Sports Release
February 21, 1999

ENMU TRAVELS TO EAST CENTRAL
FOR LSC TOURNAMENT OPENER
PORTALES, NM — The Eastern New Mexico Zias, who finished the regular season at 15-11, including 8-8 in the Lone Star Conference South Division, will open the LSC Women’s Basketball Tournament by traveling to East Central University (Ada, Okla.) for a quarterfinal game on Tues., Feb. 23.

The Zias, who earned the South Division’s fourth and final tournament berth, defeated East Central, the top seed in the North Division, 65-52, on Dec. 5 in Portales.

Tuesday’s quarterfinal game is scheduled to get underway at 6:00 p.m. (MST). ECU ended the regular season in a tie with Southeastern Oklahoma for the North Division title at 10-4. The game will be broadcast live on KSEL FM, 95.3.

East Central owned the tie-breaker over Southeastern Oklahoma, so the Tigers received the #1 seed in the North. East Central is 18-7 overall. In other quarterfinal games in the LSC Women’s Basketball Tournament, Harding (19-7, 9-5 LSC, #3 North) plays at Abilene Christian (21-6, 13-3 LSC, #2 South); Texas A&M- Kingsville (17-9, 10-6 LSC, #3 South) travels to Southeastern Oklahoma (18-8, 10-4 LSC, #2 North); and Southwestern Oklahoma (15-11, 7-7 LSC, #4 North) plays at West Texas A&M (19-9, 13-3 LSC, #1 South).

The ENMU-ECU winner will play the Harding-ACU winner at the home court of the higher seed. The TAMU-Kingsville vs. SE Oklahoma winner will take on the winner of the SW Oklahoma-West Texas A&M game, with the game hosted by the higher seed. Both semifinals will be played on Thur., Feb. 25, with the winners advancing to the LSC Championship Game on Sat., Feb. 27.

The title game will be hosted by the team seeded higher in its own division. If the teams are seeded the same, the championship game will be hosted by the North Division representative.

ENMU’s top scorers are junior post player Amanda Mendez (5’11”, San Antonio, TX/ Madison H.S.), with 11.9 points per game, and sophomore post/forward Katheryne Hickman (6’0”, San Antonio, TX/Castle Hills First Baptist H.S.), with 10.8 points per game. Hickman leads the Zias with a 50.2% field goal percentage (105 of 209).

Eastern’s best outside shooter is junior guard/ forward Sharon Max (6’0”, Kirtland, NM/Central H.S.), who is averaging 9.7 points per game and has connected on 42 of 114 three-point attempts (36.8%). Sophomore post Bobbie Wallin (6’1”, Moriarty, NM/Moriarty H.S.) leads the Zias in rebounding, with 6.7 boards per game.

Eastern’s point guard, senior Julie Smith (5’8”, Albuquerque, NM/Eldorado H.S.), is averaging 5.4 assists per game. She ranks 2nd in the LSC in assists-to-turnover ratio at 2.55.