SAN ANGELO – The No. 2/5 Angelo State women's basketball team will host a pair of Lone Star Conference opponents in Tarleton State on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 5:30 p.m. and Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 2 p.m. at Stephens Arena in the Junell Center.

The Belles (10-0, 4-0 LSC) climbed to No. 2 in the D2SIDA Media poll and moved up to No. 5 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association poll. Both rankings are program best for a team that is off to its best start since the 2002-03 season.

"Our team understands how tough this conference is," Angelo State head women's basketball coach Kevin Baker said. "It is something we talk about all the time. We have 16 games and it will be a grind. Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Commerce are both great teams coming in this weekend. I think our whole conference is good and anybody can beat you on a given night. We need to play at a higher level and I'm interested to see how we play this weekend."

ASU has one of the top scoring offenses in the nation at No. 12 in Division II and 81.5 points per game. The Belles also excel in protecting the ball limiting turnovers to just 145 this season which is No. 18 nationally. Opponents are being held to 62.6 points per game and only shoot a clip of .381 while the Belles hit at a .453 clip.

The TexAnns from Tarleton State will be the Thursday night opponent and are 4-6 on the year and 3-1 in the Lone Star Conference. TSU defeated Angelo State twice last season and has won the last four matchups dating back to 2014. Tarleton State averages 62.9 points per game and hits 40.0-percent from the field. Mackenzie Hailey leads the team in scoring at 14.9 points per game and Bailey Wipff averages 11.9 per game.  

The Lions of Texas A&M-Commerce come to town on Saturday with an 8-3 overall record and 3-1 in the LSC. TAMUC will face Texas A&M-Kingsville in Kingsville on Thursday before making the trek to San Angelo. The Lions are scoring 72.0 points per game and making 36.0-percent of the field while limiting teams to 69.0 points per game. TAMUC is 4-2 on the road this year.

A pair of Belles were honored with Lone Star Conference Player of the Week awards. Jasmine Prophet was named the LSC Offensive Player of the Week after recording her first double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds against Cameron. The senior is second on the team in scoring at 12.0 points per game and grabs a team high 7.2 rebounds per game. She also leads the team with 12 blocks.

Lexi Murphy, the LSC Defensive Player of the Week, grabbed a career high 10 rebounds against Cameron. The senior is second on the team in rebounds at 5.5 per game and scored 8.7 per game. She has dished out a team second 24 assists and is tops on the team in 3-point field goals at 45.8-percent.

ASU is led in scoring this season by Taylor Dorsey at 20.4 points per game. She is No. 16 nationally and No. 1 in the LSC in scoring. She has seven games of at least 20 points and a season high 30 points against Minnesota-Crookston. The Fort Worth native hits an efficient 51.3-percent from the field while also leading the team in assists (39) and steals (26).

Chenelle Pelle has been an added boost from the bench. She has scored in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time as a Belle and has five this season. The junior is scoring 8.8 points per game and has 4.5 rebounds per game. She leads the team in field goal percentage at 64.3-percent.

Madi Greenwood plays 24.5 minutes per game and is scoring 8.0 points per game. She has handed out 15 assists and made 12 steals. She has scored in double figures in three games including a career high 18 in a win over Northwest Nazarene.

Bria Freierson, Keanna Kelly and Christina Robinson have started all 10 games for the Belles and contributed. Frierson scored 7.3 points per game and grabs 4.8 rebounds. She was the Holiday Hoops Classic Most Outstanding Player after a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds against Western Washington. Freierson hits 49.1-percent from the field and made 14 steals. Kelly has hit 10 three pointers this season while scoring 6.9 points per game. She has 12 steals and 24 assists on the year. The Mansfield native is second on the team in free throw shooting at 84.0-percent this season. Robinson has recorded 15 steals and 23 assists this season while chipping in 6.7 points per game.

Kiahna Curry, Bethany Ross and Shauna Coleman have been key parts off the bench. Curry averages 8.8 minutes per game and scores 2.3 points per game. Ross, in her first season at ASU, scored 1.9 points per game in 9.8 minutes per game.

The game will be televised locally on RamTV Suddenlink 106HD and heard locally on 1260AM KKSA with Jeremy Bryant on the call.