JONESBORO, AR – The Arkansas State women's basketball team accomplished something that has not been done since the 1978-79 season as the Lady Indians defeated their instate rival Arkansas, 98-84 in front of 10,892 fans on Monday night in the second round of the Sportsview.tv WNIT. The crowd was the largest crowd to ever watch a basketball game at the Convocation Center as the Lady Indians now advance to the quarterfinals of the WNIT as they travel to Iowa on Thursday night at 7 p.m.

“This was just a great win for us tonight and a phenomenal crowd. This win is for all of the past players and coaches as in ASU women's basketball history,” head coach Brian Boyer said. “This is great for women's basketball in the state of Arkansas and our players deserve this victory.”

The Lady Indians now improve to 21-10 on the season overall and are now a perfect 13-0 this season at home at the Convocation Center. The 21 wins are the most for the Tribe in a season since the 1993-94 team that won 22 games. The 13 victories at the Convocation Center are also the most victories in a season at home in ASU history.

The Lady Indians used an all-around scoring attack to down the Lady Razorbacks as five different players scored in double figures for the Tribe. The Lady Indians attack the basket all game long as the Tribe attempted 51 free throws while connecting on 37. Junior guard Ali Carter scored a team-high 25 points in the victory including 14-of-19 from the free throw line.

The Tribe jumped out early on the Lady Razorbacks as it used the momentum from the standing room only crowd. Senior guard Zaneta Lane opened the scoring on a put back as ASU took the lead from the beginning and never relinquished it. The Tribe went ahead 9-2 at the 16:26 mark of the game as Carter nailed her first three-pointer of the night to throw the crowd into a fevered pitch.

The Lady Indians continued to extend their lead as they took a 23-15 lead at the 9:05 mark of the first half on an Adrianne Davie basket. Freshman forward Kelsey Lock ignited the run as she scored five straight points during a minute stretch to spur ASU. Arkansas (17-14) ran off an 8-1 run to pull back within one point at 24-23 but could not pull even. The Lady Indians went on a 10-2 run to extend their lead back to nine points at 36-27 as sophomore Rudy Sims scored four consecutive points.

The Lady Indians went into the locker room with a 41-33 lead as they shot 12-of-31 (38.7%) from the field and made 15-of-20 (75%) from the charity stripe in the opening half. Carter led all scorers at the break as she scored 13 points including eight from the charity stripe while Lane added 10 points in the first half as well.

The Lady Razorbacks were under pressure for the ASU defense throughout the first half as they committed 14 first half turnovers compared to just seven ASU miscues. Sarah Pfeifer led Arkansas as she scored 12 first half points and Melissa Hobbs chipped in eight points as they connected on 15-of-35 (42.9%) from the field.

The Lady Indians came out in the second half and went to work offensively as they scored a season-high 57 second half points as they connected on 17-of-27 (63%) from the field in the half and 22-of-31 (71%) from the charity stripe. The Lady Indians scored the first four points of the second half from the line as they took their largest lead of the night at 45-33.

The Tribe kept the lead around 10 points for most of the half as they continued to wear on the Lady Razorbacks. The nail in the coffin for the Lady Indians was at the 4:38 mark of the game as Sims drained a three-pointer to extend ASU's back into double figures at 78-66. The Lady Indians continued to add points as they ran off a 10-0 run to take an 83-66 lead with 3:46 remaining.

Arkansas was able to pull back within 10 points at 89-79 as it used a full court press and connected on some three-pointers in the waning minutes of the game. The Tribe sealed the victory from the charity stripe as it connected on its last eight-of-11 from the line to take the 14-point victory.

The 98 points are the most points scored this season and the most by an ASU team since the Lady Indians put up 111 points against Morris Brown in the 2002-03 season. It also marks the most points allowed this season by Arkansas.

The Lady Indians' scorching second half allowed them to finish the night 29-of-58 (50%) from the field while Arkansas finished the night 32-of-75 (42.9%) from the field. The Tribe continued to keep opponents' three-point threats in check as Arkansas only connected on 26.3% from deep on the night.

Davie finished the night with her 14th double-double of the season and the 22nd double-double of her career. She scored 17 points on the strength of nine-of-12 shooting from the line and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds. Sims added 20 points including a pair of three-pointers as she rebounded from a tough shooting night in the first round.

Lane continued her strong play in the postseason as she chipped in 16 points on six-of-nine shooting from the field. Lock finished the night with 11 points as she was five-of-eight from the field.

Pfeiffer paced the Lady Razorbacks as she scored a game-high 26 points on 12-of-18 shooting. She also led her team on the glass as she grabbed 12 rebounds while ASU was out rebounded, 44-40. Rochelle Vaughn and Adrienne Bush each chipped in 13 points in the loss.

The victory advances the Lady Indians to the quarterfinals of the WNIT for the first time since the 1998-99 season. The crowd of 10,892 surpasses the old Convocation Center attendance record that was set in the first game ever between ASU men and Memphis 1987.

The Lady Indians will continue their quest for postseason glory on Thursday night as they travel to Cedar Rapids, IA to take on Big Ten member Iowa in the quarterfinals. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m.

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