The WTAMU Lady Buff basketball team went into their Jan. 22 matchup against Angelo State knowing that nothing less than a victory would be accepted if they wanted to keep their spot atop the LSC South Division.

Well, the Lady Buffs delivered thanks to standout performances from freshman Ariel Robertson and juniors Jamie Simmons and Ashley Leven as they claimed a 65-56 victory over the Rambelles at the Junell Center in San Angelo.

In the first half, both teams went basket for basket against one another.  WT didn’t start to take control until the 8:27 mark when they held a 12-10 lead.  Over the next four minutes the Lady Buffs went on a 10-0 run which helped propel them to a 22-10 lead at the 4:31 mark of the first half.  However, ASU was not about to be outdone as the Rambelles fought back and got within striking distance before halftime.  WT held a slim 28-25 advantage going into the locker room.

After halftime, it was much of the same as both teams seemed to cancel each other out.  ASU tied proceedings at the 15:39 mark at 32-32.  However, that was the last time the game would be tied.  WT’s offense seemed to find its spark as the Lady Buffs led by 13 points in the second half.  ASU simply had no answer as WT came away with a 65-56 victory.

Leading the scoring on the night for the Lady Buffs was freshman Ariel Robertson and junior Jamie Simmons who each scored 18 points on the night.  This set a new career-high for Robertson.  Following close behind was junior Ashley Leven who also recorded a new career-high with 14 points in the contest.

The Lady Buffs overall record now stands at 11-6 with a perfect 4-0 record in LSC play.  WT will now prepare for a showdown on Jan. 26 with Tarleton State with first place in the LSC South Division on the line.  Tip-off from the First United Bank Center is scheduled for 6 p.m.