SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State women's basketball team returns home for a three-game homestand which starts this weekend with home games against defending national champions Lubbock Christian and Eastern New Mexico on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

The Belles enter this week with a 5-10 overall record and 2-2 record in conference play; they are coming off a week in which they dropped a conference road game to Cameron on Saturday.

All five of the Belles' wins this season have come at home.

The Belles, who are averaging 65.8 points per game, have three scorers averaging double-digits in scoring. Blakely Gerber (10.9 PPG), Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant (10.2 PPG) and Payton Brown (10.1 PPG) are responsible for 47.4 percent of the Belles' points this season.

McGhee-Pleasant and Brown also lead the team in steals, both averaging 1.67 per game. Brown also leads the team with 4.4 assists per game, third-best in the Lone Star Conference.

Madeline Stephens (9.7 points per game) and Sawyer Lloyd (9.3 points per game) follow closely behind their teammates in scoring. Stephens leads the team with 7.5 rebounds per game, which is ninth in the LSC, and has recorded two double-doubles this season.
 
SCOUTING THE LADY CHAPS
Lubbock Christian, the defending national champions, are ranked eighth in the WBCA Top 25 poll. This will be the second ranked opponent of the season for the Belles. They are 16-3 on the season and 5-2 in conference play. The Lady Chaps boast the conference's best defense, only allowing 49.9 points per game.

The Lady Chaps' offense is led by Allie Schulte, who is averaging 11.8 points per game. The fifth-year player from Nazareth is shooting 89.3 percent from the free throw line and defensively, is grabbing 3.2 steals per game, both of which lead the conference in their respective categories.

The Belles have never beaten the Lady Chaps in nine attempts dating back to 2014, with the Belles being 0-3 at home against the Lady Chaps in that time. The Belles will be looking for their first win over a ranked opponent since January 11^th, 2018, when they beat second-ranked West Texas A&M.
 
SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS
Eastern New Mexico boasts a 7-6 record this season and are 3-4 in conference play this season. The Greyhounds are winners of their past two games, beating St. Mary's and St. Edward's this past weekend.

Natalie Stice is 13^th in the LSC in scoring with 13.4 points per game. The Greyhounds have three players averaging over six rebounds per game, and as a team, they are fourth in the LSC in rebounding this season.

The Greyhounds are 2-5 this season outside of the state of New Mexico. The Belles are 20-7 against the Greyhounds dating back to 2007, including 10-3 in San Angelo.

Following this weekend, the Belles host UT Permian Basin on Tuesday before traveling to face Western New Mexico next Thursday.