STEP RIGHT UP
    The TexAnns will face the Savage Storm of Southeastern Oklahoma in the first round of the 2011 Lone Star Conference tournament in Bartlesville, Oklahoma at Bruin Fieldhouse.  Tarleton is 23-3 on the year and finished the regular season at 13-1 in the LSC.  Southeastern Okla. on the other hand is 20-6 overall and 10-4 in the LSC North. Neither team has played a neutral site game this year.

I WANT A REMATCH
    In the meeting between these two teams earlier in the season on Dec. 2, the Savage Storm escaped Wisdom Gym with a victory after a half-court lob as time expired went in for Southeastern Oklahoma.  This handed Tarleton a 78-77 loss, their first of the season.  It remained the only defeat for the TexAnns at home all season, with their other two losses coming on the road.

INTO THE RANKINGS
    Tarleton was ranked No. 16 in the most recent USA Today/ESPN NCAA Division II poll, in accordance with the American Basketball Coaches Association.  This marks the highest ranking for TexAnn program since moving to Division II.  The TexAnns were ranked No. 19 last week and have been in the Top 25 for the past seven weeks.
    The TexAnns were also ranked No. 2 in the most recent South Central regional poll released last Wednesday.  They trail only Northeastern State in the region.  This also marks the highest ever regional ranking in the program's history.

MAKING HISTORY
    The TexAnns clinched the Lone Star Conference South title with their win over the Javelinas on Feb. 19.  This marks the first title in the program's history.  Tarleton lost their only LSC South game in the season finale at Angelo State, 70-57.
    With the win at A&M-Kingsville, the TexAnns also clinched a spot in the LSC tournament in Bartlesville, Oklahoma this week.  It marks the eighth straight season that Tarleton will be postseason-bound.

LEADING THE TEXANNS
    Shelby Adamson leads the TexAnns in scoring with 16.0 points per game to go along with 3.7 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game.  Morgan Stehling is contributing 9.7 points each contest, with Brittnie Haley adding 9.2 and Kelsey Benford adding 8.5 points each game.
    Kiara Wright leads the TexAnns with 7.8 rebounds per game, but averages 8.9 in LSC games.  Benford is second on the team with 6.4 rebounds per game.  Sonya Sundberg is also a vital contributor with 95 assists and 43 steals.

TEXANN SHOOTING
    Tarleton is averaging .425 from the floor, .319 from the three-point arc and .684 from the charity stripe.  In LSC play, the TexAnns are shooting .435 from the floor, .321 from deep, and .683 from the line.

SHOOTING DEFENSE
    The TexAnns are holding opponents to .377 from the field, .321 from behind the arc and .650 from the line.

OUTING THE OPPONENTS
    Tarleton is outscoring foes 72.9 to 59.0 and outrebounding them 37.7 to 34.6 this season.

NOW ON SPECIAL
    Shelby Adamson leads the nation at the Division II level in free throws attempted with 215.  She is also second in the nation in free throws made with 205.

FRESHMAN PHENOM
    Tarleton freshman center Kiara Wright has been a dominant force all season for the TexAnns and is one of the frontrunners for Freshman of the Year in the LSC with her 7.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
    Wright has been rewarded for her efforts, being named LSC Defensive Player of the Week three times this season.
VETERAN LEADERSHIP
    Tarleton junior guard Shelby Adamson was named LSC Defensive Player of the Week last week for the third time this season.  
    Adamson played a major role in the TexAnns' two win last week, guarding both Incarnate Word and Eastern New Mexico's dangerous point guards. Adamson held the two players to a combined 1-for-12 in the two games, while helping Tarleton hold opponents to just 36.6 percent from the field and 60 points on average. She also chipped in 10.5 points per game and eight assists over the two-game stretch. Her defensive prowess is a big reason the TexAnns are 20-2 on the year.
    She joins Wright as a three-time POW, while Kelsey Benford has been named twice this season.

IN THE CONFERENCE
    The TexAnns are No. 2 in the Lone Star Conference in scoring defense (50.0) behind Northeastern State (54.3).  The TexAnns are No. 1 in the LSC in scoring margin (+13.9) and are No. 3 in the league in scoring offense (72.9) behind Central Oklahoma (75.2).
    Tarleton is No. 1 in turnover margin (+5.04) after being No. 1 with 10.1 steals per game.  The TexAnns are No. 5 in assist/turnover ratio (0.8).
    The TexAnns are also No. 1 in offensive rebound percentage (.380), and No. 5 in blocks (3.2).

INDIVIDUALS IN THE LSC
    Shelby Adamson is No. 9 in the Lone Star Conference in scoring (16.0) while Kiara Wright is No. 7 in rebounding (7.8) and Kelsey Benford is No. 15 (6.4).
    Adamson is No. 3 in steals per game (2.3) and No. 7 in assists (3.7), while Sonya Sundberg is No. 1 in assist/turnover ratio (1.9) and No. 8 in assists (3.7).  Benford is also tied at No. 4 in blocks per game (1.5). 

SCOUTING THE SAVAGE STORM
    Southeastern Oklahoma is 20-6 on the year and 10-4 in the Lone Star Conference North Division.  The Savage Storm is 10-3 away from home, but has yet to play at a neutral site.
    Overall, SEOK is shooting 41.5 percent from the floor, 34.9 percent from behind the arc, and 76.6 percent from the charity stripe.  They average 73.6 points per game, while giving up 68.9 points to opponents.  The Savage Storm has a +4.2 rebounding margin and a -2.5 turnover margin, and are currently amidst a five-game win streak.
    Christin Nichols leads SEOK offensively with 11.8 points per game.  Bailey Welch adds 10.3 points, while Nikke Nester adds 9.7 points each contest.  Whitney Coffey is the team's leading rebounder with 5.5 boards per game.

SEOKU IN THE LSC
    The Savage Storm is No. 2 in the Lone Star Conference in scoring offense with 73.6 points per game.  They are less succesful on the defensive end with the No. 10 scoring defense in the conference (68.9).  Those combine for the No. 6 scoring margin in the LSC at +4.7.
    SEOK leads the league in free-throw percentage (.766) and is No. 2 in three-point percentage (.349).  They also have the No. 1 rebounding offense (42.4) that helps them rank No. 2 in rebounding margin (+4.2).  The Savage Storm doesn't stop there either as the lead the conference in assists (16.3) and defensive rebounds (30.3).
    Individually, Nichols is No. 21 in scoring (11.8) and No. 8 in field-goal percentage.  Welch leads the league in assists (4.6), with Nester coming in at No. 11 (3.3) in the same category.  Four Savage Storm players rank in the top 12 in free-throw percentage, with Nester leading the way at No. 4 (.831).  Welch is also third in the LSC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7), behind Tarleton's Sonya Sundberg (1.9).

ALL-TIME SERIES
    Tarleton leads the all-time series 13-12 in its 22-year history.
    Southeastern Oklahoma won the most recent meeting between the two teams on Dec. 2, 2010 by a score of 78-77 in Stephenville.
    The Savage Storm have won the last four meetings between the two teams, and five of the last six.
    The last time the TexAnns and Savage Storm faced off on a neutral court was on Dec. 1, 1990 with Tarleton walking away with a 10-point victory.

LET THE REAL GAMES BEGIN
    Since division play started in 1997-98, the TexAnns have gone 106-88.  However, since Coach Ronnie Hearne has took over in 2003-04, Tarleton has gone 72-32, good for a .692 winning percentage.  Behind this record, the TexAnns have been to seven straight LSC Tournaments and will head to their eighth this season.

WINNING SEASONS
    The TexAnns have clinched another winning season with the success of the 2010-11 team.  Tarleton has recorded seven straight winning seasons - all under head coach Ronnie Hearne.  Hearne and the TexAnns went 15-15 in his first season at the helm, giving him eight consecutive non-losing seasons as head coach of the TexAnn program.
    Last year, the TexAnns claimed Hearne's first 20-win season, finishing 23-7 overall.  This season, Tarleton has done that yet again with their 20th win coming on Feb. 16 in a double-overtime game with West Texas A&M.

NO BACK-TO-BACK
    The 2009-10 Tarleton TexAnns did not lose back-to-back games during the regular season.  The only back-to-back losses came in round two of the LSC tournament and round one of the South Central Region tournament.  
    The 2010-11 TexAnns have yet to lose back-to-back games as well, rattling off six-plus game win streaks after their first two defeats.  Tarleton will look to continue that with a victory in the first round of the LSC tournament.

BACK TO THE POSTSEASON
    The TexAnns had made the last seven Lone Star Conference Championship Tournaments, and this year's team just recently clinched the eighth trip in as many seasons.  With Tarleton's win over the Lady Buffs, they secured at least a share of the regular season South Division title and in turn, a trip to the LSC tournament in Bartlesville, Oklahoma on March 2.  On Feb. 19, the TexAnns defeated A&M-Kingsville, clinching sole possession of the South Division title.
    Last season, the TexAnns secured the program's first postseason victory in NCAA Division II with a 71-66 win over Texas Woman's in the first round.  Tarleton lost to Northeastern State in the semifinals, 74-62.
    Tarleton has made two NCAA  DII South Central Region appearances, 2006 and 2010.  The TexAnns are looking not only to return to the regional in 2011, but also win for the first time in history.
    Last year, the TexAnns were defeated by eventual national champion Emporia State in the opening round of the regional tournament, 90-71.


TARLETON VS. THE LSC
    Tarleton has achieved a 7-3 record against Lone Star Conference tournament qualifying teams.  The TexAnns have wins over Angelo State, Abilene Christian, Central Oklahoma, Texas Woman's, and West Texas A&M.  Their losses have come against Angelo State, Northeastern State, and Southeastern Oklahoma.

HEARNE AT THE HELM
    The TexAnns are 146-77 in head coach Ronnie Hearne's seven-plus seasons.  Hearne is the winningest coach for the TexAnns since the school joined the Lone Star Conference in 1994-95 with a .655 winning percentage.