CANYON, Texas – A trip to the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Elite Eight in Sioux Falls, S.D., awaits the winner of tonight's Sweet 16 game between the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (26-6) and West Texas A&M University (29-2). The teams will meet tonight at 6 p.m., MDT, at the First United Bank Center.
UCCS is in its first NCAA tournament in program history and advanced with a 73-63 win against Colorado State-Pueblo and an 83-77 win against Colorado Christian. West Texas defeated Cameron 80-61 on Friday and beat Arkansas-Fort Smith 70-57 on Saturday.
The teams have met seven times before in non-conference, early season action, and met two seasons ago in Canyon. The home Buffs won 78-54. UCCS won the season before on Nov. 19, 2011, in a 66-62 win at the Gallogly Events Center. West Texas A&M holds the advantage in the series 5-2.
West Texas A&M leads the nation with 49.2 percent from the field, is seventh with 17.6 assists per game, eighth with 79.7 points per game and nine with an average winning margin of 16.4 points. UCCS is second in the region behind the Buffs in field goal percentage and scoring margin. The Mountain Lions lead the region and are No. 15 nationally with 7.9 three-pointers per game.
Abby Kirchoff holds the UCCS career scoring record at 1,938 points and is fifth with 565 career rebounds. Her scoring total is 58 points away from the RMAC record. She is leading the RMAC with 19.4 points per game and is joined in the top three of the conference scoring lists with teammate
Brittany Hernandez.
West Texas A&M enters tonight's game with a 20-game winning streak after a loss in the Lone Star Conference opener against Midwestern State on Jan. 7. The Buffs needed to go to overtime on Jan. 21, against Tarleton State and won their conference tournament by three points on March 7. LSC Player of the Year Chontiquah White leads the Buffs with 17.8 points and 8.8 rebounds.
Fans can follow tonight's game with live stats, live audio and live video. Clyde's will also host a watch party in the lower level of the University Center on the UCCS campus.
