FRISCO, Texas (March 1, 2026) – The bracket for the 44th Lone Star Conference Women's Basketball Tournament is set for the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas.

For the second year in a row, the eighth-seeded UTPB Falcons will battle against the top-seed in the tournament and the No. 1 nationally-ranked team in all of NCAA Division II women's basketball, Texas Woman's University, in the quarterfinals. The Falcons and the Pioneers will square off starting at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 6.

Despite falling in its final three games of the regular season against teams all in the top-five in the Lone Star Conference, UTPB enters the postseason holding a record of 15-13 overall and 10-10 in the LSC. It is the third year in a row and the third time in school history that the UTPB women's basketball team has clinched a spot in the Lone Star Conference Tournament.

FALCONS UNDER THE LENS
UTPB is in the postseason thanks to wins of 69-57 at St. Edward's University on Saturday, February 14, in Austin, Texas and 83-66 over Midwestern State University on Thursday, February 19, in Odessa, Texas.

The Falcons scored the final nine points of the third quarter and the first seven points of the fourth quarter to take control against St. Edward's and spoil the Hilltoppers' Senior Day. For the game, UTPB was 23-of-32 (71.9 percent) from the free throw line, tying its season-high in free throw attempts. Jonesha Neal had a career day, tying her season-high 18 points while getting to the free throw line for 17 attempts (11 makes), including a 6-for-9 mark in the fourth quarter to help close out the win. The Falcons won the rebounding battle for the fourth game in a row (33-27) and more than doubled up the Hilltoppers on the offensive glass (16-7). UTPB also amassed 16 steals from nine different players. In addition, Head Coach Rae Boothe earned her 100th win at UTPB, becoming the first women's basketball coach to reach the century mark in program history.

Then playing in a must-win game for the second game in a row, UTPB again rose to the challenge, earning a wire-to-wire victory over Midwestern State inside the Falcon Dome. UTPB featured a balanced attack, with no player scoring more than 15 points and 14 Falcons entering the scoring column. The Falcons outscored the Mustangs 22-9 in the first quarter and never looked back. UTPB started the game leading 17-4 after a fastbreak layup by Mikalah Buckley with 3:45 left in the first quarter, and opened up a 22-point lead (34-22) following a steal and a fastbreak layup by Jonesha Neal just under four minutes into the second quarter. UTPB maintained a 15-to-24 point advantage the rest of the way. The Falcons made it a priority to attack the boards early and often. At the end of the first quarter, UTPB had tripled up MSU on the boards (18-6 overall) and led 9-1 on the offensive glass, leading to an 11-0 score on second chance points. UTPB was outscored in both the third and four quarters, but it came with no consequence as the Falcons matched their season-high scoring total and set new season-highs in rebounds (54) and assists (21). The Falcons finished with 21 assists on 33 made field goals. The Falcons also grabbed 23 offensive rebounds for the second time in the last four games.

The Falcons will enter the postseason ranked eighth in the conference in points allowed per game (60.3), and are ninth in field goal percentage defense (.385), ninth in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.299), 10th in rebounds per game (36.1), tied for fifth in rebound margin (+3.7), and sixth in steals per game (9.89). Offensively, the Falcons are fifth in field goal percentage (.415), seventh in 3-point field goal percentage (.297), eighth in 3-pointers made per game (5.9), and eighth in free throw percentage (.705).

Kenadi Rising has been the Falcons' go-to player this season. The forward led all players with a season-high 20 points in the four-point loss to Lubbock Christian University on Senior Day while also grabbing a team-high seven rebounds and adding one assist and one block. Rising leads UTPB with 10.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 42.1 percent from the field. She has also contributed 40 assists and 26 steals.

Madison Walters provides secondary scoring for the Falcons, averaging 9.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Walters shoots 41.1 from the field and has been a defensive pest with a team-high 52 steals to go along with 43 assists.

Mikalah Buckley rounds out the Falcons' top scorers, averaging 8.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. Buckley shoots 40 percent from the field and has recorded 38 assists and 24 steals.

As a team, UT Permian Basin averages 62.8 points per game while allowing 60.2. The Falcons shoot 41 percent from the field compared to 37.9 precent for opponents and hold a slight edge in 3-point shooting at 29.4 percent to 29.3 percent.

UTPB's greatest strength is free throw shooting, as the Falcons convert 70.6 percent from the line while opponents shoot 68.2 percent. The Falcons also outrebound opponents 36.4 to 32.8 per game and dish out more assists (12.4 to 10.9).

UT Permian Basin averages 9.9 steals per game compared to 8.9 for opponents but commits 18.6 turnovers per game while forcing 18.0. The Falcons average 1.0 blocks per game while opponents record 1.9.

FALCONS AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
The current season has seen UTPB battle hard against ranked teams all year long. It started with an eight-point loss (57-49) in overtime against No. 21 Colorado Mesa University (currently ranked No. 4) on Sunday, November 16. Jonesha Neal recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while Kenadi Rising matched her with 10 points. Pa'Shawna Wheeler (9 points) hit a stepback 3-pointer to force overtime, and Mikalah Buckley (8 points) hit a clutch 3-pointer to help setup Wheeler's shot. It was a gutsy performance for UTPB against a CMU squad that was picked to repeat as Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Champions for the third straight season.

UTPB then lost by just six points (65-59) on the road at No. 4 Lubbock Christian University on Wednesday, December 3. UTPB held the Lady Chaps to a season-low 33.3 percent from the field, 11 points below their season average coming in, and were just the third team this season to outshoot LCU from the field.

Then as the calendar flipped to 2026, UTPB fell 73-59 vs. No. 3 Texas Woman's University (currently ranked No. 1) on Friday, January 2. The Falcons put up a great fight through three and a half quarters against the Pioneers before running out of gas in the end. Against TWU, the Falcons gave another top-four nationally-ranked team in the country a great battle, becoming just the fourth team this season to score at least 10 points in all four quarters against TWU. Mikalah Buckley had a career day against the Pioneers, scoring 24 points while shooting 10-for-13 from the field and 3-for-5 from three.

Most recently, UTPB fell by just four points (60-56) in a rematch against No. 23 LCU on Saturday, February 21. UTPB got off to a good start against LCU, building an early 10-2 lead before needing to outscore LCU 21-11 in the third quarter and tying the game at 49-49 halfway through the fourth quarter. It was Senior Day for the Falcons' Kenadi Rising, who led all players by scoring a season-high 20 points against LCU.

BRIEF LOOK AT THE PIONEERS
TWU (26-1 overall) won its fourth consecutive regular season conference championship with a perfect 20-0 mark. TWU has won 25 straight games since an early-season loss.

Last week, the Texas Woman's basketball team moved up to No. 1 in the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association National Poll, after victories over UT Tyler and UT Dallas. With the two wins, the Pioneers climbed one spot to claim the top ranking.

In addition, in the second week of the NCAA South Central Regional rankings, the Pioneers again claimed the No. 1 spot.

Offensively, TWU ranks third in the LSC in scoring at 70.1 points per game and shoots a conference-best 44.7 percent from the field. The Pioneers also lead the league in free throw percentage at 77.3 percent.

Defensively, TWU ranks second in the conference in scoring defense, allowing just 54.3 points per game, and third in rebounding defense at 32.3 rebounds allowed per contest. The Pioneers are also third in the LSC with a 0.98 assist-to-turnover ratio.

LAST MEETING BETWEEN THE FALCONS AND PIONEERS
In the last matchup between UTPB and TWU in the first game of 2026, UTPB welcomed the No. 3 ranked team in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25 National Poll into the Falcon Dome. The Falcons put up a great fight through three and a half quarters before running out of gas at the end and falling 73-59 against the Pioneers.

For the second time in conference play, the Falcons gave a top-four nationally-ranked team in the country a great battle. A stepback 3-pointer by Mikalah Buckley tied it at 6-6 just over midway through the first quarter as both teams had just two made field goals in the first six and a half minutes of the game. After TWU responded with a 9-1 run to take an eight-point lead (15-7), a 3-pointer by Jasmin Holt with one minute left in the opening period stopped the run, and then Holt would add a fastbreak layup in the final 30 seconds to make it 17-12 at the end of the first quarter.

UTPB opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer by Madison Walters assisted by Holt before another layup by Holt tied it at 17-17 two minutes in. However, a 10-0 run for TWU taking advantage of six UTPB turnovers again created some separation. Holt assisted on a bank-shot jumper in the paint by Buckley, who finished off the and-one to make it 27-20 with 3:39 left before halftime, but TWU finished off the second quarter on a its second 9-1 run of the first half, making it a 19-5 scoring margin for the Pioneers over the final eight minutes of the second quarter. TWU outscored UTPB 19-10 in the second quarter and shot 7-for-12 (58.3 percent) from the field while holding the Falcons to 7-for-27 (25.9 percent).

Similarly to the second quarter, UTPB started the third quarter strong in the opening two minutes, scoring the first seven points on a layup by Kenadi Rising assisted by Holt, a turnaround jumper by Buckley, and a transition 3-pointer by Buckley assisted by Holt. That trimmed a 36-22 halftime deficit down to seven points (36-29). Buckley's third 3-pointer of the game and second of the third quarter got the margin to seven points again (43-36) with just over four and a half minutes left in the third period, and then an offensive rebound and putback layup by Buckley made it a five-point game (43-38) with just over two minutes left in the period. The final minute and a half of the third quarter saw another offensive rebound and layup by Buckley, but this time it was followed by a steal and fastbreak layup by Jonesha Neal on the next possession to make it just a four-point game (46-42) in the final minute of the quarter. However, a big 3-pointer by Averee Kleinhans in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter gave the Pioneers some breathing room up 49-42 going into the fourth quarter, and gave Kleinhans some momentum to use in the fourth quarter as well. TWU shot just 5-for-16 (31.3 percent) from the field in the third quarter, matching its exact same numbers from the first quarter, while UTPB shot 50 percent (9-18) to outscore the Pioneers 20-13 and close the gap in the third period.

UTPB then started the fourth quarter a perfect 4-for-4 from the field. On UTPB's first possession of the fourth quarter, the Falcons saw their second banked in jumper of the game again go for an and-one, this time by Rising to make it a six-point margin (51-45), but again Kleinhans answered right back with a three. The back-and-forth play persisted through much of the fourth period; however, UTPB was unable to get the lead down to a five-point margin. With six minutes left to play, a steal and fastbreak layup by Buckley made it a seven-point margin (58-51). A 3-pointer a minute and 20 seconds later by Kleinhans made it 64-53, and TWU would hold UTPB to just six points over the final four and a half minutes of the game. TWU also went 6-for-8 from the free throw line over the final 3:36 of the game. Both teams shot over 53 percent from the field in the fourth quarter.

Kleinhans would hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished with 12 points in the frame. Overall, she led all players with a career-high 29 points while shooting 6-for-8 from three. She also added nine rebounds, six assists, and eight turnovers. Kleinhans also saw her teammate, Gabby Elliott, dominate the interior with 16 points and a career-high 17 rebounds.

Buckley scored 24 points for UTPB, shooting an awesome 10-for-13 from the field and 3-for-5 from three. She also led the team with six rebounds. Rising was next with 11 points while Holt added nine points and a team-high four assists.

At 42.1 percent, it was the first time this season UTPB's opponent shot over 40 percent from the field in a conference game. UTPB, meanwhile, became the fourth team this season to score at least 10 points in all four quarters against TWU.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY VS. TWU: THIRD TIME IS THE CHARM?
2026 will see UTPB take on TWU in the LSC Tournament for the third season in a row. In 2024, UTPB was the darling of the LSC Tournament, defeating Angelo State University by 20 points, 71-51, in the quarterfinals and upsetting The University of Texas at Tyler 70-68 in the semifinals. The Falcons came up short, 70-60, against No. 11 TWU in the 2024 LSC Tournament Championship game. In that championship game, UTPB took advantage of turnovers and scored 23 points off 16 TWU turnovers. The Falcons were also strong on the defensive boards with 20 defensive rebounds to just eight offensive boards for the Pioneers, limiting TWU to score just three second chance points. Kamryn Lemon had 22 points and was selected to the all-tournament team after averaging 22.33 points, 5.67 rebounds, four assists and three steals a game while shooting 55.6 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the line. It was the first time that UTPB had advanced to the Lone Star Conference Championship game and was the Falcons' first conference final appearance in nine years (Heartland Conference – 2014-15). 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 (24), most LSC wins (17), and the highest standing in LSC history (third place), made its first appearance in the LSC Tournament 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.

In 2025, after giving the Pioneers a battle in a six-point loss in the regular season less than two weeks before, UTPB showed a similar tenacity and fight in the first half in the quarterfinals of the Lone Star Conference Tournament. In the end, however, the eighth-seeded Falcons fell 69-51 against top-seeded and No. 1 nationally-ranked Texas Woman's in a rematch of the 2024 LSC Tournament Championship game. The Falcons did a great job of denying four-time First-Team All-LSC forward Ashley Ingram in the first half, holding her scoreless for the first eight and a half minutes of the game and holding her to without a field goal until the first possession of the second half. The story of this game, however, was the third-quarter blitz by the Pioneers as UTPB was outscored 30-11 and allowed TWU to shoot 60 percent (12-20) from the field. After outscoring its first half point total in the third quarter, TWU was able to coast to the win in the fourth quarter, holding the Falcons to just nine points. After scoring just one point in the first half, Ingram scored nine straight points to open the third quarter, had 11 points overall in the third period, and finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals while notching her 14th double-double of the season. UTPB was held to its second-lowest point total of the season (51). One Falcon who came to play in a big way was Morgan Helgesen, who scored 20 points for the second game in a row, made six of her eight 3-point attempts, and pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds. UTPB finished its 2024-25 season 13-16 overall and 11-11 in the Lone Star Conference, but still qualified for the LSC tournament for the second year in a row and the second time in school history. Last season saw the Falcons win their second-most LSC games in a season (11) and earn their second-highest finish in the LSC regular-season standings (8th place).

THE REST OF THE BRACKET
The 2026 Lone Star Conference Women's Basketball Championship bracket is set following the conclusion of regular season games on Saturday (Feb. 28). The eight-team, single-elimination tournament will be held March 6-8 (Friday-Sunday) at Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas.

The quarterfinals will take place Friday, March 6, followed by the semifinals on Saturday, March 7, and the championship game on Sunday, March 8.

Teams who earned a spot in the LSC tournament are Texas Woman's, West Texas A&M, UT Tyler, Lubbock Christian, Eastern New Mexico, Angelo State, St. Mary's and UT Permian Basin.

TWU (26-1 overall) won its fourth consecutive regular season conference championship with a perfect 20-0 mark and earned the event's top seed. The Pioneers are ranked No. 1 in the country and have won 25 straight games. TWU is the two-time defending tournament champion and has reached the title game three straight years. The Pioneers also won the 2011 conference tourney.

TWU opens up against No. 8 seed UT Permian Basin (15-13, 10-10) at 6 p.m. CT Friday. The Falcons are making their third straight appearance in Frisco. They reached the title game in their first appearance (2024).

West Texas A&M (26-3, 18-2 LSC) received the No. 2 seed. The Lady Buffs are ranked No. 7 in the country and enter on a five-game winning streak. WT has won the LSC tournament a record 16 times, with the most recent crown coming in 2022. The Lady Buffs open against No. 7 seed St. Mary's (16-10, 11-9 LSC) at 2:30 p.m. CT Friday. The Rattlers are in the event for the first time since 2021.

UT Tyler (20-9, 16-4 LSC) will be the No. 3 seed. The Patriots have qualified for the LSC tourney every year since 2022. UT Tyler will face No. 6 seed Angelo State (15-11, 13-7 LSC) in the Noon game on Friday. The Rambelles have won six LSC tournament titles, with the most recent coming in 2023.

Lubbock Christian (23-6, 15-5) is the No. 4 seed. The Lady Chaps have won the LSC tournament two times (2020 and 2021) and reached the championship game last year. LCU will open against No. 5 seed Eastern New Mexico (19-5, 15-5 LSC) at 8:30 p.m. CT Friday. ENMU enters on a seven-game winning streak.

Saturday's semifinals will feature the TWU/UTPB winner against the LCU/ENMU winner at 6 p.m. CT and the WT/StMU winner against the UTT/ASU winner at 8:30 p.m. CT. Sunday's title game will tip at 3:30 p.m. CT.

The winner of the LSC Women's Basketball Championship will be named the league's tournament champion and earn the league's automatic qualification to the 2026 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball South Central Regional, set for March 13-16 at a site to be determined. The winner of the South Central Regional will advance to the Elite 8, which will be held March 24-28 at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburg, Pa.
   
LSC TOURNAMENT NOTES
Tickets for the LSC tournament are available as single session passes priced at $20 for adults and $12 for students. Each single-session ticket includes two tournament games and are redeemable for the specified session only. Tickets are on sale on Ticketmaster and the Comerica Center Box Office.

Suites at Comerica Center are also available and offer the opportunity for fans to watch the tournament in style from one of the venue's premium suites. Suite packages include 14 tickets with the flexibility to purchase each suite on a per-session basis. For more information, click here.

Every game of the LSC tournament will be available to watch on FloCollege. Monthly and annual subscriptions are available.

The women share the Frisco stage with the LSC men's basketball tournament. Men's quarterfinals are played all day Thursday (March 5) followed by the semifinals games on Saturday (Noon and 2:30 p.m. CT) and the championship on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.