McNeese State and Central Arkansas Battle for East Division Lead Saturday
FRISCO, Texas - After three weeks of conference play, defending champion McNeese State has emerged as the only undefeated team in league play. The Cowgirls boast a 16-4 overall record with a 6-0 mark in the Southland, including going 4-0 against division foes. McNeese is 10-1 this season at home and has reeled off seven consecutive wins. However, the Cowgirls' unblemished conference mark will be put to the test this weekend against Central Arkansas (14-4, 4-1).
The Sugar Bears have won three in a row and look to make the race for the conference regular season title competitive. With a win, UCA could move into a tie for the division lead with the early tie-breaker over the Cowgirls. However, it all hinges on how the Sugar Bears fare against Southeastern Louisiana (5-12, 0-4) on Wednesday.
In Saturday's 2 p.m. matchup between the top two teams in the East, one team's perfect record has to fall. McNeese is looking to move to 7-0 in conference while UCA currently holds a 10-0 mark at the Farris Center this season. The Sugar Bears have been a tough team to beat in Conway, having already knocked off Indiana, Alabama and Tennessee-Martin at home this year.
Before this weekend, nine more teams take the court in midweek action. UT Arlington (3-13, 1-4), which picked up its first conference win this season against Stephen. F Austin, will head out of conference on Tuesday to face Nebraska-Omaha at 7 p.m. Conference play resumes on Wednesday with SFA (12-5, 2-2) traveling to West Division leader Sam Houston State (9-7, 4-1) for a 6:30 p.m. tip. Three other games are scheduled for a 7 p.m. start on Wednesday evening, including UCA and Southeastern in Conway, Ark., Northwestern State (5-13, 1-4) at Lamar (9-9, 1-3) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (6-12, 2-3) at Texas State (10-7, 2-2).
Saturday all 12 Southland programs will be in competition, headlined by the Sugars Bears and Cowgirls at 2 p.m. Also set for a 2 p.m. tip is Lamar at Nicholls State (10-9, 3-3), UTSA (7-11, 3-2) at Sam Houston and Texas State at UTA. Northwestern will take on Southeastern later on in the afternoon in Hammond, La., at 3 p.m. The Saturday nightcap will feature A&M-Corpus Christi traveling to Stephen F. Austin for a 6:30 p.m. start.
UCA's Megan Herbert First in NCAA in Active Career Double-Doubles
In less than three seasons of play, Central Arkansas junior forward Megan Herbert leads the NCAA in career double-doubles among active players. Herbert currently has 55 career double-doubles while the next closest active player is Sacred Heart senior Callan Taylor with 49. Herbert is the first women's player in conference history to record more than 30 double-doubles. A native of Rogers, Ark., Herbert set the single-season record as a freshman with 27 double-doubles.
Southland Players in the National Ranks
- Sam Houston State junior forward Sequeena Thomas is 14th in the nation in rebounds per game. Thomas pulls down 10.6 rpg for the Bearkats. In 16 games this season, she has a total of 170 boards. Central Arkansas' Megan Herbert is 20th in the country with 10.2 rpg.
- McNeese State junior guard Caitlyn Baggett is one of the best in the nation from behind the arc, shooting 42.1 percent. Baggett has made 40 of 95 from 3-point range, ranking 11th in the country.
McNeese State and Central Arkansas Ranked in Mid-Major Poll; Stephen F. Austin Receives Votes
In last week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, McNeese State jumps three spots in the rankings to No. 12. The Cowgirls received 404 points after posting a 2-0 week with conference wins against Lamar and Texas State. The Sugar Bears fell one spot to No. 17 after a 1-1 week. After defeating UCA, Stephen F. Austin picked up one more point to receive 60 and sits right outside the Top. The Ladyjacks are the third highest team to receive votes outside the Top 25.
Sugar Bears' Defense Among Top in the Country
Central Arkansas possesses the eighth best scoring defense in the country with 50.2 points given up per game. The Sugar Bears have held three opponents to under 40 points so far this season and nine opponents to under fifty, which is a program record. UCA trails only UConn, South Carolina, UAB, West Virginia, Hampton LSU and Notre Dame in scoring defense. McNeese State is close behind the Sugar Bears at 18th (52.5 ppg).
3's are Hard to Come By
The Sugar Bears rank fifth in the nation in 3-point field goal defense with opponents only making 23.5 percent of their shots from behind the arc. Along with Central Arkansas, McNeese State and Sam Houston State rank in the Top 20. McNeese State sits at 12th (24.8 percent) and Sam Houston ranks 18th (25.4 percent).
Cowgirls Force Turnovers
McNeese State has a 7.32 turnover margin, which is good for the seventh best margin in the nation. The Cowgirls have turned the ball over 262 times in 19 games while forcing 401 turnovers on the defensive side.
Sugar Bears and Bearkats Remain Perfect at Home
More than halfway through the regular season schedule, Central Arkansas and Sam Houston State remain the only two Southland teams to stay perfect at home. The Sugar Bears posses an impressive 10-0 record at home while the Bearkats are 6-0 in Huntsville. Both teams will be tested twice this week as UCA hosts Southeastern Louisiana and McNeese State and Sam Houston welcomes Stephen F. Austin and UTSA.
Islanders Snap 18-Game Conference Skid
The Texas A&M - Corpus Christi women's basketball team snapped a string of 18 Southland Conference losses, capturing a 78-73 win over Southeastern Louisiana at the American Bank Center on Jan. 14. The Islanders were propelled by three players in double-figure scoring in their first conference win of the season.
The Islanders shot 37.9 percent from the field (25-66), 42.1 percent from behind the arc (8-19) and 74.1 percent from the charity stripe (20-27). Southeastern Louisiana edged the Islanders on the boards 49-41 but the Islanders capitalized on 27 points off the Lady Lions 20 turnovers.
Texas State Head Coach Wins Conference Debut
Head coach Zenarae Antoine won her Southland Conference debut on Jan. 7 in a 70-68 thriller against Northwestern State. Antoine's 9-5 record with Texas State is the best start for the Bobcats since the 2005-06 season. For the first time since the 1994-95 season, Antoine has led the Bobcats to three true non-conference road wins.
Southland Tournament Returns to Katy, Texas
The Southland Conference will again travel to the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy, Texas for the league's annual event.
This year's tournament will begin on Tuesday, March 6 as quarterfinal action begins with game one at noon. The semifinals and finals, which will be televised by the Southland Conference Television Network, will take place on Thursday, March 8 and the championship game will be played Friday, March 9.
The 2011-12 tournament will be the 13th in league history to be played at a neutral site. The tournament was played in Shreveport, La., from 1995-01 and was held in Houston in 2007 before moving to Katy in 2008.
Southland TV to Broadcast Three Games
The Southland Conference Television Network will televise 15 men's and women's basketball games during the 2011-12 season. The Southland Game of The Week moves from Saturday afternoons to Wednesday nights for two of the three regular-season telecasts. Among the full network schedule are nine men's basketball games, including the two semifinal games of the conference tournament, and six women's games that also include the two conference tournament semifinals as well as the tournament championship game. The entire Southland TV package will be carried across the Southland's network of affiliated television stations, plus online at SLC NOW. Select match-ups will also air nationwide on ESPN Full Court and ESPN3.com.
McNeese State and UTSA Favored in East and West Divisions
The McNeese State and UTSA women's basketball teams have been selected as the preseason favorites to win the Southland Conference East and West Divisions, respectively, by a vote of the league's coaches and sports information directors, the conference office announced Wednesday.
McNeese State, the defending regular-season and conference tournament champion, received nine first-place votes and 64 points in both the coaches' poll and SID poll, ranking the Cowgirls first in the East Division in both polls. UTSA was picked first in the West Division in both polls. The Roadrunners received six first-place votes in the coaches' poll with 60 points and five first-place votes in the SID poll for 57 points.
The coaches' and SIDs polls differ in the fifth and sixth rankings in the East Division predictions. Central Arkansas, who received two first-place votes in both polls, was picked second. Lamar received a first-place nod from both the coaches and SIDs and was slated for third in the division followed by Northwestern State in fourth. In the coaches' poll, Nicholls State was picked fifth and Southeastern Louisiana was sixth. The SIDs tabbed the Lady Lions fifth and the Colonels sixth in their preseason balloting.
The coaches and SIDs predicted the same order of finish in the West Division. Behind UTSA, Stephen F. Austin was picked to finish second, followed by Sam Houston State, UT Arlington, Texas State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Ladyjacks received four first-place votes in the coaches' poll and three in the SID poll. Sam Houston garnered two first-place votes from the coaches and three from the SIDs while the final first-place vote in the SID poll went to Texas State.
Eight All-Conference Selections Return for 2011-12 Season
Central Arkansas forward Megan Herbert highlights a talented list of players returning for the 2011-12 season, as noted with the release of the Southland Conference women's basketball preseason teams by the league office. Seven universities are represented on the two preseason teams, led by two selections from Lamar, McNeese State and Sam Houston State.
Eight of the 10 players represented on the preseason teams were named all-conference following the 2010-11 season. Herbert was the 2010-11 conference player of the year and McNeese State guard Ashlyn Baggett was the 2011 conference tournament most valuable player. Sam Houston State guard Britni Martin and Lamar guard Kalis Loyd each earned first-team all-conference honors following last season.
Herbert, a native of Rogers, Ark., led the league in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage for the second consecutive year, becoming the first player in conference history to do so. Herbert averaged 17.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per game while shooting a consistent 56.7 percent from the field.
Ashlyn Baggett played an important role in leading McNeese State to its most successful season in school history with a 26-7 overall record. The 15-1 mark in conference play was the most conference wins in schools history. Ashlyn, whose twin sister Caitlyn earned second-team honors, led the Cowgirls and ranked second in the conference in scoring (16.7), while leading the Cowgirls in 3-point field goal percentage (36.5) and steals (1.5).
Martin, a junior from Conroe, Texas, helped the Bearkats post an 11-5 record in conference play, the most in Sam Houston history, and earn a share of the West Division title last season.
Lamar junior Loyd, a native of Malmoe, Sweden, earned first-team honors last season on the way to helping the Lady Cardinals to a 25-8 overall record and a spot in the WNIT.
Rounding out the preseason first team is Stephen F. Austin senior guard Tammara Marion, who earned second team all-conference honors last season.
McNeese State Claims First Southland Conference Tournament Championship
McNeese State capped off its remarkable turnaround from the 2009-10 season's 7-22 mark with a 71-50 win over Central Arkansas that clinched the women's tournament title for the Cowgirls along with an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Tournament Most Valuable Player Ashlyn Baggett keyed the decisive run, scoring nine of her game-high 23 points during a 17-5 run that turned a 37-26 halftime lead into a 54-31 advantage.
McNeese's Caitlyn Baggett had 15 points, six assists and four rebounds while also helping hold Sugar Bears guards Rogers, Nakeia Guiden and Micah Rice to a combined 11 points.
McNeese State Plays Texas A&M in First NCAA Tournament Appearance
McNeese State's record setting season came to an end with an 87-47 NCAA Tournament first round loss to Texas A&M. The Cowgirls ended the season 26-7.
Caitlyn Baggett led the Cowgirls with 22 points, making 10-of-20 from the field and was 1-of-3 from three-point range.
The Cowgirls struggled from the field from the get go and missed shots that would normally fall. McNeese struggled from behind the arc and made four of 17 attempts and was 5-of-10 from the free throw line. The Cowgirls were out rebounded 45-25 by the taller and quicker Aggie inside players.
Lamar Returns to the Postseason with a WNIT Invite
The Lamar University women's basketball team saw its hopes of a postseason title come to an end with a 91-65 loss to Arkansas in the first round of the WNIT on Thursday.
Jenna Plumley, playing in her final game in a Lamar uniform, led the Lady Cardinals with 15 points and four assists. Kalis Loyd had 14 points, while Trashanna Smith, another senior playing her final game for Lamar, had 12 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
Despite the loss, it was still a successful season for the Lady Cardinals, who advanced to postseason play for the second year in a row. Lamar is 51-16 over the last two seasons, which the most wins in the history of the program over that time span.
Central Arkansas Hosts Opening Round of Women's Basketball Invitational
In the school's first-ever NCAA Division I postseason tournament game, a Central Arkansas women's basketball record crowd of 2,953 came out to the Farris Center to watch the Sugar Bears take on UAB in the first round of the Women's Basketball Invitational. Unfortunately, they did not get to celebrate a UCA victory.
Herbert had 16 points to lead three Sugar Bears in double figures, with Desiree Rogers and Nakeia Guiden each adding 10.
The Sugar Bears ended their first year out of the Division I reclassification period with their second consecutive 21-win season, first Southland Conference tournament appearance and first D-I national postseason tournament appearance.
Southland Conference Team Notes...
Central Arkansas Notes: The win over Lamar gave UCA its first sweep of the Lady Cardinals, who came into the season holding a 6-2 series lead...The Sugar Bears have now won the last three against the Lady Cards, dating back to last season's Southland Conference tournament...UCA stayed perfect at home this season, moving to 10-0, with the win over Lamar...UCA has now won 36 of its last 42 games inside the Farris Center (.857 winning percentage)...Matt Daniel recorded his 62nd career victory, putting him second in UCA history as he passed his predecessor Checola Seals-Horton, who had 61...Daniel needs 433 more to pass Ron Marvel for first...UCA moves to 9-2 all-time against Nicholls, the most wins against any Southland team for the Sugar Bears.
Lamar Notes: Larry Tidwell needs 1 more win for his 100th to make him the second LU coach to reach 100 wins...Tidwell is 99-49 since coming to Lamar...Pat Park holds the Lamar record with 109 wins...She reached her 100th win in her 164th game...Tidwell will try to do it in Game 149 Wednesday against Northwestern State...Gia Ayers scored a career-high 8 points in the loss to Central Arkansas...The Lady Cardinals are 7-0 when shooting at least 40 percent from the field for the game.
McNeese State Notes: McNeese moved into sole possession of first place in the league with its 60-36 road win over Southeastern La. The Cowgirls then defeated Northwestern State at home to improve to 15-4 overall which is the best overall start for McNeese in 15 years. Monday's 68-53 win against Nicholls State, moved the Cowgirls to 6-0 in conference play, which ties the best start in conference for McNeese...McNeese will look to stay perfect in league play when it travels to Central Arkansas this weekend...The Cowgirls will look to hand the Sugar Bears their first home loss of the season.
Nicholls State Notes: The Colonels have already surpassed their overall win total (eight) from last season, and matched last year's total (three) in Southland play. The most games that Nicholls has won in a single-season is 14, which was set in 1991. The Colonels have also secured their first 10-win season in 10 years... Nicholls has made at least one 3-pointer in 91 consecutive games, dating back to the 2008-09 season. The last time that the Colonels failed to make one from downtown was on Valentine's Day in 2008 at Southeastern La., where Nicholls was 0-for-8 on the night...With her two blocks at McNeese State, Alisha Allen set the Nicholls all-time block record with 70 for her career...The previous record (69), was set by Shonda Stampley, who played from 1985-89.Allen is currently ranked 7th in the Southland with 24 blocks...Junior Alisha Allen is on the brink of becoming the 10th Colonel to score 1,000 points. She currently has 965 career points.
Northwestern State Notes: Junior forward Trudy Armstead is on the verge of reaching three milestone stat marks in her career. She needs just one more blocked shot to reach 100 in her career. She's also just 16 rebounds away from the 500 milestone, and in scoring, she has 844 for her career, needing 156 points to become just the 24th player in school history to reach the milestone. For the season, she has 164 rebounds and needs just one more to mark a single-season career best. She had 164 her freshman season and 156 last year. She also needs just 112 more rebounds (a 10.2 average the remainder of the year), to position herself in the top 10 on the school's all-time single-season rebounding record's list...Over the last six games, Northwestern State has held its opponents under 40 percent shooting four times, including the last two games...Because of that, the Lady Demons have moved from the bottom of the league in FG percent defense to 8th with a .397 mark...The Lady Demons are allowing just 62.5 points per game the last two contests...the defense has held last two opponents to an average of 33.6 percent shooting from the floor...The 32.3 percent shooting by McNeese was the second-lowest of the season against the Lady Demons (25.4% by LSUS)...After one 3-point FG at McNeese State, the Lady Demons have extended their streak to 134 straight games with a made trey. The last time Northwestern State was shutout from behind the arc was an 0-for-18 showing at Centenary on Nov. 27, 2007...Armstead has swatted at least 4 shots in each of the last four games (5.5 bpg average).
Sam Houston State Notes: Sam Houston's two preseason All-Southland Conference junior forwards, Britni Martin and Sequeena Thomas, are imprinting their names in the Bearkat women's basketball record book...Both now rank among the program's top 25 all-time scorers, Martin with 1,029 points and Thomas with 754...Thomas scored 15 points in both SHSU's games at Texas State and A&M-Corpus Christi this week and pulled down 18 and 15 boards, respectively, to post her seventh and eighth double-double of the season.
Southeastern Louisiana Notes: Southeastern saw its losing streak extend to four games with two losses this week...On Saturday, despite shooting 54 percent from the floor Southeastern suffered an 88-79 loss to Nicholls State...Versus the Colonels, senior guard Kelli Jenkins (19 points, 11 assists) and junior forward Brandi Simmons (12 points, 10 rebounds) each posted double-doubles...In addition, senior guard Jessica Sommers (15 points) and freshman guard Symone Miller (12 points) each posted career highs in scoring, while senior guard Latoria Holder had 10 points to give Southeastern a season-high five players in double figures...Southeastern is 0-4 to start Southland Conference play for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
Stephen F. Austin Notes: The Ladyjacks are in the midst of their first two-game losing streak of the season following a disappointing 69-61 homes loss to UT-Arlington last Saturday. Prior to that game SFA had gone 3-0 following a loss... Although Sam Houston State won the most previous meeting with SFA, a 76-66 victory on Mar. 2, 2011, the Ladyjacks have dominated the career series by a 54-7 margin. The Ladyjacks have won six of the previous eight matchups... After a 12-18 campaign under then first-year head coach Brandon Schneider in 2010-11, the Ladyjacks have reversed their fortunes in a major way. Through 17 games last season the Ladyjacks held a 5-12 record as opposed to this season where through the exact same amount of games SFA stands at 12-5. The Ladyjacks actually have one of the top turnarounds in the nation in team winning percentage (.705) when compared with last year's .400 mark. The +.305 difference in winning percentage is currently the 11th best improvement in the country.
UT Arlington Notes: UT Arlington picked up its first conference win over the weekend against Stephen F. Austin...The win snapped the Mavericks five-game losing streak and ended the three-game skid the Mavericks had against the Ladyjacks...UTA looks to continue its winning ways against Nebraska-Omaha in a mid-week matchup..It is the first meeting between the two programs...UTA is set to play its final game in Texas Hall against Texas State on Saturday...The Mavericks will play its first home game at the newly built College Park Center against UTSA on Feb. 1...Against Texas State, UTA holds a 32-23 all-time series advantage...The Mavs have won nine of the last 10 against the Bobcats.
UTSA Notes: Ashley Gardner and Whitney Wright each logged double-doubles for UTSA in Wednesday's loss at Northwestern State. It's the first time two Roadrunners had accomplished the feat in the same game since Lyndi Thorman and Ashleigh Franklin did so a double-overtime win over Nicholls on Feb. 19, 2011. The last time UTSA lost a game with two players sporting double-doubles was on Feb. 20, 2010, in a double-overtime defeat at Sam Houston State. Gardner and Wright were the first players to accomplish the feat in the same regulation contest since Monica Gibbs and Onika Anderson in a win at Stephen F. Austin on March 7, 2009...UTSA won its seventh consecutive matchup against I-35 rival Texas State on Saturday, the longest winning streak over the Bobcats in program history. The Roadrunners previously had won six straight over Texas State from 2001-03 before its current stretch, which currently is UTSA's longest active winning streak over a Southland opponent...Head coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair notched her 199th victory at UTSA on Saturday. Already the school's all-time winningest coach, Rippetoe-Blair will look to become the first in program history to amass 200 wins on Jan. 28 when UTSA faces Sam Houston State...UTSA has held four of its five Southland opponents to less than 34-percent shooting from the floor. Additionally, two of those four, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (23.3-percent) and Texas State (29.0-percent) have been held under 30-percent. Northwestern State (40.4-percent) is the only squad to shoot better so far in the conference slate.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Notes: The Islanders clinched their first conference road win of the season Wednesday at UT Arlington...Alisa Roberts, Myeisha Myles and Verne'qua Taylor led the Islanders in double-figure scoring against Sam Houston State. The Islanders are 5-3 when at least three players have scored in double-digits...The Islanders matched a season-high 15 steals against UT Arlington. This season the Islanders are 3-2 when having more steals than their opponents...Texas A&M - Corpus Christi has tallied 17 assists or more in four games this season. Junior Verne'qua Taylor has tallied six or more assists in seven games this season and in four of those she had eight or more...The Islanders shot 80 percent (16-20) from the free throw line against Sam Houston State...Head Coach Robert Robinson has used six different starting lineups this season...The Islanders face Texas State and Stephen F. Austin this week on the road.
Texas State Notes: Texas State held Sam Houston State to 25.0 percent from the field last Wednesday. It was the lowest field goal percentage by a Southland opponent since Jan. 5, 2005 against McNeese State, when the Bobcats held the Cowgirls to 24.1 percent...The Bobcats began the second half on an 18-0 run against the Bearkats. It was their second longest run to start a half this year. Previously they opened the first half on a 19-0 run against Texas Lutheran...Diamond Ford is now just 15 points away from 1,000 for her career. Against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Bobcats' opponent on Wednesday, she scored at least 21 points in both meetings last year.