FRISCO – This isn’t your parent’s Lone Star Conference tournament. With tradition-rich programs like West Texas A&M and Angelo State failing to reach the tournament semifinals, other programs are fighting to fill the void. The four teams that will play for an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II tournament have made four combined appearances and two victories in championship game history.

The men began the day with No. 3 seed Lubbock Christian taking its first lead of the contest against No. 7 seed Texas A&M International with 66 seconds remaining in regulation. Ethan Duncan nailed a step-back 3-pointer late to propel the Chaps into the Lone Star Conference tournament championship game with a 50-48 victory.

These two schools ended Friday night’s women’s action with the LSC’s first triple-overtime contest in men’s or women’s history, and the intensity continued to open the conference semifinals on Saturday. 

The Dustdevils controlled the contest until midway through the second half. TAMIU held a 33-20 lead with 16:15 remaining in regulation before LCU began finding success beyond the 3-point line. Duncan’s shot from the midcourt logo gave the Chaps the lead with 18 seconds remaining. TAMIU’s final shot attempt at the buzzer fell short off the rim.

Meeting the Chaps in the LSC men’s championship game at 1 p.m. Sunday is No. 4 seed Eastern New Mexico after the Greyhounds fought off a challenge from No. 8 seed Cameron for a 91-81 victory. ENMU will play in its second LSC title game in program history and the first since 1993. 

The Greyhounds dominated inside against the Aggies behind 6-foot-9 sophomore Jose Murillo and Jahcoree Ealy, the leading scorer in the LSC this season. Ealy scored 23 points, while Murillo added 16 points and six rebounds. ENMU outscored Cameron 62-40 in the paint and totaled 130 points in the paint in two games of the LSC tournament.

The women’s semifinals opened the night session. No. 4 seed Texas A&M International jumped out to an early lead over No. 1 seed Texas Woman’s. However, the Pioneers' offense exploded after the opening quarter to earn an 84-72 victory. TWU made 28 of 39 field goal attempts over the final three quarters against a Dustdevils team that had won the longest game in LSC tournament men’s and women’s history less than 24 hours earlier.

LSC Player of the Year Ashley Ingram finished three rebounds and three assists shy of a triple-double. The junior forward from Bridgeport scored a game-high 27 points and added seven rebounds and seven assists in 38 minutes of action. TAMIU was led by Raiana Brown, who finished with 25 points and seven rebounds.

The Pioneers will play UT Permian Basin in the LSC women’s championship game at 3:30 p.m. Sunday after the Falcons won a thrilling 70-68 contest against UT Tyler. The Falcons are playing in their first LSC title game in program history, thanks to a layup by Andreea Mancha with 31 seconds remaining.

The game was close throughout and grew closer during the final five minutes when five of the game’s nine ties and two of the seven lead changes occurred. Kamryn Lemon scored 19 of her game-high 28 points in the first half, while Mancha added 15 points for the Falcons.