March 1, 2003

Final Stats

ABILENE, Texas - Hardin-Simmons' women's basketball team won its fifth straight American Southwest Conference Tournament title with a 99-73 win over Mississippi College, Saturday night in front of 1,917 fans at the Mabee Complex in Abilene.

The Cowgirls, who are ranked No. 1 or No.4 in the nation depending on which poll you look at, started off a little sluggish, but a run towards the end of the first half extended the halftime lead to 44-27. They came out of the locker room on fire and pushed the lead to a game-high 29 points at 63-34 with 13:44 to go in the second half.

The win improved the Cowgirls to 26-0 and gave them an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. The pairings for the tournament will be announced at 8:30 on Sunday.

All-American Kendra Anderson led the Cowgirls with 23 points and 10 rebounds. She earned her fourth straight American Southwest Conference MVP. Lauren Harris added 14 points and KraTaura Buckner (13) and Diana Martinez (11) each hit double figures. Martinez and Harris were named to the All-Tournament team.

"We fed off the energy of the crowd," said Anderson. "It is easy to get too pumped for a game like this. Once we settled down we were able to push out the lead. This was a great team effort and we are excited about the Championship and the upcoming NCAA Tournament."

HSU improved its winning streak to 38 games at the Mabee Complex and being one of two undefeated teams in the nation, could be in line to host some NCAA playoff games.

The young Choctaws finished their season at 22-4 and are hoping for one of seven Pool C bids that will be given out Sunday. Lacey Palomarez led the Choctaws with 21 points, while Nikki Conway added 16 and Tara Chez Britton added 14.