LSC Roundup 12-29

Our lead story is not of an LSC school, but certainly one of interest to LSC fans


Northwest legend Mel Tjeerdsma to retire - NWMSU Sports Information
One of the most successful and well-respected coaches in the history of collegiate football, Mel Tjeerdsma, announced Wednesday that he will retire following a brilliant coaching career that spanned the last four decades.

Tjeerdsma, 64, vacates his post at Northwest Missouri State University following 17 years of service and after orchestrating one of the greatest football program transformations in the history of collegiate athletics. The Bearcats were 0-11 in 1994, his first season. The team is 183-32 since with three national championships and 12 conference championships in the last 15 seasons.

"The past 17 years have been an incredible experience for Carol and me," said Tjeerdsma. "The growth and the development of the Bearcat football program have probably exceeded all of our expectations. Even though we've been blessed with an abundance of great memories on the field, the friendships and relationships that we've developed are the most important aspect of our time at Northwest."





Lady Buff Basketball Set To Play Two Top-Five Teams This Week - WTAM Sports Information
THIS WEEK – The #22 West Texas A&M Lady Buffs (6-3, 0-0 LSC) return to action this week with a pair of top-five match-ups on the road. The Lady Buffs will take on the #5 Arkansas Tech Golden Suns this Wednesday, Dec. 29 at 5:30 p.m. at Tucker Coliseum in Russellville, Ark., before taking on the #1-ranked Delta State Lady Statesmen on Friday, Dec. 31 at 1 p.m. at Walter Sillers Coliseum in Cleveland, Miss.

LADY BUFFS VS. GOLDEN SUNS – Wednesday’s contest will mark just the second time the Lady Buffs and Golden Suns will have met on the court, with Arkansas Tech leading the series, 1-0. The Golden Suns downed the Lady Buffs, 77-51, back on Nov. 21, 1998, in Orlando, Fla., when the two teams met in the 1998 Division II Disney Classic.

LADY BUFFS VS. LADY STATESMEN – The Lady Buffs and Lady Statesmen have met just twice, with both contests coming in post-season play. The Lady Buffs won the inaugural meeting between the two teams, downing the Lady Statesmen 77-56 in the semifinal game of the 1988 NCAA Division II Final Four. The Lady Statesmen then knocked the Lady Buffs out of the playoffs back on Mar. 24, 2009, in the first round of the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in San Antonio, Texas. DSU won the contest, 55-47.

LAST TIME OUT – The Lady Buffs erased a 14-point first half deficit and trailed just 33-29 at the break against #7 Northeastern State, but the RiverHawks went 14-for-14 from the free throw line in the second period en route to a 65-62 win over the Lady Buffs at home.

Junior forward Jamie Simmons notched her second double-double in as many days, but NSU’s Taylor Lewis countered with a game-high 22 points to lead the RiverHawks to the victory. Ashley Leven tallied a season-high 12 points for the Lady Buffs and WT outscored NSU 15-2 off the bench, but the RiverHawks scored 18 points off turnovers to make-up the difference.

UP NEXT – Following the two games in Arkansas in Mississippi, the Lady Buffs return to LSC crossover action with a pair of road games at Southeastern Oklahoma on Thursday, Jan. 6 and then at East Central on Saturday, Jan. 8. WT opens LSC South Division play against Incarnate Word on Wednesday, Jan. 12 at San Antonio, Texas. The Lady Buffs return home to host Eastern New Mexico on Saturday, Jan. 15.

FIFTH-RANKED GOLDEN SUNS RETURN TO ACTION - ATU Sports Information
For the first time in 12 days, the fifth-ranked Arkansas Tech Women’s Basketball will again return to the court on Wednesday, Dec. 29 as the Golden Suns play host to 22nd-ranked West Texas A&M in a 5:30 p.m. non-conference contest at Tucker Coliseum.

Wednesday’s game is a match-up of the two of the top four women’s Division II basketball programs all-time in terms of winning percentage. Tech has won nearly 79 percent of its all-time games as they have posted an 828-221 record, while West Texas A&M is fourth on the all-time winning percentage list as the Lady Buffs have won 78 percent of its all-time games as they have posted a 711-200 all-time record.

The Lady Buffs, who haven’t played since suffering a 65-62 home loss on Dec. 20 to seventh-ranked Northeastern State, have won 20 or more games in eight consecutive seasons, including posting a 30-4 record last season. West Texas has advanced to 18 NCAA Division II Tournaments, four NCAA D-II Elite Eights and they have won three straight Lone Star Conference titles.
“West Texas is a very, very good program that has a lot of tradition and history, much like we have here at Tech,” the fourth-year Tech coach said. “It should be a good challenge for our team and it should help prepare us for the type of games we’ll play once GSC play opens up in January.”