against MSU, she posted her fifth double-double of the season, matching her career high with 16 rebounds and scoring a season-high 27 points, going 5 of 9 from 3-point range and moving into the top 30 on OC’s career scoring list. She blocked four shots against Cameron and three more against Midwestern State.
DeAnira Moore, Angelo State, continues to show why she is an offensive and defensive force in the paint for ASU, scoring 30 points for the Belles against Texas A&M International and Texas A&M-Kingsville. Moore shot 40 percent from the field, making 10-of-25 field goals, and shooting 77 percent from the free throw line, making 10-of-13 free throws. Moore grabbed 19 total rebounds, 11 on offense and eight on defense, as well as two assists and nine blocks.
Maddi Chitsey, Lubbock Christian, had a stellar defensive week, holding the opposition to a 21.1 percent shooting performance from the field in wins over Texas A&M International and Texas A&M-Kingsville. Chitsey averaged 18.5 minutes on the floor and led LCU with a per-game plus/minus average of +31.5, as LCU scored 90 points while she was on the floor and allowed 27 in her total time of 38 minutes of action on the week. She contributed nine rebounds in 20 minutes of play against TAMIU and followed with 15 points (10 in the first half) and four rebounds in 17 minutes against TAMUK. The Javelinas shot 17.2% from the field in the game and the LCU defense deterred them into 25 consecutive missed field goals.
Mackenzie Hailey, Tarleton, averaged 12 points and six rebounds during this weekend’s games. On Thursday, Hailey tallied eight points and five rebounds. On Saturday, the senior recorded seven rebounds and 16 points on Senior Day. Hailey also recorded a steal in the game.
Alexus Quaadman, UT Permian Basin, picked up a huge win to stay alive in the hunt for the LSC playoffs Saturday on the strength of Quaadman's inside presence. The freshman recorded a block to tie the program record for career blocks, in just her first season in orange and white. Quaadman recorded her sixth double-double of the year as the Falcons held Western New Mexico to just .308 percent shooting.
Brielle Woods, Texas Woman’s, had four steals and averaged 7.0 rebounds per game during a big 2-0 week for the Pioneers. Her top performance of the week came against St. Edward’s when the redshirt freshman pulled down nine rebounds and picked up four steals.