No. 3 Highest Ever Women's Seed
3/4/2012 10:30:00 AM | Women's Basketball
After back-to-back 17-victory seasons, the most wins in a two-year period in Sam Houston's 25-year history in the Southland Conference, the Bearkats will be the No. 3 seed at the 2012 Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament, which gets underway Tuesday at the Leonard E. Merrell Center.
The four women's quarterfinal games begin at noon.
Sam Houston State defended its West Division title to earn the No. 3 seed, its highest seeding for a Southland tournament. The Bearkats won seven of their last eight games to finish 17-10 overall and 12-5 in conference play. Sam Houston will face No. 6 seed Texas State Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.
Texas State finished the regular season 16-13 and 8-8 in conference. This season will mark the first postseason appearance for the Bobcats since 2008. The teams squared off in the regular season finale, with the Bearkats earning a 68-54 win on Saturday.
Central Arkansas, which earned its first Division I conference regular-season championship with a 14-2 league record, swept defending champion McNeese State during the regular season to claim the top seed and finish one game ahead of the Cowgirls in the standings. In only their second year of postseason eligibility, the Bears are hoping to earn their first trip to the NCAA tournament.
Central Arkansas will open the tournament against No. 8 seed Nicholls State Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Colonels lost their regular-season finale against Southeastern Louisiana, 73-72, but earned their first trip to the conference tournament since 2005.
No. 2 seed McNeese State, the defending tournament champion, will play No. 7 seed Southeastern State to open the 2012 tournament Tuesday at noon. The Cowgirls have reeled off six wins in a row and finished conference play with a 13-3 record and a 23-7 overall record.
McNeese State swept the Lady Lions in both regular season meetings, winning the last meeting 68-53 on Feb. 29. After dropping its first five conference contests this season, Southeastern Louisiana finished the regular season with a 12-17 overall record and a 7-9 conference record and earn its fourth consecutive postseason trip.
Stephen F. Austin, which earned the No. 4 seed, is making its league-leading 25th appearance in the conference tournament after finishing the season 21-8 and 11-5 in conference. The Ladyjacks have won the tournament title 15 times but have not claimed the title since 2006.
Stephen F. Austin takes on No. 5 Lamar in the Tuesday nightcap at 8:30 p.m. Lamar finished the season with 16-14 overall and 8-8 in the Southland. The Lady Cardinals, who are making their seventh consecutive tournament trip, last won the title in 2010.
The women's semifinal games tip-off Thursday at 12:05 p.m. and 2:33 p.m., while the championship game is slated for 7:05 p.m. on Friday.
The semifinals and championship game will be broadcast by the Southland Conference Television Network, SLC NOW, ESPN Full Court and ESPN3.com. F
or a complete list of Southland TV Network affiliates, visit southland.org/television. All seven game of the 2012 Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament will be streamed live for free on SLC NOW, the audio and video channel on southland.org.
2012 Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
Leonard E. Merrell Center, Katy, Texas; March 6-9, 2012
Tuesday, March 6 - Quarterfinals
Game 1: No. 7 Southeastern Louisiana vs. No. 2 McNeese State, Noon
Game 2: No. 6 Texas State vs. No. 3 Sam Houston State, 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 8 Nicholls State vs. No. 1 Central Arkansas, 6 p.m.
Game 4: No. 5 Lamar vs. No. 4 Stephen F. Austin, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 8 - Semifinals
Game 5: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 12:05 p.m. (Southland TV)
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 2:33 p.m. (Southland TV)
Friday, March 9 - Championship
Game 7: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 7:05 p.m. (Southland TV)
