ALLEN, Texas – The Angelo State women's basketball team won the program's first Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship since 2005 with a 68-65 double overtime victory over West Texas A&M at the Allen Event Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Belles improve to 22-7 and earn the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Division II Tournament. It will be the school's ninth time to make the tournament and first since the 2007-08 season.  The Lady Buffs fall to 26-4 with three of their losses being to Angelo State.

With the win, head coach Kevin Baker set the record for most wins in a season by a first year head coach at Angelo State. He is also the first head coach to lead the Belles to the NCAA Tournament in the first year at ASU.

"We have done what this team has done all year and that is battle," Angelo State head women's basketball coach Kevin Baker said. "West Texas A&M executed extremely well down the stretch. I think playing in the previous overtimes helped us because we knew what to expect. We were able to keep fighting and get the win."

Jasmine Prophet, the LSC Player of the Year, was a force for ASU recording her fifth double-double of the season with 21 points and a career high 14 rebounds. The junior blocked three shot and stole two passes. Lexi Murphy was the only other Belle in double figures with a career high 20 points. She drained three 3-pointers and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line. The junior also added seven rebounds. Prophet was named LSC Tournament MVP while Murphy and Brea Mitchell were selected to the LSC All-Tournament team. 

The Belles were up 66-65 with 35 second left and West Texas A&M had the ball coming out of a timeout. Sasha Watson of WT drove through the lane and put up a shot near the bucket but missed. Prophet, who hit the free throw to put ASU up 66-65, grabbed her 14^th rebound of the night and was fouled. She calmly stepped to the line and sank both free throws for a 68-65 advantage with five second remaining. The Lady Buff's last gasp three point attempt missed as Murphy secured the ball and the 68-65 victory.

Prophet started the second overtime with a bucket in the paint but picked up her fourth foul on WT's next possession. WT's Watson sank both free throws to tie the game for the eighth time. Murphy drained one of her three 3-pointers on a cross court pass from Taylor Dorsey but again the Lady Buffs answered with a 3-pointer to knot it at 63.

After Murphy sank free throws, Prophet would go to work in the paint with the score tied at 65 with 52 second left in the game. The junior was fouled and hit one free throw to put ASU up 66-65 with 35 seconds to go.

Both teams had opportunities to win in regulation. The game was tied at 54 with 1:47 to go but neither team could score as the game went into overtime. The last game with West Texas A&M in Canyon was a triple overtime game that ASU won 112-111. All three games were decided by a total of nine points. It is the team's third overtime game of the season.

West Texas A&M would lead the entire first overtime period but never more than four points. Up 58-54, Prophet scored flashing to the basket on a pass from Brea Mitchell. A Lady Buff turnover gave ASU a chance to tie the game. Murphy drove the lane and hit a layup to tie the game at 58. WT missed a 3-pointer to take the lead and the Belles had a chance to win. Dorsey was able to drive to the paint but her shot rolled around the rim and fell out as time expired to send it to a second overtime.

The Belles had to call on their resiliency yet again trailing 43-33 at the 3:38 of the third quarter. The two teams were tied at 30 but West Texas A&M opened the second half on a 13-3 run. ASU used a 12-3 run of its own with seven of the 12 points coming from the free throw line to cut WT's advantage to 46-45 going into the fourth quarter.

ASU started the game on a 13-5 run and take its biggest lead of the night. Prophet would score six of the first 11 points and KeAnna Kelly highlighted the run with a 3-pointer. A 12-3 run by WT to close out the first quarter put the Lady Buffs up 17-16 before Mitchell sank a jumper at the end of the first quarter with Angelo State on top 18-17.

A hot start in the second quarter built the Belles lead back to eight. Back-to-back layups from Kelly and Dorsey capped off with a three pointer from Mitchell extended the lead to 25-17. WT wouldn't let it get further using a 13-5 run to end the second quarter tied at 30.

WT's Watson led all scored with 23 points while Maddison Wild scored 10 points and recorded 14 rebounds.

 The Belles will host a watch party at Stephens Arena in the Junell Center for the NCAA Division II Selection Show on Sunday, March 6 at 9 p.m.