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UAFS Punches Ticket To NCAA Tournament

Lady Lions hold off UTPB for school’s first Heartland Conference title

FORT SMITH (KFSM) - For the first time in program history, the UA-Fort Smith women are headed to the division II NCAA tournament.

The Lady Lions overcame a second half deficit and then held off Texas-Permian Basin for a 53-48 win at the Stubblefield Center to capture the Heartland Conference Championship and the automatic berth into the South Central Region of the NCAA tournament.

"It's got a nice ring to it," UAFS coach Louis Whorton said. "It's the first time we got to hang a championship banner and the first time we made a trip to a national tournament. If we keep these kids for another year maybe it wont be the last one."

UAFS tied for the regular season title in the Heartland with Lubbock Christian but the Lady Chaps were ineligible for the postseason as they are a provisional member of the conference.

"It means so much," UAFS senior Angi Ramey said. "We've been through so much in these last two years and my third year my senior, year we finally won. We finally got it."

Jamsine Brainard led the way for UAFS with 15 points and was named the conference tournament's most valuable player while Ramey added seven points and 11 rebounds. UTPB got 19 points from Valerie Barriga.

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