Jan. 26 Women's Basketball Report, Stephen F. Austin Gets 800th Program Victory
Jan. 26 Scores
At Stephen F. Austin 73, Sam Houston State 40
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack basketball team gave its fans exactly what they paid for Saturday afternoon. SFA recorded a 73-40 victory over Sam Houston State at the William R. Johnson Coliseum in front of the largest crowd of the year (2,228). The victory propels SFA to 6-11 on the season, and 3-2 in Southland Conference play, while the Bearkats fall to 1-17 on the season, and 0-5 in league action.
Saturday also marked Sue Gunter Day on the SFA campus, which saw the return of former players such as Rosie Walker, Barbara Brown and Doris Felderhoff. Hall of Fame coaches Jody Conradt and Leon Barmore were in town to honor former SFA head coach, and two-time Hall of Fame selection, Sue Gunter. At halftime of the game, SFA dedicated the Sue Gunter Ladyjack Basketball Office Suite.
It only seemed fitting with SFA honoring the late Sue Gunter, that the Ladyjacks would record the program's 800th all-time win in front of its largest crowd, which included so many former players, and against its arch rival. With the victory SFA joins Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion, Texas and James Madison as the only schools that have won 800 games.
The game remained close for the first 6:15, but the Ladyjacks rattled off a 10-0 run to take a 20-10 advantage. SFA would never look back as it took a 17-point lead into the locker room.
The Ladyjacks built their lead to 30 points late in the game behind senior Nikki Carr who scored all 11 of her points in the second half. Junior Jessica Gaines led all scorers with her 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including three three-pointers. Classmate Natashia Green added 14 points and six rebounds.
Freshman Chantol Drennan came off the bench to score nine points, and pull down a game-high 10 rebounds. Classmate Ebony Alexander also came off the bench to chip in nine. Freshman Jordan Ford added eight points and seven rebounds.
The Ladyjacks return to action Thursday when they travel to San Marcos, Texas to face Texas State. The game against the Bobcats is slated to begin at 7 p.m. from Strahan Coliseum.
At Lamar 57, Northwestern State 46
BEAUMONT, Texas - Despite turning the ball over a season-high 26 times on Saturday afternoon, the Lamar University women’s basketball team held on for a 57-46 win over Northwestern State behind solid shooting and winning the battle on the boards.
Lamar improves to 12-6 on the year and 5-0 in Southland Conference play with the win, while Northwestern State falls to 8-11 overall and 1-5 in conference. At 5-0 the Lady Cardinals are the only unbeaten team in the conference after Texas State fell to UTSA in San Marcos this afternoon.
Leading by four at halftime at 32-28, the Lady Cardinals could not find a rhythm in the early going of the second half. Northwestern State used a 7-2 run to grab a one point lead at 35-34 with 15:48 to play.
After a slow five minutes of play which saw the two teams score a combined two points, the Lady Cardinals grabbed a 37-36 lead on an Aida Bakhos lay up with 11:24 to play. The layup gave LU the lead for good, as their defense shut down Northwestern State over the final 11 minutes.
Over the final 11 minutes of the game the Lady Cardinals used a 19-11 run to close the door on the Lady Demons. The run was keyed by a solid offensive effort in which LU only turned the ball over one time in the final 6:34 of the contest.
Nikki Williams finished with a game-high 13 points, while Brittney Williams scored 12 points for the Lady Cards. Aida Bakhos narrowly missed her second double-double of the season with nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Trashanna Smith had a solid effort off the bench with seven points and a career-high eight rebounds.
The Lady Demons had no players score in double figures in the game, but Renotta Edwards, Brooke Shepherd and Jessica McPhail each finished with nine points. Tena Matthews, who was averaging 21.4 points and 12.2 rebounds in conference play, was held to eight points and six rebounds.
As a team the Lady Cardinals shot 43.8 percent from the field while holding Northwestern State to 31.5 percent. Lamar also won the rebounding battle 43 to 31.
At Nicholls State 60, Southeastern La. 55
THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls women's basketball squad improved to 2-3 in Southland Conference play, using 39.6% shooting to lift the Lady Colonels to a 60-55 win over Southeastern Louisiana Saturday afternoon in Stopher Gym.
The Lady Lions fall to 7-11 (1-4 SLC) on the season, while the Lady Colonels improve to 4-12 (2-3 SLC).
Senior guard Katherine Plummer tallied her second 30-point game of the season, adding eight rebounds and five steals.
Freshman Shelley West would also reach double digits for Nicholls, pouring in 10.
The two squads traded the lead back and forth until senior Katherine Plummer put the game away for the Colonels with six-straight made free throws. Plummer would finish the game a perfect 13-of-13 from the line. The Lady Colonels opened the second half on fire, using a 10-0 run and sinking 4 shots right out of the gate to take a 39-28 advantage.
Nicholls held onto the lead through the entire second half until SLU's Bethany Sinclair hit a three-pointer to give the Lady Lions a 45-44 lead. But the Lady Colonels answered back with a trey of their own from senior Katherine Plummer at the top of the key to make it 47-45.
In the first half, The Lady Lions' Kristy Carlin poured in eight points in the first four minutes of play to help Southeastern Louisiana jump out to an early 10-2 lead.
Nicholls got into foul trouble early in the first half, allowing the Lady Lions to shoot 6-of-7 from the line through the first nine minutes of action.
But the Lady Colonels powered back, cutting an 11-point SLU lead to two points on back-to-back threes from Plummer and Dominique Washington. Nicholls held on, taking its first lead of the game at the 12.9 mark of the first half on a lay-up from Funaki Kefu, and went to the locker room with a 29-28 advantage.
Nicholls went 11-of-24 (45.8) from the floor in the first stanza, led by Plummer and Washington who each went 3-of-4. Plummer was a perfect 3-of-3 from the charity stripe, reaching double-digit scoring with 10.
Southeastern made 11 shots at the free throw line, boosted by Bethany Sinclair's 4-for-4 shooting.
Nicholls takes to the court again Thursday, hosting Northwestern State at 6:30 p.m.
Central Arkansas 85, at McNeese State 79
JENNINGS, La. - The streak is over.
After 56 long days and 11 consecutive games without a win, the University of Central Arkansas Sugar Bears put an end to the program's longest skid with an 85-79 victory over McNeese State at Jennings High School on Saturday.
The Sugar Bears (3-16, 1-5 SLC) shot 54.5 percent from the floor, won the rebound battle over the Cowgirls (4-15, 2-3) 54-34, and had their highest offensive output of the season with 85 points as they picked up their first Southland Conference victory of the season and gave head coach Ron Marvel his 490th career win on the Sugar Bears' bench.
"It feels unbelievable," said sophomore Meaghen Kelleybrew ? who had a team and career-high 21 points on 9 of 11 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the year. "I've been wanting to win so bad. We knew it wasn't an unattainable goal, we just couldn't really see when it was going to come."
And it nearly didn't.
After a brilliant first half in which UCA led 48-32 and shot 58.8 percent from the field while forcing the perimeter-oriented Cowgirls into a 5 of 22 performance on 3-point attempts (12 of 41 for the game), the Sugar Bears nearly gave the game away once again in the second half.
As they've been prone to do, the Sugar Bears let the opposition storm back in the opening minutes of the second half. Down 15, the Cowgirls went on a 14-0 run in just under four minutes to trail just 50-49 with 14:18 to play.
Having committed only eight turnovers in the first half, the Sugar Bears coughed it up 17 times in the second, and found themselves out of the offensive rhythm that had propelled them early on, as the Cowgirls staged their rally.
"In the first half we played outstanding," Marvel said. "We were shooting 60 percent and doing all the things we needed to do. Then we came back out in the second half and struggled and let them get back in it. We were getting any shot we wanted in the first half because our offense was clicking. Then all at once in the second half, the kids think they know a better offense and get to running their own game. And when that happens, well ? that's what happens."
But unlike their previous second-half meltdowns, the Sugar Bears found an answer on Saturday ? settling in and holding the Cowgirls scoreless for more than 6:30 as the lead swelled back to 17 with five minutes to play.
McNeese State refused to go quietly, chipping away at the UCA lead and going on another barrage late until they trailed 82-77 with 35 seconds to go. But down the stretch, Laura Beth Anderson ? who had a career-high 19 points to go along with eight assists ? hit three free throws while MSU's Courtnee' Hollins (who led all scorers with 27) misfired on a pair of long-range 3-pointers to help preserve the UCA lead.
It was a lead the Sugar Bears took early in the first half and never relinquished. In an early 9-3 hole, UCA went on a 27-10 run over the next 10 minutes and took the lead for good with 14:28 to play in the first half when senior Allyson Sample hit a 3-pointer to push UCA ahead 14-11.
The Sugar Bear lead grew as large as 18 in the first half, with UCA going up 48-30 with 12 seconds to play when Jamye Adair scored inside off an excellent pass from Alex Velazquez. Velazquez played her best game in a UCA uniform, scoring 10 points and hauling in a career-best 12 rebounds while shelling out three assists to zero turnovers and picking up a block and a steal.
"The two kids who stepped up tonight were Alex Velazquez and Meaghen Kelleybrew," Marvel said. "Those two really boosted us. Alex picked us up in the first half when they had jumped on us early. She got in there and got some shots down low that we had missed earlier on. When she got us going, the rest of the kids got going."
Velazquez narrowly missed having a double-double in the first half ? having nine points and 10 rebounds. Kelleybrew added 14 first-half points en route to her career high of 21.
"Meaghen made good choices on her shots tonight," Marvel said. "She was squared up and when she was down low she'd make a move and put the ball in. She played the best game I've seen her play. She worked all night, was consistent, played defense, rebounded and took the ball to the hole."
And therein lies the reason Kelleybrew, an 11.5 percent 3-point shooting coming in, doubled her season total by canning three of four 3-pointers.
"It makes a lot of difference when you're getting a wide open shot instead of a contested shot," she said. "When you get it and you're open, coach tells you to shoot it. So I was just staying within the flow of the offense, and the shots were falling."
That it was the shots and not the Sugar Bears falling was a welcome change for a UCA team that had seen games slip away after promising starts far too often this season. And despite almost letting the lead dissolve again in the second half, they were able to make the necessary adjustments to hang on.
"We kept talking about being smart and slowing down and controlling the ballgame," Kelleybrew said. "We played more team ball this game. We shared the ball. You look at it, and everybody scored. Now we just need to cut down on the turnovers, but for the most part we played to win tonight instead of playing not to lose."
In the win, UCA nearly got a second consecutive double-double out of Kia Lee. Lee followed a 10-point, 15-rebound effort at Lamar on Thursday with a 10-point, nine-rebound showing against the Cowgirls. Sample, who had eight points, hit a pair of 3-pointers to move past Caronica Randle for ninth place on the school's career list with 101. Kelleybrew recorded the 51st block of her career, putting her eighth all-time at UCA and just three behind Carone Harris for seventh.
The Sugar Bears will try for their second straight win on Thursday when they return to the Farris Center for a 7 p.m. battle with Southeastern Louisiana.
At UT Arlington 54, A&M-Corpus Christi 41
ARLINGTON, Texas - Sophomore Meghan Nelson led the Mavericks with 14-points off the bench as UT Arlington won, 54-41, over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Texas Hall on Saturday.
"I really didn't want us to lose two in row," said Nelson. "I knew I was going to need to come off the bench with energy and be ready to contribute, and that is just what I did."
Senior Tiffeny Riles added 12 points as the Mavs improve to 10-7 on the season and 5-1 in Southland Conference action. Elisa Beagle led the Islander's with nine points and 15 rebounds as they fall to 6-12 overall and 3-2 in league play.
The Mavericks used a 17-0 run late in the game to secure the win, after the Islanders had taken a brief five-point lead midway through the second half. Eight of Nelson's ten second half points came during the Mavs go ahead run.
"Our transition offense and pressure defense really came together for us in the final minutes of the game," said Mavericks head coach Samantha Morrow.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi jumped out to a 9-2 lead early in the game, but a put back from junior Erin Dixon brought UTA even at 12-all with 11:16 left in the half. For the remainder of the first half the Mavericks and Islanders matched each other point-for-point with UTA taking the two-point advantage (24-22) into the locker room.
UT Arlington will be back in action at Texas Hall on Thursday against Sam Houston State at 7 p.m.
UTSA 81, at Texas State 68
SAN MARCOS, Texas - Senior guard Terrie Davis and junior forward Onika Anderson combined for 43 points and led UTSA to an 81-68 SLC road victory at I-35 rival Texas State on Saturday afternoon at Strahan Coliseum.
Davis led four Roadrunners (12-6, 4-1 SLC) who scored in double figures with a team-high 23 points on the strength of seven 3-pointers. Meanwhile, Anderson added 20 points and also grabbed a school-record-tying 19 rebounds. Senior forward Amanda Foster and freshman guard Whitney York chipped in with 14 and 13 points, respectively, and junior guard Monica Gibbs dished out a game-high seven assists.
Joyce Ekworomadu led the Bobcats (11-6, 5-1 SLC) with a game-high 25 points, while Victoria Davis added 13 points and recorded a team-best four assists.
UTSA began the second half on a 9-4 run in the first 2:49 that built its lead to a game-high 24 points. Texas State closed the gap with a 20-7 run over the next seven minutes to pull within nine at 59-50. However, Anderson capped off a 6-0 Roadrunners run to extend the lead back to 14 (64-50) with 8:36 left. Victoria Davis was good on a free throw to pull the Bobcats within 11 with less than three minutes to play, but it would be the closet Texas State would get the rest of the day.
The Bobcats scored the first six points of the game, but Terrie Davis nailed back-to-back 3-pointers and a three-point play by Gibbs gave UTSA a 9-6 edge. Ekworomadu then connected on a layup to cut lead the 9-8 with 15:51 to go, but the Roadrunners went on to lead the rest of the way. UTSA put together a 12-2 run over the next three minutes to increase its lead to 21-10. Ryann Bradford’s jumper with 5:37 to go pulled the Bobcats within seven at 27-20, but Anderson scored nine of next 14 points for the Roadrunners to push the advantage back to double-digits.
UTSA returns home on Saturday, feb. 2, for a league tilt against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center.