SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State women's basketball team will start the chase for the program's fifth Lone Star Conference Tournament title and the first since 2005 on Wednesday, March 2 at 12 p.m. against ENMU in the quarterfinals of the LSC Tournament Championship.
The Belles enter the tournament with a 19-7 overall record and the No. 2 seed in the tournament. It is the most wins in a season since the 2007-08 season. ASU leads the conference in scoring offense (79.7), offensive rebounds (14.2), assist to turnover ratio (1.26) and assists (17.31) while also being No. 2 in scoring margin (16.4), field goal percentages (.440), 3-point field goal made (6.6) and free throw percentage (.710).
ASU will make its sixth straight appearance in the LSC Tournament Championship and the 27th overall. Angelo State has been to six LSC Tournament Championship games and won four (1994, 2002, 2004, 2005). The last time the Belles were in the championship game was in 2006.
Eastern New Mexico, the No. 7 seed, is 10-17 overall and ASU won both matchups this season. The first was a 79-61 game in San Angelo followed by a 67-53 win in Portales. Sarah Stinnet and Kassandra Harris lead the Greyhounds in s coring with 12.6 and 12.0 points per game.
Taylor Dorsey, the LSC leader in scoring at 16.8 points per game, will lead ASU. She is the only player to be ranked in the top five in scoring (No. 1), rebounding (tied for No. 5) and assists (No. 2) in the league. The junior is tied for 10th for scoring average in a season. The Fort Worth native has six double-doubles, two games with at least 30 points, seven games with at least 20 points and 20 games with at least 10 points. Dorsey also leads the team in rebounds (6.3), assists (104) and is second in steals (38). She is 41 points away from moving into the top 10 in points scored in a season and scored a career high 37 against Midwestern State.
Jasmine Prophet is coming off her fifth straight double-digit scoring game and fourth double-double of the season. The junior is averaging 13.6 points per game and has a career high of 33 scored against Texas A&M-Commerce. She has 18 games in double figures and four games with at least 20 points. She is second on the team with 6.0 rebounds per game. The Jackson, Mississippi native has the sixth most blocks in a single season with 42 on the year. She has dished out 33 assists and recorded 16 steals on the season.
Brea Mitchell, the team's third leading scorer at 12.6 points per game, scored in double figures for the fifth straight game and 17th time this season with 14 against Texas A&M-Kingsville. The senior recorded her third double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. It was her third time to grab at least 10 rebounds. She is second the team with a shooting percentage of .481 and averages 5.4 rebounds per contest. Mitchell has the most defensive rebounds on the team with 103. She has handed out 76 assists, blocked five shots and stole 16 passes as well.
KeAnna Kelly is scoring 8.7 points per game this season. She has hit double figures in nine games this year. She has made a team high 37 three pointers and has dished out 51 assists. She has stolen 25 passes and hit 40.6-percent from the field.
Christina Robinson has scored 6.3 points per game this season and is sixth on the team in scoring. She leads ASU with 42 steals on the year and has dished out 71 assists.
The bench play of Diamalises Rivera, Lexi Murphy, Kiahna Thompson, Natalie Quesnel and Nekeita Bailey has provided a spark and depth for the Belles. Rivera is fifth on the team in scoring at 6.5 points per game. She has seven games in double figures on the season and grabs 3.4 rebounds per game. Murphy is ASU's leading free throw shooter with a .864 percentage. She also has sank 24 three pointers on the season. The junior scored 4.8 points per game. Thompson is the top 3-point shooter for ASU with a .444 percentage. The sophomore has made 24 three pointers and scores 3.1 points per game. Quesnel grabs 2.0 rebounds and averages 2.1Â per game in points while Bailey has handed out 20 assists and made 11 steals.
If Angelo State defeats Eastern New Mexico, the Belles will face the winner of Cameron and Texas Woman's on Friday, March 4 at 12 p.m. at the Allen Event Center. The championship game will be held on Saturday, March 5 at 3 p.m.
The game will be streamed live at no cost and can be heard locally on 1260AM KKSA with Jeremy Bryant on the call.Â