Women's Basketball | 1/31/2017 3:42:00 PM
SAN ANGELO - The No. 13 Angelo State women's basketball team will be back on its home court this weekend, facing a pair of Lone Star Conference opponent in Cameron and Midwestern State
The Belles ( 16-2, 10-2 LSC) will face the Aggies at 5:30 p.m. Thursday and the Mustangs at 2 p.m. on Saturday in the Stephens Arena at the Junell Center. Saturday's game has been designated a Gold Out, as a limited number of t-shirts will be given away at the door and fans are encouraged to wear gold.
Coming off of back-to-back wins on the road against Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas Woman's, ASU is averaging 81.1 points per game, which ranks first in the conference and No. 10 in the nation. The Belles' offense has been helped by an extreme lack of turnovers, as the team ranks first in the LSC in fewest turnovers, turnover margin and assist-to-turnover ratio. ASU has also shown a balanced scoring effort, as six players scored in double figures during the win over Texas Woman's.
"Every coach loves balanced scoring," ASU head women's basketball coach Kevin Baker said. "That's the first thing I do when I get a box score is look to see how many players were in double figures. It's every coach's dream to have a group of players who can score like that because then that makes you tough to defend."
The Belles also rank in the top 25 nationally in field-goal percentage, free throws made, scoring margin, and turnovers per game as well as overall won-lost percentage.
Angelo State is led by a trio of seniors in Christina Robinson, Taylor Dorsey and Jasmine Prophet. Dorsey leads the team and is second in the conference in scoring average at 17.7 points per game. The Fort Worth native also leads the conference in field goals made and has set up her teammates well for offensive success also with 4.3 assists per game.
The highest percentage shooter on the team, however is post Jasmine Prophet, who has hit a conference-leading 57.7 percent of her shots this season. The senior is averaging 13.8 points a game this season and has been a force on the glass as well, grabbing a team best 6.8 rebounds a game and recording three double-doubles this season.
Rounding out the trio is Robinson, who has seen her production increase drastically over the last month and a half. In the Belles' last seven games, Robinson has hit the double-digit scoring mark four times and has twice scored more than 20. The Arizona native's scoring average is now up to 8.9 points per game, and her three-point percentage of 43.6 percent is best on the team.
The Belles have also seen great production from players off the bench this season led by Madi Greenwood, Lexi Murphy and Chenlle Pelle.
Greenwood is averaging the most points on the team of any non-starter at 8.4 per game and the junior has reached the double-digit scoring mark in four of ASU's last five games. Following closely behind Greenwood in scoring is the fourth and final senior on the team, Lexi Murphy, who has scored 8.1 points per game on the season. Murphy has also helped out on the glass, grabbing a team second 5.4 boards per game. Pelle has been an offensive force as well this season in her time off the bench, scoring more than seven points per game even though she only plays for around 12 minutes each contest.
Also helping the offensive attack has been Bria Frierson, Keanna Kelly, Bethany Ross and Kiahna Curry. Frierson and Kelly, who are both starters, average more than five points per game this season, and each of them reached double figures in the last matchup with Texas Woman's. Ross was just two points away from hitting the double digit mark as well in that game, as the only true freshman on the team recorded a career high eight points in just six minutes of play. Curry has seen action in all but one game for the Belles and is shooting a team-second 36.8 percent from behind the arc.
The Belles have had a strong season on the defensive side of the ball as well, with both the conference leader in blocked shots per game (Prophet) and steals per game (Dorsey) on the team. As a team, the Belles have only allowed opponents to shot 38 percent against them.
Angelo State beat both Cameron and Midwestern State on the road already this season. The Belles took down the Mustangs in just the third conference game of the season, winning 84-47 in Wichita Falls. MSU is 5-13 on the season this year with a 2-10 showing in conference play. The Belles' first game with Cameron, however, was much closer as ASU pulled away with just a three-point victory, 79-76. The Aggies are 8-10 on the season with a 6-6 record in conference play, but average just below ASU at 80.2 points per game.
"There are really no secrets in basketball, especially at this point in the year," Baker said. "They know us and we know them. It just comes down to players making plays and executing the game plan at a high level."
