ABILENE, Texas – The McMurry University women's basketball team have four games remaining, all of which are on the road, beginning on Thursday, Feb. 13 with Sul Ross State at 5:30 p.m. in Alpine, Texas. On Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m., the War Hawks will face Howard Payne in Brownwood, Texas.
This week carries major postseason implications, as McMurry, Sul Ross State and Howard Payne are all jockeying for fourth place in the American Southwest Conference West Division. The top four teams in each division will earn a spot in the ASC Championship tournament.
HPU (8-13, 4-8 ASC) is currently fourth place, followed by Sul Ross (5-16, 3-9) at one game back and McMurry (9-12, 2-10) two games out. With two wins this weekend, McMurry would be in prime position for a postseason berth.
Both games will have a live video stream and live stats, which are accessible in the links below.
MEDIA
SRSU: LIVE VIDEO l LIVE STATS
HPU: LIVE VIDEO l LIVE STATS
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT – McMurry gave a valiant effort on its senior day this past Saturday, overcoming a double-digit deficit to gain a late lead in the fourth quarter. The lead would not last, as Louisiana College held on for a 78-73 win. McM and LC split the season series as a result.
SCOUTING THE LOBOS – Sul Ross State has dropped eight of its last nine games, including a three-game skid to open February. Senior Chandre Nunez and freshman Maria Maldonado are each scoring double-digits for the season, as Nunez leads with 15.2 PPG and Maldonado averages an even 11.0 PPG. Freshman Kaylee Martinez averages 9.2 PPG and leads with 7.7 rebounds per contest.
SERIES HISTORY VS. SUL ROSS – McMurry owns a 59-29 advantage in the series since 1974-75. The War Hawks have won 24 of the last 25 games with just one loss in 2017. Aside from that contest, the War Hawks have not lost to SRSU since 2004. McMurry has won the last six games, including an 87-82 win this season.
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS – HPU has dropped its last two games, but picked up a very important win over Sul Ross on Feb. 1 to move into fourth place in the standings, 79-64. Junior guard Chelsey Harris paces the offense at 13.9 PPG, while freshman guard Bria Neal has emerged as a valuable player at 10.8 PPG.
SERIES HISTORY VS. HPU – HPU leads the all-time series with a 51-32 since 1974-75. Coming into the season, McMurry had dropped seven of its last 10 against the Yellow Jackets, but remedied that this season with a 75-63 win earlier this season. The War Hawks eye the season sweep this weekend, something they haven't done since the 1999-2000 campaign.
ROES TO GLORY – With nine wins so far and five games in hand, McMurry can still achieve its best season under fifth-year head coach Brittany Desnman-Roes. Her best season so far came in 2017-18, as the team finished with 13 wins and Densman-Roes was named ASC Coach of the Year.
WINNING THE BOARDS – The War Hawks have been powered by strong rebounding this season, ranking atop the ASC with 44.7 rebounds per game. Senior Skyler Reyna leads the ASC with 10.1 rebounds per contest and is the only player averaging double-digit rebounds.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE VISION – Reyna is also the only player in the ASC averaging a double-double with 16.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per contest. Adding to her rebound numbers, her scoring ranks fifth in the conference. Reyna finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds last weekend against Louisiana College.
THE 900 REBOUND MILESTONE – A four-year standout for McMurry, senior Skyler Reyna ranks second on the all-time career rebound list at 903. She is only the second player in McMurry Women's Basketball history to reach the 900 milestone, joining McM Hall of Honor member Tarra Richardson who has over 1,000.
REYNA RECORD WATCH – Reyna has 1,372 career points to rank fourth on the all-time list. This past Saturday, Reyna passed Tina Beal (1983-87) for fourth, who finished with 1,360 points in her career. Reyna needs 61 points to move into third place all-time with Kristi Risinger (1991-94).
YOUTH MOVEMENT – McMurry has 14 freshmen and one junior transfer on the 2019-20 roster, joining the returning senior duo of Sarah Doherty and Skyler Reyna. The average age of the team is 19.25 years old.
