RiverHawks Play for LSC Championship
BARTLESVILLE, Okla. - Northeastern State will be making its fourth appearance in the Lone Star Conference Women's Championship game Sunday when the RiverHawks battle West Texas A&M for the title.
Northeastern State and West Texas A&M will tip-off at 1 p.m. at Bartlesville High School's Bruin Field House.
The last time these two teams met for the championship was 2003 when the RiverHawks defeated the Lady Buffs 82-68 in Tahlequah.
West Texas A&M, 11th-ranked in the nation and No. 1 seed in the South Central Regional rankings, is the two-time defending LSC champions, having defeated Central Oklahoma both times.
The RiverHawks enter the championship game with a school record 26-5 record, champions of the Lone Star Conference North Division as the No. 1 seed and a No. 4 ranking in the South Central Regional.
"West Texas plays hard which is a trademark of their program, said Northeastern State head coach Randy Gipson. Joni Unruh is the South's Player of the Year and she attacks the ball well and hustles for every ball. She will take charges, grab rebounds and really hustles.
"Jamie Simmons is a 6-foot post that is very active and we'll have to defend her well. And keep her off the boards. They just have a lot of good solid players and good depth. They will play hard and have a good defense.
"We'll have to utilize our whole team, play hard, defend and concentrate. We'll have to run a good offense because they won't give anything away. We'll have to earn our points." said Gipson.
Northeastern State used another balanced scoring effort to dispose of gritty Tarleton State in the semifinal round, and advance to LSC Championship for the first time in five years.
NSU has now won 10 straight games after the 74-62 win over Tarleton State, whose season will likely continue next week in the South Central Regional.
The same goes for the RiverHawks, who certainly wouldn't mind the automatic berth to the Regional, which would occur with a win in Sunday's LSC Championship game.
Jasmine Webb posted 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way against Tarleton, while Megan Fraley added 14 points. But it was the play of Jessica White, who not only scored 15 and had five rebounds, but scored six straight points during a crucial stretch of the second half when it appeared Tarleton was ready to complete a huge comeback.
West Texas A&M Lady Buffs rolled over Central Oklahoma 83-70 in the other semifinal and will be making a fifth-consecutive trip to the Lone Star Conference championship game. The Lady Buffs continue their season with a 28-3 record.
"We are super excited to be playing in a conference championship," said WT head coach Krista Gerlich "We knew it would be a tough battle to get past UCO, as it always is. I thought our girls handled their pressure well and guarded well against them."
In an earlier meeting between WT and NSU it resulted in a Lady Buffs victory, 62-55 in Tahlequah.
In tournament play West Texas is averaging 79 points and Northeastern State 79.5. Defensively the Lady Buffs are giving up 66 points and the RiverHawks 69.
Joni Unruh paces WT in tournament scoring at 17.5 followed by Jamie Simmons' 16.5 points and Holly Isaacs; 11.5.
Northeastern is led by Webb, the North Division Player of the Year, who is averaging 16.5 points in the tournament. Jasmine Wright is scoring 13.5 points and Jessica White at 13.0 in tournament action. Megan Fraley has a 12-point scoring average over two games.
Both clubs will advance to next week's NCAA Division II Regional Tournament which begins next Friday at a site to be determined Sunday at 8 p.m. and can be viewed on web cast at NCAA .com. followed by the men's announcement at 8:30 p.m.
