2017 ASC Women's Basketball Championship Tips Off Thursday

2/21/2017 9:10:07 AM

ASC Championship Site

The 2017 American Southwest Conference Championship Tournament is the 19th 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.

The tournament will tip off at Noon on Thursday, February 23, as (W2) Mary Hardin-Baylor takes on (E3) LeTourneau, followed by (W4) Sul Ross State facing (E1) UT Dallas at 2:30 p.m. In the evening, (E2) UT Tyler will face (W3) Concordia Texas at 5:00 p.m. and (W1) Howard Payne will play the late game at 7:30 p.m. against (E4) Louisiana College.

The ASC Championship semifinals will be played Friday, February 24. 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 25.

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 Tournament Central page and the Howard Payne athletic website.

Admission prices each day will be $6 for adults and 13 and older, $3 for ages 6-12, 5 and under are free. Three day tournament passes are available for $10. Tickets are available on game days at the Brownwood Coliseum main entrance. Souvenir tournament T-shirts will be available for $20.

The NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship Selection Show unveiling the 64-team championship field airs live on Monday, February 27 at 1:30 p.m. (CST). Go to NCAA.com, Select Video > Live Events and scroll to Monday, February 27 for the live video link.

2017 ASC Championship Tournament Teams

East Division
No. 1 UT Dallas (15-1 / 22-3) – UT Dallas enters the tournament as the East Division champion, claiming its second division title and first since 2009. UTD makes its 11th consecutive tournament appearance, has won two ASC championships (2013, 2015) and has a 9-8 tournament record. Senior guard Alyssa Crockett leads the Comets in scoring and ranks seventh in the ASC (15.0). Senior forward Micaela Gonzalez ranks 12th in scoring (12.5) and 13th in rebounds (6.7). Gonzalez also leads the conference in field goal percentage (.476) and ranks second in blocks (50).

No. 2 UT Tyler (11-5 / 19-6) – The defending ASC champion, UT Tyler makes its fifth straight tournament appearance and seventh overall. The Patriots have a 9-4 tournament record and have won two of the last three conference crowns, and finished as the runner-up in 2015. Senior guard Michelle Obach ranks fifth in scoring (15.2), second in three-point percentage (.398), fourth in field goal percentage (.415) and free throw percentage (.792) and is fifth in assists (81). Senior forward D’Onna Matthews ranks fourth in blocks (39), 17th in rebounds (155) and 24th in scoring (10.8).

No. 3 LeTourneau (10-6 / 13-12) – LeTourneau makes its fourth tournament appearance and won its first game in the ASC tournament last season. Senior guards Crystal Jones (22.2) and LaTanya Drakes (17.3) are the top scoring duo in the conference ranking first and second, respectively. Jones scoring average also ranks 11th in Division III. She leads the ASC in free throw percentage (.845), ranks second in steals (81) and is seventh in three-point percentage (.291) and field goal percentage (.403). Drakes holds two top 10 Division III stats at fourth in rebounds (14.3) and ninth in double-doubles (18). Drakes also ranks fifth in field goal percentage (.411) and sixth in free throw percentage (.789).

No. 4 Louisiana College (7-9 / 8-15) – Louisiana College returns to the ASC tournament after a one-year absence. The Wildcats make their 10th tournament appearance after snapping a streak of eight consecutive trips to the ASC postseason event. LC has an 11-8 tournament record and is a three-time runner-up. Junior center Brooke Jones leads the team in scoring (12.5) and rebounds (7.0), both ranked in the top 15 in the ASC. Junior guard Kourtney McGhee ranks 11th in assists (60) and sophomore guard RyDeja McQuarn ranks eighth in steals (1.9).

West Division
No. 1 Howard Payne (12-4 / 15-10) – Howard Payne claimed its sixth West Division title and leads the ASC with the most tournament appearances (15) and wins (22). The Lady Jackets' 14 consecutive tournament appearances in the longest active streak and rank second with five ASC crowns, winning their most recent title in 2011. Senior center Sarahi Castillo is one of only two players in the conference to rank in the top five in both scoring and rebounds. Castillo ranks second with 11 double-doubles, fourth in scoring (16.1) and second in rebounds (9.8). She also leads the league in blocks (63) and ranks second in field goal percentage (.430). Graduate forward Micah Cisneroz ranks second in free throw percentage (.800), eighth in scoring (14.9) and sixth in field goal percentage (.407). Sophomore guard Valerie Matlock is ranked fifth in Division III in steals (99) and ranks fourth in the ASC in assists (92).

No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor (10-6 / 17-8) – Mary Hardin-Baylor makes its fifth consecutive tournament appearance and 13th overall. The Cru is 8-12 in the conference tournament, has three runner-up finishes and is one of four teams with more than 10 appearances in the ASC championship. Senior forward Jonelle Smith leads the UMHB offense with 12.3 points per game and ranks 14th in the ASC. Senior guard Kendra Wynn ranks sixth in rebounds (8.5) and set the UMHB single-season record in steals, ranking fourth (62) and ranks 17th in scoring (11.9). Junior Meghan Turner leads the conference in assists (108) and ranks third in assist-turnover ratio (2.0).

No. 3 Concordia Texas (9-7 / 16-9) – Concordia Texas makes its sixth consecutive tournament appearance and seventh overall. The Tornados are 3-5 in tournament play and won the ASC title in 2012. Junior guard Jaela Dejean is one of just three players in the conference to score more than 400 points on the year and ranks third in points per game (17.2). Dejean also ranks third in field goal percentage (.427), 11th in free throw percentage (.770) and is 13th in assists (2.8). Senior guard Emily Cullers ranks second in three-point field goals (68), fourth in three-point percentage (.366), fifth in steals (60) and eighth in blocks (29).

No. 4 Sul Ross State (7-9 / 10-15) – Sul Ross State will compete its first tournament in team history. The Lobos improved their conference win total by six games, more than doubled their overall wins from last season and ended the year with a win over West Division champion Howard Payne. Junior guard Katy Boren leads the SRSU offense and ranks 20th in the ASC in scoring (11.8). Sophomore forward Kenya Miles ranks ninth in rebounds (177), senior guard Ellen Avery ranks sixth in assists (79) and 25th in scoring (10.7). Freshman forward Lindsey Hearn is the top threat behind the arc for the Lobos, ranked third in three-point percentage (.368) and three-point field goals (63).

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