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Friday, November 5, 2010

Lady Buff Basketball to Host Dallas Diesel in Exhibtion Contest on Saturday

CANYON, Texas – The No. 7-ranked West Texas A&M Lady Buffs Basketball team will make its 2010-11 season debut this Saturday, Nov. 6, hosting an exhibition contest against the Dallas Diesel at First United Bank Center.

WTAMU is coming off one of its best season’s ever after going 30-4 overall and 10-2 in the Lone Star Conference South Division. The 30-win total marks the most wins for a Lady Buffs team since the 1990-91 squad went 30-2, and also ties the mark for the second-most wins in school history.

The Lady Buffs earned the No. 1 seed in the LSC Championship Tournament , held in Bartlesville, Okla., and went on to defeat Northeastern State 66-59 in the championship game to become LSC Champions for a third straight year. WT received the No. 1 seed in the South Central Regional and made the school’s seventh consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division II national tournament.

The Lady Buffs hosted the regional tournament and defeated St. Mary’s 78-50 in the first round, but was then upset 76-69 by Emporia State. ESU would go on to win the South Central Regional Championship and eventually the NCAA Division II National Championship.

Head coach Krista Gerlich is in her fifth season at the helm of the Lady Buffs basketball program and she enters the season with an overall record of 112-20 (.848). She will be assisted by Kevin Baker, Jennifer Clark and Courtney Lee. Both Baker and Clark return to the bench for a fourth season, while Lee begins her second year as the graduate assistant coach.

Gerlich welcomes back three starters that earned all-LSC honors last season. Joni Unruh (Sr-3L, Amarillo, Texas) was a first team all-LSC selection and was named the South Division’s Player of the Year last season. She will join Megan McLain (Sr-3L, Channing, Texas), a second team all-LSC selection, as the only two seniors on the squad. Also returning is Jamie Simmons (Jr-1L, Houston, Texas), who was a second team all-LSC selection as well and was named the South Division’s Newcomer of the Year. Combined, all three returning starters accounted for a little over 55 percent of WT’s offensive output last season.

Along with the three returning starters, four letterwinners return to the team as well, including Callie Schniederjan (So-1L, Dalhart, Texas), Aly Sherman (Jr-1L, Mt. Vernon, Texas), Brittany Williams (So-1L, Sudan, Texas) and Ashley Leven (Jr-2L, Amarillo, Texas). Ariel Robertson (Fr-RS, Ceder Hill, Texas) will make her Lady Buff debut this season after sitting out as a redshirt last year.

Five incoming freshman will be introduced to Lady Buff Basketball this season, which includes a long list of players that have either earned Texas Girls Coaches Association (TGCA) or Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) accolades. Making their debut on Saturday will be Casey Land (Fr-HS, Canyon, Texas), Sally Higgins (Fr-HS, San Angelo, Texas), Lacee Logan (Fr-HS, Sudan, Texas), Jordan Vessels (Fr-HS, Canyon, Texas) and Rosalyn Thorpe (Fr-HS, Keller, Texas).

Saturday’s exhibition contest is free to the public and is scheduled to tip-off at noon inside FUBC.

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