The Sul Ross State women's basketball team has etched themselves into the record books.

On Saturday afternoon, the Lobos routed Howard Payne, 83-53, at the Pete P. Gallego Center on Senior Day.

Sul Ross has eclipsed the win total of 14 from the previous season as it captured 15 victories.

In addition, this year's squad now holds the record for the most conference wins with 11 to surpass the record held by last season's team which was 10.

With the University of Texas at Dallas narrowly defeating East Texas Baptist, 52-51, the Lobos will have to travel to Richardson for the American Southwest Conference tournament quarterfinal contest, which takes place Tuesday, Feb. 21 with a 7 p.m. CST tipoff against UT-Dallas.

Sul Ross split with the Comets during the regular season, winning the head-to-head point differential by one point.

UT-Dallas finished a game ahead of Sul Ross to claim the fourth-seed while the Lobos are seeded fifth.

The Lobos are making their third-straight trip to the ASC tournament and are seeking to win their first quarterfinal matchup since March 10, 2021.

"Our players really stepped up. I believe they want to go a little further than tonight's game," said Sul Ross head coach E.J. Lee Smith. "I'm very proud of all of them. My seniors and my captains spoke up and they led their team. We have to play like that continuously if we want to go farther."

It was a close game at the start of the first quarter. Brianna Martin drained a three-pointer to put Sul Ross on top before Howard Payne flipped the script and took a one-point lead.

Martin tied the game after making two free throws. Jocelyne Roque added to the run making a layup while Kayley Diaz made a shot in the paint to put the Lobos ahead by five.

The Yellow Jackets came back to tie the game at 11-all with 4:01 on the clock.

Marley Rokas landed two free throws while Martin hit another three-pointer to help Sul Ross regain the lead by five.

A three by Emily Bunger and another shot in the paint by Roque helped the Lobos separate with an eight-point cushion with 1:40 to go.

Howard Payne cut the deficit to six just before the end of the opening quarter.

The Lobos led by as much as seven with 5:17 in the second quarter after a jumper in the paint by Vania Hampton.

With 3:25 to go until halftime, the Yellow Jackets cut the deficit to one. Rokas made two more free throws down the stretch to put Sul Ross up by three at the break.

Sul Ross began to show its dominance in the third quarter by outscoring Howard Payne, 24-7.

Rokas scored five quick points to start the second half as she made a three-pointer and a jumper in the paint.

Victoria Aguayo then made a layup with 6:56 to put the Lobos up by 10.

Sul Ross closed out the third quarter on a 7-0 run to pull away with a commanding 20-point lead. Roque had five points during the offensive spree.

The run grew to 16-0 as the Lobos kept up the intensity in the fourth quarter. Hampton tallied five points to start off the final frame.

Up by 29, Sul Ross was unstoppable as Aguayo landed a clutch three-pointer with 2:27 to go.

Taryn Aguilar gave the Lobos a 32-point lead with 21 seconds to go after making a jumper in the paint.

It was a solid collective effort as five Lobos scored double-digit figures.

Diaz had a stellar day, scoring a double-double with 18 points and 11 assists while she also tallied five steals.

This was the second double-double of the season for Diaz since Jan. 19.

"I just wanted to finish strong. We needed to take care of business at home and just take it on to UT-Dallas," Diaz said. "I know we're shorthanded, but we're definitely ready. As long as we stick together like the way we did today on the court that's all that matters to me.

"Everybody contributed and had their chance to play. I just knew I had to do my part. I don't have any backups for point guard, so I just had to stay composed, be very smart on defense and just play my game."

Aguayo finished with 14 points while Martin added with 12 points, four assists, three steals and three rebounds.

Rokas added with 11 points and six rebounds. Hampton recorded nine rebounds and 11 points.

Roque chipped in with nine points and four rebounds.

Sul Ross shot an impressive 22 of 25 from the free throw line (88 percent). Rokas, Diaz and Aguayo combined for a perfect 17 for 17.

The Lobos grabbed 40 rebounds and had 16 assists and 17 steals.

"We made history together. It's not just me. We all did it. I'm very happy about that. It's not just us. It's the whole athletic department. It starts with (athletic director) Amanda Workman," Smith added.

>> BY THE NUMBERS:

• Sul Ross has the second-best offense in the conference with 1,805 points scored. The Lobos average 72.2 points per game.
• The Lobos lead the conference with 391 made free throws.
• Sul Ross ranks second in the conference with 1,108 rebounds. The Lobos average 44.3 rebounds a game.
• Rokas is the third-best scorer in the conference with 352 points. She averages 14.1 points per game.
• Hampton and Rokas are tied for sixth-best in the conference with 190 rebounds.
• Rokas has the best free throw percentage in the conference as she has made 92 of 107 free throws for a percentage of 86.
• Martin's 41 three-pointers are fourth-best in the conference.
• With 86 assists, Diaz ranks third in the conference. She averages 3.4 assists per game.
• Martin's 58 steals lead the conference.

>> RECORDS: Sul Ross (15-10, 11-7); Howard Payne (2-23, 0-18)

>> UP NEXT: The Lobos travel to Richardson to take on UT-Dallas in the ASC quarterfinal round at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21.

>> TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: For more information on the ASC tournament, visit https://ascsports.org/news/2023/1/14/2023-womens-basketball-championship-central.aspx.