Field set for 2021 Southland Women’s Basketball Tournament

Ladyjacks, Lady Lions earn triple-round bye and path to semifinal rounds

FRISCO, Texas – The 2020-21 Southland Conference Women’s Basketball regular season concluded Saturday evening, finalizing all 10 of the tournament seeds in next week’s 2021 Hercules Tires Southland Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament. Postseason play begins Wednesday, March 10, at the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.

Stephen F. Austin secured the regular-season title after a flawless 14-0 run in conference play to conclude the season with 44 points in the final standings. With their unbeaten run, the Ladyjacks sealed their 18th regular-season championship in program history, earning the No. 1 seed at the upcoming Southland tournament.

Southeastern Louisiana finished next in the standings with 31 points and a 10-5 conference record to garner the No. 2 seed. Along with Southeastern Louisiana, the ‘Jacks will be awarded a triple-bye and an automatic path to the semifinal rounds of the tournament.

Tournament play begins Wednesday, March 10, at 11 a.m. CT with game one between No. 8-seed Houston Baptist and on No. 9-seeded McNeese. The Cowgirls and the Huskies split in the regular season, with each team winning at home. Game two will follow at 2 p.m. with No. 7 Abilene Christian against No. 10 UIW. The Wildcats topped the Cardinals 64-55 in Abilene, Texas, in their lone matchup on the final day of regular-season play. Although ACU and HBU finished tied in the final standings with 21 points after only meeting once in the regular season, the Wildcats own the tiebreaker over the Huskies after winning on the road in Houston, Texas (Feb. 10).

Day two begins at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 11, with the game-three matchup between No. 5 Central Arkansas and the winner of game one. Game four will begin at 2 p.m., featuring No. 6 Nicholls pitted against the winner of game two in the fourth matchup of the tournament. Third-round action tips off at 11 a.m. Friday, March 12, with No. 4 Lamar versus the winner of game three, followed by game six between No. 3 Sam Houston and the winner of game four at 2 p.m. Semifinal rounds will commence Saturday, March 13, at 1 p.m. with No. 1 Stephen F. Austin taking on the winner of game five. No. 2-seeded Southeastern Louisiana will face off against the winner of game six in a 4 p.m. tipoff. All preliminary rounds can be seen on ESPN+.

Sunday’s championship matchup is slated for a 1 p.m. tip and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.

Tickets for the 2021 Hercules Tires Southland Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament can be purchased via Ticketmaster and all Ticketmaster outlets.

The tournament champion will receive the league’s automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball tournament in San Antonio, Texas.

WOMEN’S SEEDS
No. 1 – Stephen F. Austin (44 points; 14-0 SLC)
No. 2 – Southeastern Louisiana (31 points; 10-5 SLC)
No. 3 – Sam Houston (29 points, 9-5 SLC)
No. 4 – Lamar (28 points; 9-6 SLC)
No. 5 – Central Arkansas (27 points; 9-7 SLC)
No. 6 – Nicholls (27 points; 9-7 SLC)
No. 7 – Abilene Christian (21 points; 6-7 SLC)
No. 8 – Houston Baptist (21 points; 6-7 SLC)
No. 9 – McNeese (20 points; 6-8 SLC)
No. 10 – UIW (19 points; 4-5 SLC)

WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
First Round – Wednesday, March 10, 2021
11 a.m. – Game 1 – No. 8 Houston Baptist vs. No. 9 McNeese (ESPN+)
2 p.m. – Game 2 – No. 7 Abilene Christian vs. No. 10 UIW (ESPN+)

Second Round – Thursday, March 11, 2021
11 a.m. – Game 3 – No. 5 Central Arkansas vs. Winner Game 1 (ESPN+)
2 p.m. – Game 4 – No. 6 Nicholls vs. Winner Game 2 (ESPN+)

Third Round – Friday, March 12, 2021
11 a.m. – Game 5 – No. 4 Lamar vs. Winner Game 3 (ESPN+)
2 p.m. – Game 6 – No. 3 Sam Houston vs. Winner Game 4 (ESPN+)

Semifinals – Saturday, March 14, 2020
1 p.m.- Game 7 – No. 1 Stephen F. Austin vs. Winner Game 5 (ESPN+)
4 p.m. – Game 8 – No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana vs. Winner Game 6 (ESPN+)

Championship – Sunday, March 15, 2020
1 p.m. – Game 9 – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 (CBS Sports Network)