The University of Texas of the Permian Basin will put it's perfect home record on the line this weekend, looking to gain an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as hosts of the 2013 Heartland Conference Championships March 8-9.

UTPB earned the top seed in this weekend's championships by claiming its first regular season Heartland Conference title, closing out the 2012-13 conference season with 11 straight wins to finish with an 11-1 HC record.

The Falcons finished an unblemished 11-0 at home this season while outscoring their opponents by an average of 19 points per game, but didn't come without a few close calls. UTPB needed overtime to defeat #21 Tarleton State 82-79. They held off future Heartland Conference member Oklahoma Christian in a four point, 79-75 overtime victory and came back from trailing Texas A&M International by 14 points in the second half to outscore the Dustdevils 12-1 in OT in a 79-68 win.

UT-Permian Basin enters postseason play featuring the conference's best defense and third-best offense, while leading all teams with a 9.4 point scoring margin. The Falcons feature two of the Heartland's top four scorers, led by Teisha King's conference-best 19.7 points per game. The senior guard is ranked sixth in the nation in points per game and her 40 point game against Tarleton State tied for the ninth highest scoring effort by an individual in the country this season. Taniqua Ards ranks second in the Heartland with 15.3 points per game, is sixth in the conference in field goal shooting at 49 percent and 13th with 6.3 rebounds per game. Briannah Matthews leads the conference in shooting from the field, hitting 58 percent of her 151 shots on the season.

UTPB meets fourth-seed St. Edward's in the opening game at 5:30 p.m. Friday night. The Falcons defeated the Hilltoppers 93-61 at home two weeks ago, and picked up a 17-point 64-47 victory on the road earlier in the season in Austin, Texas.

#2 St. Mary's and #3 Newman feature in the second game of the night Friday. The Falcons swept Newman on the season but split the season series with St. Mary's. The Rattlers knocked off UTPB 74-63 in its first conference game of the season, but the Falcons won out the remainder of the conference schedule, including a 68-60 win over St. Mary's at home. 

Free streaming video and live stats will be available for all three games this weekend, accessible through either UTPBFalcons.com or the Heartland's women's basketball tournament central page here.