SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State women's basketball team will begin its road to the national championship this weekend, taking on St. Edward's in the opening round of the South Central Regional Tournament at 3:30 P.M. CST on Friday in Pueblo, Colorado.
The Belles (24-5, 15-4 LSC) finished the regular season with a share of the Lone Star Conference title and lost by just two points in the LSC Tournament Championship this past weekend. They are the No. 2 seed in the regional behind only the host, CSU-Pueblo.
This is the 10th overall appearance for Angelo State in the NCAA Tournament. ASU also made the NCAA Tournament in 2016, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002 and 1994.The Belles won their opening game of the tournament last season before being eliminated in the semifinals.
"People don't realize in Division II how difficult it is to get in the top eight in your region, so I'm really proud of our team for accomplishing that," ASU head women's basketball coach Kevin Baker said. "Our region is very tough this year, so whoever wins it should be able to make some noise at the Elite Eight."
ASU has one of the top offenses in the nation this year at No. 6 overall and scoring 80.9 points per game. The Belles are also No. 6 in both free-throws attempted and free throws made and rank in the top 15 in the nation in scoring offense.
The offense has been lead all season by the four Belle seniors, Taylor Dorsey, Jasmine Prophet, Christina Robinson and Lexi Murphy.
Dorsey is first on the team in points per game with 18.4 and had a season-high 35 points against West Texas A&M in the second round of the Lone Star Conference tournament. Dorsey also broke the 1000 career points mark in that game against the Lady Buffs, becoming just the 18th player in program history to reach that mark. The Fort Worth native is also averaging 4.5 rebounds per game for third on the team and just over four assists per game.
Prophet has been the dominant force inside for the Belles all season, averaging 13.5 points per game as well as a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game. The senior averaged 15.4 points per game during conference play this season, earning her the Lone Star Conference player of the year award. Her .574 field-goal percentage ranks No. 12 in the nation and is on pace to be the third best in a single season in ASU history.
Dorsey and Prophet also lead the Belles on defense, as Dorsey has a team-high 57 steals on the year and Prophet has protected the rim with a conference-leading 50 blocks.
The only other Belle to average double figures heading into the regional is point guard Christina Robinson with exactly 10 points per game. The Arizona native averages almost three assists a game as well and is shooting a team-high 48 percent from behind the arc. Robinson has also added in a team-second 39 steals for the year.
Four other ASU players are averaging more than five points per game on the year, including Lexi Murphy, Madi Greenwood, Bria Frierson, Keanna Kelly and Chenelle Pelle.
Murphy gets 8.6 points per contest for the season and had a season-high 17 points against West Texas A&M in the Lone Star Conference tournament. The Nebraska native is the second best rebounder on the team with 6.2 per game and has made 35 three-pointers on the season which is also second best on the squad.
Madi Greenwood is also averaging more than eight points game for the Belles, coming off the bench most of the season. Greenwood hits better than 40 percent from the field and has also chipped in the third steals on the team with 34.
Bria Frierson had the best game of her ASU career in the opening round of the LSC tournament last weekend, scoring 19 points in the Belles' win and pulling down five rebounds. For the season, Frierson has scored 7.1 points per game.
Keanna Kelly is also scoring 7.1 points per game for the year. The junior pulls down three rebounds a game and has 27 steals and 10 blocks on the season.
Chenelle Pelle has added an extra scoring threat inside for the Belles as well with 6.0 points per game from the junior. Pelle has shot almost 50 percent from the field for the season and blocked a team-second 19 shots as well.
St. Edward's comes into the South Central Regional as the No. 7 seed after finishing the season with a 20-8 record and a 13-3 showing in the Heartland Conference. The Hilltoppers were crowned Heartland Conference tournament champions last weekend after defeating Lubbock Christian 52-44 in the championship game.
The game can be heard locally on 1260 KKSA with Jeremy Bryant on the call.
