There will be quite a size disparity in Shaw’s starting lineup Tuesday night when the Lady Bears face Pittsburg State in the Elite Eight in San Antonio.

Forward Kyria Buford and center Aslea Williams are both 6-foot-1. And then, directing the Bears’ offense is 4-11 senior Alyssa Lane.

Yes, 4-foot-11.

“Ask her, and she will tell you she’s 5-1,” Bears coach Jacques Curtis said. “I measured her, and she was 4-11.

“She has a lot of heart. She’s the heart and soul of our team. She’s been with us for three years, and she’s a really good player.”

Lane, hitting 8-of-11 shots from the field and 1-of-2 from the foul line, scored 17 points, grabbed six rebounds and handed out five assists in Shaw’s 70-53 victory over top-seeded Edinboro in the Atlantic Regional championship game. She averages 4.2 points and 2.8 rebounds and leads the team with 99 assists.

Guard Brittney Spencer tallied 15 points and Williams and Buford scored 13 apiece as Shaw’s starters combined for all but four points against Edinboro. Crystal Harris, another 6-1 player who fills the sixth man’s role, missed the game while attending her grandmother’s funeral.

Shaw, located in Raleigh, N.C., lost in the Elite Eight semifinals one year ago.

“This year we have eight seniors, probably more seniors than any other year we’ve been here,” Curtis said. “This is our fifth time (to the Elite Eight). We haven’t been that successful in the past. We’re hoping that these eight seniors will give us leadership so we can advance past the first round.”

Busy day

Pittsburg State, which arrived in San Antonio on Sunday, has a busy schedule today starting with a community engagement project this morning at Nimitz Middle School.

The Gorillas’ 55-minute practice at Bill Greehey Arena starts at 1 p.m., and coach Lane Lord will participate in a press conference at 4:15.

Then tonight at 6:30, the Gorillas will have a team picture taken at the Alamo.

On the road again

It’s easy to pick the Elite Eight team that has logged the most miles during the season.

“Being from Alaska, every other week we’re flying somewhere in the Great Northwest (Athletic Conference),” Alaska-Anchorage coach Tim Moser said. “All the travel helped us go down to UC San Diego and play a tough game on their court.

“I want to get our kids battle-tested early. We’ll take an exhibition game out east ... this year we went to Virginia. I have to recruit a different type of kid, a tougher kid. It took me a while to figure it out.”

The Seawolves’ roster includes several international players.

“It’s easier for us to get a good foreign kid than one from the lower 48 (states),” Moser said. “There are no language barriers. All the kids speak English very fluently.”

Alaska-Anchorage actually saved miles last week. After beating UC San Diego 68-63 in the regional final, the Seawolves stayed in San Diego before continuing on to San Antonio.

Elite at last

Pittsburg State, Lander, Rollins, Ashland and Wayne State (Neb.) are all making their first Elite Eight appearance.

Bentley and Shaw are in the Elite Eight for the second straight year, and Alaska-Anchorage’s last appearance was in 2009, also in San Antonio.

Wayne State is No. 1 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Division II poll.

“We’ve had a lot of success the last few years but not the success we wanted in the NCAA Tournament,” Wildcats coach Chris Kielsmeier said. “We had an amazing opportunity to host the Central Regional, and to win three straight in the regional was quite an accomplishment for our program. We’re excited to take a big step forward in the development of our program.”

Lander, which has won 100 games during the last four seasons, overcame a late-season slump to advance to San Antonio.

“We’re glad the ball is still bouncing,” coach Kevin Pederson said. “A couple of weeks ago we lost four of eight games, including our Senior Night game.

“We’ll have nine players dress for the game, and eight are seniors. It’s been a bit challenging at times. We have not been as focused as we need to be. This was our third straight appearance in the Sweet 16, and I’m proud we finally climbed that mountain and will make an Elite appearance.”