2019 ASC Women's Basketball Championship Central
BELTON, Texas – The American Southwest Conference Championship will start Thursday, February 21 in Belton, Texas on the campus of University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
 
The 2019 tournament is the 21st postseason event in league history dating back to 1999. The winner of the Championship earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship, which is announced on Monday, February 25 at 1:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.
 
The tournament will tip off at noon on Thursday, as (W2) Hardin-Simmons takes on (E3) Ozarks, followed by (W4) McMurry and (E1) UT Dallas at 2:30 p.m. In the evening, (E2) East Texas Baptist will face (W3) Howard Payne at 5:00 p.m. and (W1) Mary Hardin-Baylor will play the late game at 7:30 p.m. against (E4) Louisiana.
 
The ASC Championship semifinals will be played Friday, February 22. Game five will tip at 5:00 p.m. and game six is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start time. The championship game will start at 6:00 p.m. Saturday, February 23.
 
The entire eight-team, single elimination event is available for fans to watch online for free. All tournament links for live stats, broadcasts, box scores, game recaps, bracket, photos and post-game interviews can be found on the ASC Championship Central page and the Mary Hardin-Baylor host site.
 
Admission prices each day will be $20 for the entire tournament, $10 for an adult day pass and $5 for students with ID. The complimentary pass list is not accepted for the ASC Championship. Doors will open one hour before the first game of each day.
 
2019 ASC Championship Tournament Teams
East Division
No. 1 UT Dallas (21-4, 14-2 ASC) – UT Dallas enters the tournament as the East Division champion, claiming its third consecutive division title and fourth overall. UTD makes its 13th consecutive tournament appearance, has won three ASC championships (2013, 2015, 2017) and has a 13-9 tournament record. Junior guard Victoria Pena ranks second in the league in steals per game (2.7), third in assists (3.9) and fifth in scoring (14.9). Sophomore guard Raenett Hughes leads the conference with a 61.8 field goal percentage and is fourth with 15.2 points perc contest.

No. 2 East Texas Baptist (22-3, 13-3 ASC) – East Texas Baptist are the defending ASC Champions after rattling off three wins in 2018. The Tigers have a 6-8 tournament record overall in 10 appearances. Junior guard Kendrick Clark leads ETBU in scoring with 14.4 points per game, ranking ninth in the league. Junior center Amanda Wilson ranks second in the ASC with a 58.0 field goal percentage while freshman Taylor Singleton averages 2.8 steals per contest, which leads the league.

No. 3. Ozarks (13-12, 9-7 ASC) – The Eagles return to the tournament for the first time since 2015 and will be making their ninth total appearance with a 1-8 Championship mark. Senior guard Hailey Ostrander leads Ozarks with 13.2 points per game, while junior forward Delanei Stephens comes in averaging 11.9 points and 6.6 rebounds.

No. 4 Louisiana College (11-13, 7-9 ASC) – Louisiana College is making its 12th appearance in the postseason and third in a row. The Wildcats have a 13-10 tournament record overall. Senior guard Kourtney McGhee ranks seventh in the ASC with 14.6 points and fifth with 3.5 assists per game. Senior guard Janae Smith averaged 11.6 points.
 
West Division
No. 1 Mary Hardin-Baylor (23-2, 15-1) – Mary Hardin-Baylor makes its seventh consecutive tournament appearance and 15th overall.  The Cru are 11-14 in the conference tournament and are coming off a runner-up finish in 2018. Junior guard Hannah Holt is second in the conference in scoring at 16.4 points per game. Junior guard Kendall Rollins leads the league with an 88.2 free throw percentage and is second with a 43.4 three-point percentage to go with 13.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest. Sophomore guard Madison McCoy leads the ASC with 4.4 assists per game.

No. 2 Hardin-Simmons (18-7, 11-5 ASC) – Hardin-Simmons is making its ASC-record 19th appearance in the championship and sport an 18-12 record. Junior guard Taylor Gaffney leads the Cowgirls with 13.1 points per game and is second in the league at 3.6 assists. Freshman forward Keilee Burke is second in the ASC in both rebounds (10.3) and blocked shots (1.6).
 
No. 3 Howard Payne (11-14, 8-8 ASC) – Howard Payne is making its 17th overall appearance and 16th in a row, the longest active streak in the conference. They sport a 22-11 all-time mark in the ASC Championship.  Sophomore guard Chelsey Harris leads the conference in scoring at 17.7 points per game. Junior forward Anastasia Willis averages 9.7 points and 7.4 rebounds.  
 
No. 4 McMurry (8-17, 5-11 ASC) – McMurry returns to the tournament for the first time since 2012. The War Hawks are making their 11th appearance with a 15-9 championship record. Junior forward Skyler Reyna is the top rebounder in the ASC at 10.8 per game to go with 14.4 points. Junior guard Sarah Doherty comes in at 10.8 points per contest.