Lone Star Conference Honors Week's Best
By: Melanie Robotham, LSC Assistant Commissioner
Updated: February 20, 2012
Only one week remains in the Lone Star Conference basketball season. Nine teams with five men's - Tarleton State, Midwestern State, Cameron, Incarnate Word and West Texas A&M - and four women's - Tarleton, MSU, WT and CU - have clinched a berth in the championship to be played Feb. 29 - March 4 at the Allen Event Center in Allen, Texas. The remaining seven berths will be decided this week.
On the men's side, MSU leads the way at 14-2 in conference games and the Mustangs can clinch an outright LSC championship with two wins this week. To earn the No. 1 seed in next week's tournament, MSU needs one win or a Tarleton loss.
Tarleton has claimed at least a share of the women's title at 16-2 in league play, and needs one win this week to sew up the No. 1 seed.
The LSC's agreement with Fox Sports Southwest includes Saturday's doubleheader between West Texas A&M and Cameron starting at 2 p.m. The games will be streamed live on FoxSportsSouthwest.com and are available to fans free of charge. The Buffs/Lady Buffs and Aggies played Jan. 14 in Canyon, Texas, with the CU men and women pickup up close road victories, as each games was decided by four points.
The LSC men have a 146-103 overall record so far this season, with Tarleton having only two losses. In the NCAA South Central Region, the men's teams are currently 29-14 overall including 17-12 combined versus Heartland Conference teams, 8-1 opposed to the Great American Conference and 4-1 against the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA).
The LSC women are 134-133 overall, with MSU at 14-4 with the overall best record. In the NCAA South Central Region, the women's teams are currently 27-19 overall including 17-11 combined versus Heartland teams, 9-5 opposed to the Great American and 1-3 against the MIAA.
NCAA BASKETBALL STATISTICS (through games 02/16)
Tarleton State tops the nation in scoring defense (56.3).
Texas A&M-Kingsville's Ashton Brown is shooting 96.1 percent from the free throw line (123-128), which leads the nation.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
MEN'S OFFENSIVE
Kennon Washington, West Texas A&M University, JR, Guard, Mobile, Ala., W.P. Davidson HS
Washington led the Buffs to a 2-0 mark this past week with wins against Texas A&M-Commerce on the road and No. 5 Tarleton State in Canyon on Saturday night. The junior guard averaged 19.0 points and 7.0 rebounds while dishing out six assists and registering three steals. Washington went 11-of-14 from the free throw line and 3-of-8 from deep to shoot 45 percent from the floor during the two WT wins. Against Tarleton, Washington exploded for 22 points, six rebounds, and three assists as the Buffs topped the Texans. Washington hit some huge threes down the stretch and went 7-of-9 from the charity stripe to seal the win.
MEN'S DEFENSIVE
David Terrell, Midwestern State University, SR, Forward, Houston, Texas, Worthing HS
Terrell played a key role in one of the best defensive performances of the season for No. 7 Midwestern State in a 69-48 win over Central Oklahoma. MSU frustrated the Bronchos, who came on a five-game winning streak, to 32.6-percent shooting from the floor. Terrell pulled down eight rebounds, made two steals and had a blocked shot as the Mustangs held UCO to an opponent output for 2011-12.
WOMEN'S OFFENSIVE
Mack Lankford, Abilene Christian University, SO, Guard, Weatherford, Texas, Weatherford HS
ACU sophomore guard Mack Lankford kept the Wildcats alive in the race for the LSC Championship Tournament, leading the Wildcats to a pair of wins last week over Incarnate Word and Texas A&M-Kingsville. ... In a 76-59 road win over UIW last Wednesday, Lankford scored 25 points to lead the Wildcats to the victory. ... She was 4 for 6 from 3-point range in the win and dished out four assists and had three steals. ... In Sunday afternoon's 79-64 home win over Kingsville, Lankford might have played one of the best games of her ACU career, scoring a career-high 38 points while pulling down eight rebounds, dishing out five assists, coming up with one blocked shot and picking up five steals. ... She finished the week as a 50-percent shooter from 3-point range (8 of 16) and shot 47.6 percent from the field overall ( 20 of 42).
WOMEN'S DEFENSIVE
Sabelle Diata, Cameron University, SR, Forward, Dakar, Senegal, Northeastern Junior College
Diata was a force against the Pioneers, finishing the game with eight rebounds, six blocks and one steal. The Senegal native's post play helped Cameron to hold Texas Woman's to only three field goals in 20 attempts (.150 fg percentage) in the second half during its 54-48 victory. Diata is the focal point for an Aggie defense that has consistently been ranked in the top-10 in the nation for more of the season.
On the men's side, MSU leads the way at 14-2 in conference games and the Mustangs can clinch an outright LSC championship with two wins this week. To earn the No. 1 seed in next week's tournament, MSU needs one win or a Tarleton loss.
Tarleton has claimed at least a share of the women's title at 16-2 in league play, and needs one win this week to sew up the No. 1 seed.
The LSC's agreement with Fox Sports Southwest includes Saturday's doubleheader between West Texas A&M and Cameron starting at 2 p.m. The games will be streamed live on FoxSportsSouthwest.com and are available to fans free of charge. The Buffs/Lady Buffs and Aggies played Jan. 14 in Canyon, Texas, with the CU men and women pickup up close road victories, as each games was decided by four points.
The LSC men have a 146-103 overall record so far this season, with Tarleton having only two losses. In the NCAA South Central Region, the men's teams are currently 29-14 overall including 17-12 combined versus Heartland Conference teams, 8-1 opposed to the Great American Conference and 4-1 against the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA).
The LSC women are 134-133 overall, with MSU at 14-4 with the overall best record. In the NCAA South Central Region, the women's teams are currently 27-19 overall including 17-11 combined versus Heartland teams, 9-5 opposed to the Great American and 1-3 against the MIAA.
NCAA BASKETBALL STATISTICS (through games 02/16)
Tarleton State tops the nation in scoring defense (56.3).
Texas A&M-Kingsville's Ashton Brown is shooting 96.1 percent from the free throw line (123-128), which leads the nation.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
MEN'S OFFENSIVE
Kennon Washington, West Texas A&M University, JR, Guard, Mobile, Ala., W.P. Davidson HS
Washington led the Buffs to a 2-0 mark this past week with wins against Texas A&M-Commerce on the road and No. 5 Tarleton State in Canyon on Saturday night. The junior guard averaged 19.0 points and 7.0 rebounds while dishing out six assists and registering three steals. Washington went 11-of-14 from the free throw line and 3-of-8 from deep to shoot 45 percent from the floor during the two WT wins. Against Tarleton, Washington exploded for 22 points, six rebounds, and three assists as the Buffs topped the Texans. Washington hit some huge threes down the stretch and went 7-of-9 from the charity stripe to seal the win.
MEN'S DEFENSIVE
David Terrell, Midwestern State University, SR, Forward, Houston, Texas, Worthing HS
Terrell played a key role in one of the best defensive performances of the season for No. 7 Midwestern State in a 69-48 win over Central Oklahoma. MSU frustrated the Bronchos, who came on a five-game winning streak, to 32.6-percent shooting from the floor. Terrell pulled down eight rebounds, made two steals and had a blocked shot as the Mustangs held UCO to an opponent output for 2011-12.
WOMEN'S OFFENSIVE
Mack Lankford, Abilene Christian University, SO, Guard, Weatherford, Texas, Weatherford HS
ACU sophomore guard Mack Lankford kept the Wildcats alive in the race for the LSC Championship Tournament, leading the Wildcats to a pair of wins last week over Incarnate Word and Texas A&M-Kingsville. ... In a 76-59 road win over UIW last Wednesday, Lankford scored 25 points to lead the Wildcats to the victory. ... She was 4 for 6 from 3-point range in the win and dished out four assists and had three steals. ... In Sunday afternoon's 79-64 home win over Kingsville, Lankford might have played one of the best games of her ACU career, scoring a career-high 38 points while pulling down eight rebounds, dishing out five assists, coming up with one blocked shot and picking up five steals. ... She finished the week as a 50-percent shooter from 3-point range (8 of 16) and shot 47.6 percent from the field overall ( 20 of 42).
WOMEN'S DEFENSIVE
Sabelle Diata, Cameron University, SR, Forward, Dakar, Senegal, Northeastern Junior College
Diata was a force against the Pioneers, finishing the game with eight rebounds, six blocks and one steal. The Senegal native's post play helped Cameron to hold Texas Woman's to only three field goals in 20 attempts (.150 fg percentage) in the second half during its 54-48 victory. Diata is the focal point for an Aggie defense that has consistently been ranked in the top-10 in the nation for more of the season.
