The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

FOR the third consecutive year, Lashann Higgs saw her programme advance to the Women’s NCAA Tournament following the “Selection Monday” process for the field of 64.

Higgs and the nationally ranked No.8 Texas Longhorns were named the No. 2 seed in the Kansas City Region and will face the No. 15 Maine Black Bears.

The Longhorns will have the good fortune of hosting the first two rounds at home at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas and begin tournament play at 6pm Saturday.

The second-seeded Longhorns will be joined in Austin by seventh-seeded Arizona State, 10th-seeded Nebraska and Maine.

The Longhorns finished the season 26-6, concluded by a 93-87 loss to the No.2 ranked Baylor Bears in the Big 12 Tournament final. Higgs finished with six points and three rebounds.

As a junior this season, Higgs has stepped into a leadership role and started all 27 appearances. She averaged 12.9 points, 2.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds - all career highs. She also had the best shooting season of her career at 54 per cent from the field, 33 per cent from the three-point line and 74 per cent from the free throw line.

Last year as a sophomore, Higgs averaged eight points, three rebounds, 1.5 assists and one steal in just over 17 minutes per game.

In that season, the Longhorns finished 31-5 and earned an NCAA Elite Eight appearance. Higgs finished the final game of their season with a career high 19 points in the Longhorns’ 86-65 loss to the eventual champion UConn Huskies in the Bridgeport Regional Semi-final.

As a freshman, she averaged 7.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in 13.2 minutes. She established an important role in the rotation for the Longhorns highlighted by a season high 16 points over then second ranked Baylor.

In her freshman season the Huskies ended the tournament run for the Longhorns after they routed them by 50 in the 2015 Sweet 16.

Texas is making its 31st all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, which ranks fourth among all NCAA Division I programmes. The Longhorns hold an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 40-29 (.580). UT is hosting the NCAA First and Second Rounds for the third consecutive year and eighth time since 1997. Texas is 23-9 (.719) all-time in NCAA Tournament games played at home.

Texas is a No. 2 seed for the sixth time in programme history and holds a record of 13-5 (.722) all-time when competing in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed.

The Longhorns have made five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances under head coach Karen Aston, including three consecutive NCAA Sweet 16 showings for the first time in more than a decade.

Texas has posted its fifth consecutive 20-win season and has a 26-6 record overall. The Longhorns tied the school record for most Big 12 Conference wins in a single season with 15, finishing second in league play for the third consecutive season.