ODESSA, Texas (October 21, 2024) – The University of Texas Permian Basin women's basketball team has been picked fourth in the 2024-25 Lone Star Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Poll of LSC head coaches, media and sports information directors announced by the conference office Monday (Oct. 21). The Falcons received 566 points and one-first place vote.

Coming off its NCAA Division II national runner-up season, Texas Woman's University was picked to win the 2024-25 Lone Star Conference women's basketball title in the preseason poll.

The reigning LSC tournament and season champion, TWU tallied 703 points and 37 of the 45 first-place votes for the top spot in the preseason poll. Defending LSC West Division champion Lubbock Christian nabbed three first-place votes and 627 points for the No. 2 spot, outdistancing UT Tyler who totaled 614 points and two first-place votes at No. 3.

LSC Tournament runner-up UT Permian Basin and West Texas A&M each received one first-place vote with UTPB listing fourth (566) and WT fifth (514) in the poll. Angelo State (507), Texas A&M International (419, one first-place vote) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (413) are predicted at sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.

Eastern New Mexico, Midwestern State, St. Edward's, St. Mary's, Oklahoma Christian, Western New Mexico and LSC newcomer Sul Ross State complete the preseason ranking of the 16 LSC women's teams.

The Falcons finished their 2023-24 season with a record of 17-5 in the Lone Star Conference and 24-8 overall, and were second in the LSC West Division (11-3). UTPB was the No. 3 seed in the LSC Tournament, their first appearance since joining the league in 2016, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history and the first time since 2013.

The Falcons advanced to the LSC Championship game and then were the No. 4 seed in their first NCAA South Central Regional Tournament.

UTPB set a school record for most wins in a season, beat No. 7/No. 8 Texas Woman's University (Feb. 24), had four players go over 1,000 career points, and were receiving votes in the D2CSC Media Poll for five straight weeks. UT Permian Basin also cracked the top-25 twice during that stretch.

The 2023-24 season was by far the most successful season in UTPB women's basketball history. The team set a record for most wins in a season, most LSC wins, and the highest standing in LSC history. The Falcons finished the season No. 2 in the conference in made 3-pointers, steals, offensive and overall rebounds. They also set a record for the most made threes in a single game with 18 (Jan. 20 at Midwestern State University).

Head Coach Rae Boothe was named the LSC Co-Coach of the Year, marking the first time a UTPB women's basketball coach has earned the award in the LSC.

"We are pleased with where we were picked for preseason," said Coach Boothe. "The top-four in the LSC is very hard to accomplish with how good our conference is. If teams are there, then they are likely in the regional tournament. We know last season has a lot to do with the preseason polls. We haven't discussed LSC or our region, at this point with our team. Our only focus is on us and getting better every day, before opening up with a highly competitive nonconference schedule."

Graduate student forward Morgan Helgesen was named to the LSC Players to Watch list. A counseling master's student from Denton, Texas, Helgesen was named Honorable Mention All-LSC in 2023-24 after starting in 28 of 32 games and ranking fourth on the team at 8.6 points per game. She was also second with 4.8 rebounds per game and 49 made 3-pointers, was third in blocks (5), and was fourth in in both assists (40) and steals (36). Helgesen scored a career-high 30 points in a 90-54 win over Angelo State University on February 28, setting a school record with 87.5 percent (7-8) shooting from three. In her first four seasons with the Falcons, Helgesen has started in 94 of 106 games while accumulating 811 points (7.7 avg.), 503 rebounds (4.7 avg.), 138 assists, 128 steals and 129 made 3-pointers.

The 2024-25 women's basketball season begins the Nov. 1 weekend with D2CCA Tip-Off Classic action for five teams. The Nov. 8-10 weekend features LSC teams in inter-region games against the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Conference league play begins in earnest during December.

The UTPB women's basketball team opens its season at home with the D2Conference Challenge on Friday, November 8 (12 p.m. vs, South Dakota Mines), and Saturday, November 9 (5:30 p.m. vs. Colorado Mesa University).

The 43rd Lone Star Conference women's basketball tournament is scheduled March 6-8-9, 2025, at Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. The eight-team bracket includes the East and West Division winners, who automatically receive berths, with remaining qualifiers and seeding based on results versus all LSC teams. The Division II Women's Basketball Championship starts with regionals March 14-18 with the winners heading to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the Elite Eight March 24-28.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FALCONS 2024-25 SCHEDULE
2024-25 LSC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll/Players to Watch