RICHARDSON, Texas –– In its first season eligible for postseason play after serving the past four years as an NCAA Division III provisional member, the University of Texas at Tyler went 14-8 in league play to claim the American Southwest Conference East Division title and the right to host the 2008 ASC Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament at Herrington Patriot Center in Tyler, Texas, beginning Friday and lasting through Sunday (February 29-March 2).

The entire eight-team, single elimination event will be available for fans through free live video webcasting with audio through the official tournament website, www.uttyler.edu/athletics/aschoops, and the conference website. Live statistics will also be available.

Head coach Terri Deike and the Patriots (17-8), who have won three East titles in the last four years, will begin tourney play at 8:00 p.m. on Friday against West Division No. 4 seed University Mary Hardin-Baylor (14-11). UT Tyler is the only team in the field playing in its first ASC tournament. UMHB has made three straight trips.

Head coach Chris Kielsmeier and defending ASC champion Howard Payne won the West Division crown and currently have a 25-0 record. The Lady Jackets, one of three teams in the nation without a loss this season, become just the second basketball team in ASC history – women or men – to go through the regular season undefeated, joining the 26-0 Hardin-Simmons women from the 2002-03 season. HPU also became the first team to sweep through league play (21-0) since the ASC went to an expanded conference schedule in 2004-05.

HPU has the first quarterfinal on Friday when it tips off at 1 p.m. against the East Division’s No. 4 seed, Louisiana College (15-10). The Lady Wildcats are making their first tourney appearance since 2005.

Mississippi College (15-10) enters as the East’s No. 2 seed and will open play at 3 p.m. on Friday against the West’s No. 3 seed, Hardin-Simmons University (20-5). HSU has the most all-time tournament appearances with 10, followed by MC’s nine. HSU won the first six tourney championships (19999-2004), defeating MC in the 2003 title game.

McMurry University (19-2) is the West Division’s No. 2 seed and at 6 p.m. on Friday will take on the University of Texas at Dallas (16-9), the East’s No. 3 seed. McMurry has reached three straight title games and five overall, capturing the crown in 2006. UTD is making a repeat trip to the tourney after its first in program history last season.

The semifinals are scheduled to tip-off Saturday at 3 p.m. (LC-HPU winner vs. MC-HSU winner) and 5 p.m. (UTD-McM winner vs. UTT-UMHB winner), with the championship game coming Sunday at 2 p.m.

Returning All-Tournament Team selections from 2007 are Most Valuable Player Meia Daniels of Howard Payne and teammate Stacey Blalock along with McMurry’s Tarra Richardson. Senior center Richardson and senior guard Daniels, the top two scorers in the history of the ASC, respectively, have been named to three straight all-tournament squads. Richardson was the MVP in 2006.

The ASC championship tournament winner earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship.

NOTES:
- Admission prices for each day will be $6 for adults, $3 for students and $3 for senior citizens. No tournament passes are available.

- Official tournament website: www.uttyler.edu/athletics/aschoops
- Video broadcasts will be available for purchase on DVD at the Herrington Patriot Center or on the official tourney website.

- This is the 10th anniversary of the ASC’s basketball tournament.

- The hosting rights of the tourney rotate from East to West each year.

- No team from the East Division has ever won the ASC title.