WBB stuns U.T.-Tyler in ASC Championship Tournament

02/29/08

Tyler, TX - The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor women's basketball team built an early lead and then the Cru women held off a frantic U.T.-Tyler rally to post a 75-74 victory over the tournament host and #1-seeded Lady Patriots in an American Southwest Conference First Round game Friday night in Tyler. The UMHB women improve to 15-11 overall and advance to a 5:00 PM semifinal tomorrow against McMurry University. McMurry advanced with a 68-54 victory over U.T.-Dallas. The loss ends U.T.-Tyler's season at 17-9 overall.

Blair Heitmiller's three opened the scoring and gave UMHB a 3-0 lead and the Cru women would lead until UTT went up 24-22 with 7:29 left in the first half. The battled back and led by as many as eight points in the first half before settling for a 40-35 halftime lead. UMHB would push the lead to 14 points at 65-51 with 11:49 remaining, but the Lady Patriots began whittling away the lead and cut it to 75-72 with 1:50 left. Alyssa Ploof's lay-up cut it to 75-74 with 57 seconds and UMHB turned the ball over on the ensuing possession. UTT missed the potential game-winning shot and UMHB missed a free-throw on the other end with four seconds left. The Lady Patriots had one last-second gasp, but Ploof's three-pointer was off the mark, sending UMHB to the second round of the tournament for the second time in the last three years.

Landie Thompson led the Cru women with 25 points, Jenny Black added 12 and Blair Heitmiller and Kallie White added 11 points apiece for UMHB. Kasey Buggs and Melissa Thomas topped UTT with 20 points apiece. Marci Trogus and Lindsay Eaton added 11 points each. Becky Taylor had a game-high 10 rebounds for the Lady Patriots off the bench. UMHB shot 49 per cent from the field while UTT shot 38 per cent for the game.