LONGVIEW -- LeTourneau University women's basketball team will close the regular season with a four-game homestand, beginning 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
The YellowJackets (11-10, 7-5 American Southwest Conference) host Concordia Texas Thursday and No. 17 Mary Hardin-Baylor 1 p.m. Saturday. They wrap up the regular season next Thursday at home versus Louisiana College and against Belhaven on Senior Day Feb. 22.
LeTourneau has secured a berth in the ASC Championship Tournament. The Jackets will be making their fifth appearance in the league tournament and first in three years.
LETU is 5-4 at home this season. The YellowJackets are experiencing their first double-digit win season since 2016-17.
Â
ENTERING THE HOME STRETCH
LeTourneau will play its final four regular season games at home … The YellowJackets host Concordia Texas Thursday and No. 17 Mary Hardin-Baylor Saturday … Concordia is averaging 65.8 points per game … Payton Berger leads the Tornados in scoring (12 ppg) and rebounding (5.8) … Kaycie Dunkerley is averaging 10.5 ppg … UHMB is scoring 74 points per game … Hannah Holt leads the Crusaders in scoring (16.1) … Kendall Rollins is averaging 11.6 ppg and 5.2 reb … Allaira Jones is averaging 11.3 ppg and 8.0 reb.
Â
ASC TOURNAMENT QUALIFIER
The YellowJackets secured a berth in the American Southwest Conference Championship Tournament … LETU will be making its first appearance in the postseason tournament since 2017.
Â
DOUBLE-DIGIT WINS
LETU reached double-digit victories for the first time in three years … The 2016-17 team went 13-13.
Â
KJ's KORNER
Jr. G Keanua (KJ) Whitfield leads the YellowJackets in scoring (16.1), and is pulling down 6.6 rebounds per game … She's scored in double figures in all but two games this season … She is 18 points away from cracking the school's Top 10 list in scoring … Whitfield has 904 career points … She is 10
th on the all-time field goals list with 319 … She ranks seventh on the all-time rebounds list with 566.
Â
OK MICAYLA
Soph. G Micayla Mikulski ranks seventh in the ASC in three-point field goal percentage (.356) … She's made at least one triple in six of the last seven games … Mikulski is second on the team in scoring at 11.3 ppg.
Â
GO WITH THE FLO
Jr. F Flora Akingbade ranks seventh in the ASC in rebounds per game (7.6) … She's had double-digit rebounds in six games this season.
Â
CRUZ CONTROL
Sr. G Vanessa Cruz leads the YellowJackets in assists (84) … She ranks fifth in the ASC at 4.0 per game … She's had a season-high eight assists in three games this year … Cruz is scoring 7.6 ppg and leads the team in steals (2.1) … She ranks eighth in the ASC in steals per game.
Â
STEALING THE SHOW
The YellowJackets have had over 10 steals in 17 games this season … LETU ranks second in the ASC in steals per game (12.4) … The Jackets had a season-high 21 steals vs. Centenary (Dec. 7).
Â
GLASS WORK
LeTourneau leads the ASC in offensive rebounds per game (17.9) … The YellowJackets rank 18
th in the nation in offensive boards.
Â
TURNING EM OVER
The Jackets rank 24
th in the nation in turnover margin (5.86) … LETU is forcing 20.24 turnovers per game.
Â
WHO WEARS THE PANTS?
Third-year head coach
Cassi Rozanski hired her husband
Marc Rozanski as her assistant this year … In 2015-16, the Rozanskis were the only married couple in the nation serve on the same NCAA Division I staff, having done so at the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley.
Â
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
The YellowJackets were picked to finish fifth in the ASC East in the league preseason poll … LeTourneau received 52 points … East Texas Baptist was picked to win the East with 21 first place votes and 141 points … Mary Hardin-Baylor was picked to win the West with 20 first place votes and 139 points.
Â