Seniors play in final home game Saturday
2/27/2009 1:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Keeping their Southland Conference post-season tournament hopes alive with an 81-71 victory over McNeese State Wednesday, Sam Houston State now hosts one of the two teams leading the 2009 Southland women's race as Texas-Arlington visits Johnson Coliseum Saturday at 2 p.m.
Saturday is “Senior Day” for the Bearkats as SHSU's two seniors, Lydia Gonzales and Leisa Ailshie, will be honored in pregame ceremonies.
Ailshie, a health and biology major with an overall grade point average of 3.00, has played in 43 games for the Bearkats at gaurd the past two seasons. She currently ranks third in the Southland Conference in assists with 3.7 per game. She transferred to Sam Houston from Connors State College in Oklahoma. In high school, she led Claremore to three Oklahoma state titles.
Gonzales has been part of the women's basketball program for four seasons. Red-shirting in 2006 after transferring from Arkansas-Little Rock, she has appeared in 69 games as a post player. Her career totals include 631 ponits and 445 rebounds. She earned both All-Southland and Academic All-Southland honors last year. The health and biology major from Round Rock owns a 3.39 overall grade point average.
Needing another victory to help their bid to earn a berth in the post-season tournament, the Bearkats will face a tough challenge Saturday. UTA and Texas-San Antonio are tied in the league race, both with 11-2 records. The Mavs defeated the Bearkats 87-73 in their first meeting this season in Arlington.
UTA has won 14 games in a row against the Sam Houston women. The last Bearkat victory over the Mavericks came in 2001 in Huntsville.
In Sam Houston's victory over McNeese Wednesday, Brittany Brooks scored a career high 27 points. Bre Agnew added 14 points for the Bearkats and the Sam Houston women upped their season mark to 8-18 and their SLC record to 5-8.
The Bearkat women will close out the regular season with a pair of road games next week at Northwestern State and Texas State-San Marcos.
