UTSA, UT Arlington and Stephen F. Austin Win on Opening Day
UT Arlington 85, SMU 79
Dallas, Texas - A Maverick team effort led to a 85-79 road victory against SMU at the Moody Coliseum on Friday, November 14, 2008.
Four Mavericks finished in double figures including senior Candice Champion who recorded a game-high 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, 6-of-10 from the charity stripe, to go along with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals in 36 minutes of action.
Junior Meghan Nelson wasn't far behind, collecting 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor, 1-of-2 from behind the arc, including 4-of-9 from the free throw line to go along with three boards and four assists.
"I think for the exception of our last few minutes we executed our game and we played very well," said head women's basketball coach Samantha Morrow. "We had some people get in foul trouble and we had people come off the bench and really helped us a lot. I was real proud of our defensive effort and we came out there and competed."
The first 20 minutes of the half was back and forth contest between both squads, neither one backing down.
SMU's Jullian Samuels led the Mustangs to a 3-0 advantage at the 19:17 mark following a three-pointer but a hard drive down the lane by senior Champion put UTA within one, making the score 3-2 with 19:00 remaining in the first half.
A defensive rebound by Brittany Gilliam made way for a jumper by Haley Day, putting the Mustangs up 5-2. Shalyn Martin fired right back, tying the game at 5-5 with a steal and two made free throws with 17:07 left on the clock.
The Mavs took their first lead of the game following a field goal by junior Nelson, to make the score 11-10 at the 13:27 mark. Erin Dixon had the hot hand from behind the arc connecting on three treys. Dixon recorded her first three of the first half at the 12:27 mark, giving the Mavericks a 14-10 advantage.
A LaShandra Hill jumper cut the Mavericks lead to two but a pair of Champion free throws put UTA up by four, 16-12 with 12:19 left on the clock.
The Mustangs didn't let the score get out of hand, tying the game at 16-16 following a layup by Delisha Wills with 9:50 remaining in the first period.
It was a hard-fought battle throughout the rest of the first half, as the Mavericks tied the game three times before heading into the locker rooms with the game even at 35-35.
The Mavericks finished the first half shooting 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from the field, 50 percent (4-of-8) from behind the arc and a perfect 100 percent (1-of-1) from the charity stripe.
Wills opened the second half with a layup and free throw, giving the Mustangs a 38-35 advantage over UTA. Martin connected on an easy layup, which led to an 8-0 run by the Mavericks.
That was all the cushion UTA needed to run away with the game leading by as many as 18 points with 6:05 left in regulation. A player technical foul by SMU and three free throws by Kiarra Shofner sealed the game for the Mavericks, as they captured a 85-79 win.
For the game, the Mavs finished shooting 50.9 percent (28-of-55) from the field to the Mustangs 38.6 percent (27-of-70) from the floor.
Dixon recorded her first double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds while Martin added 15 points and six boards.
Four Mustangs finished in double-digit scoring including Wills, who posted 19 points and 10 rebounds in 15 minutes of action.
The three game road trip continues for the Mavs with a stop in Fort Worth, Texas where they will take on TCU on Thursday, November 20 at 6:30 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin 69, Prairie View A&M 58
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas ? The Ladyjack basketball team placed four players in double-figures on Friday night, taking a wire-to-wire win over Prairie View A&M, 69-58, at the William Nicks Building.
The win is the first season-opening victory for SFA (1-0) under Lee Ann Riley and avenges last year’s loss to the Panthers (0-1), giving the Ladyjacks a 4-1 lead in the all-time series.
Tammara Marion led the way for the Ladyjacks with 19 points, including 5-for-11 shootin g from behind the three-point arc, but it was the free throw shooting for SFA that really proved to be the difference. SFA was 26-of-37 from the stripe compared to just 9-of-28 for the Panthers, led by 10 free throws from Whitney Cormier.
Cormier finished with 12 points, with Jordan Ford also contributing 15 with eight rebounds and Ebony Alexander also finishing with 11 points including five free throws.
It was Alexander that got the game going with a floater from the left side for SFA’s first bucket, a lead they never gave back. The Ladyjacks led by as much as 10 in the first half, and drew a pair of fouls in the first three minutes on reigning SWAC Player of the Year Candice Thomas to force her to the bench for the remainder of the half. Despite Thomas’ absence though, PVAM pulled within point at 28-27 on a jumper by Dominique Smith, but the Natashia Green answered with a three-pointer on the next possession as SFA went on a 7-0 run to close out the half and go in with a 35-27 lead.
SFA then went to the free throw stripe 23 times in the second half, making 16 of them to keep PVAM at arm’s length, primarily behind t 13 points from Marion. The Panthers did not aide their cause much, only going 4-for-19 from the stripe in the second half.
Once again SFA pushed its lead to double digits at 43-33 on a jumper by Ford, but the Panthers steadily clawed back to pull within three at 58-55, but that was as close as they got. SFA made nine free throws in the final minute, sandwiched around a key jumper by Marion to pull out the win.
SFA opens up the home portion of the season on Monday when it hosts Houston Baptist at 7:00 p.m. at Johnson Coliseum.
UTSA 85, Texas A&M-International 53
SAN ANTONIO, Texas ? Senior forward Ryba Pawlaczyk recorded her first career double-double with personal bests of 20 points and 12 rebounds to lead the UTSA women’s basketball team past Texas A&M International, 85-53, in its home opener on Friday night at the Convocation Center.
“Overall, I was happy with our performance tonight,” head coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair said. “Jordan (Stark) and Rachel (Schlosser) were hitting their outside shots tonight, which opened up the inside game for us. Ryba had a great game with 20 points and 12 rebounds.”
Sophomore guard Jordan Stark chipped in with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including making five 3-pointers. Sophomore guard Rachel Schlosser came off the bench to score 18 points. The duo went 9-for-18 from downtown on the night. Senior guard Monica Gibbs dished out a game-high eight assists and scored nine points for the Roadrunners (1-0).
Jasmine June and Mary Tobias led the Dustdevils with 17 points apiece.
UTSA dominated the second half, outscoring A&M International 42-29 and nearly shooting 50 percent from the floor.
The Roadrunners used a 20-8 run to push their lead to 66-32 with 12:51 left. UTSA then increased its advantage to 40, its largest of the night, on Pawlaczyk’s free throws with 6:29 remaining.
The Roadrunners started off the game on fire, making seven of their first 11 shots to grab a 23-7 lead. However, the Dustdevils used an 8-0 run midway through the half to cut the edge to 10 following a basket by Torbias. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Schlosser and Stark extended the UTSA lead to 18 with 5:22 to play and the Runners closed out the stanza with a 9-2 spurt for a 43-24 halftime advantage.
UTSA begins a three-game road trip on Sunday with a 5 p.m. contest at TCU.
San Diego State 67, Northwestern State 47
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Poor shooting and turnovers proved to be the culprit in Northwestern State's 67-47 season-opening loss against San Diego State here Friday night in women's basketball action.
The Lady Demons turned the ball over 30 times, leading to 25 Aztec points, and hit just 29 percent from the floor, but it wasn't until an 8-0 run by the Aztecs midway through the second half that the veteran SDSU squad was able to shake the young Lady Demons.
NSU junior center Courtney Shead was the only double-figure scorer for the Lady Demons, sinking 10 points on 5 of 8 shooting to go along with seven rebounds. Freshman forward Britany Kinlaw led the team with eight boards while freshman point guard Demetria White finished with four assists and six points.
Both team struggled early to find points as the two were knotted at 8-all heading into the first media timeout with 15:52 to play in the first half.
SDSU scored six straight to go up 14-8 after the timeout and held NSU scoreless over the next five minutes until a jumper by Kinlaw pulled NSU to within 14-10.
The Aztecs followed that with an 8-0 run to go up 22-10 before another jumper by Kinlaw snapped the run with 5:15 to play in the half to make it 22-12.
After Renotta Edwards made 1 of 2 from the free throw line to cut the gap back down to single digits, SDSU scored five in a row to hold a 28-13 lead before Lyndzee Greene sank two free throws to make it 28-15 at the half.
In the second half, the Lady Demons were able to cut the lead to 10 points several times early on, but never got the deficit down to single digits.
After White hit a layup with 15:25 to play to cut the lead to 34-24, SDSU went on a 10-2 run to widen the gap.
The Aztecs, who return all five starters from last year's squad and are tabbed for a second place finish in the Mountain West Conference, had four players score in double figures led by Paris Johnson's 14 points and 12 rebounds.
SDSU out rebounded the Lady Demons by a 50-37 count with 23 of those rebounds on the offensive end. The Aztecs scored 22 second chance points and had 25 points off of turnovers.
The Lady Demons, who finished with 19 offensive boards, scored just six second chance points.
NSU will open its home season on Tuesday when the Lady Demons host Southern at 5:45 in the first game of a doubleheader. The Demons will follow with a game against East Texas Baptist.
New Orleans 70, McNeese State 65
NEW ORLEANS, La. ? McNeese State’s women’s basketball fell short in their comeback here Friday night at the Lakefront arena with a 70-65 loss to the University of New Orleans.
“Obviously we are disappointed but give credit to UNO. They are a tough team and fought hard. The rebounding factor was big, they out battled us on the boards tonight,” said head coach Brooks Williams. McNeese was outrebounded 45-31 with the Privateers grabbing 32 on the defensive end.
McNeese had three players score in double figures with Ashlyn Baggett leading all players with 21 points. Sister Caitlyn and Shante’ Perry pitched in 14 apiece. Freshman Lauren Nutter led the Cowgirls with six rebounds.
After trailing 30-25 at the half, McNeese State’s Shante’ Perry tied the game 36 all with 13:13 left in the game. UNO went on a scoring run and held its largest lead of the game 63-53. The Cowgirls continued to chip away at the lead behind the shooting of twins Ashlyn and Caitlyn Baggett who combined for 10 straight Cowgirls points within a two minute span that cut the Privateer lead to 65-62 with :45 left. Perry then hit a three from the left elbow to tie the game 65 all. UNO’s Jada Frazier sank a three-pointer with :20 left in the contest. After a foul by Kayla Armstrong Frazier made both free throws for a 70-65 lead. After a Cowgirl timeout with 6.5, Ashlyn Baggett’s three pointer bounced off the right side of the rim as time expired.
“I was proud of our last six minutes. We battled hard to fight back and put ourselves in a position to win it.”
After a scoreless first four minutes, McNeese State’s Kayla Armstrong gave the Cowgirls a 2-0 lead on a layup. After a UNO layup tied the game, Ashlyn Bagget hit one of her three first half three pointers for a 5-2 McNeese lead. UNO held as much as a four point lead midway through the half and held a 16-13 lead with 8:06 left in the half but Ashlyn Baggett hit back to back three’s to give the Cowgirls a 19-13 lead with six minutes left. UNO went on a 14-6 run to hold a 30-25 halftime lead.
“We will learn from tonight and get better. Unfortunately, the turn around time for this young team is quick and the next two opponents will be an even bigger challeng.”
McNeese State will continue it week long road trip at Tulsa Sunday at 7 p.m. “Tulsa is big and their two best players are dominant in the paint. We have to find a way to stop them inside.”
Houston 73, Southeastern Louisiana 58
HOUSTON, Texas ? A 16-2 game-opening run was too much for the Southeastern Louisiana women’s basketball team to overcome as the Lady Lions dropped a 73-58 decision to Houston in the 2008-09 season opener for both teams at Hofheinz Pavillion.
Senior forward Kristy Carlin led the Lady Lions (0-1) with 14 points, while junior guard Quantae Thomas and senior guard Bethany Sinclair chipped in 10 points apiece for Southeastern. Southeastern also out-rebounded Houston (1-0), 47-36. Carlin pulled down nine boards for Southeastern, while sophomore center Rachel Mackie grabbed seven rebounds and junior forward Zevy Ivory pulled down six. Southeastern finished with 22 offensive rebounds and out-rebounded Houston, 30-13, in the second half.
Freshman Kelli Jenkins led Southeastern with five assists, while senior Charinee Mitchell paced the squad with three steals. However, Southeastern committed 24 turnovers ? resulting in 27 UH points ? and shot just 31.6 percent (18-for-57) from the floor.
“We had too many empty possessions and we weren’t pleased with our offensive execution,” Southeastern head coach Lori Davis Jones said. “We started to hang our heads after we fell behind early and we have to be able to fight through that. We were pleased with our offensive rebounding, especially in the second half, and our efficiency at the free throw line.
Houston was led by sophomore Courtney Taylor and freshman Roxana Button who scored 17 points apiece. Taylor posted a double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds and was also credited with five steals.
Houston jumped out to a 9-0 lead to open the first half and never looked back taking a 41-25 halftime lead. The Lady Lions did not hit their first field goal until seven minutes into the first half on a runner by Sinclair. After the slow start, Southeastern was much stronger in the latter stages of the opening period.
UH shot 47.2 percent (17-for-36) from the floor in the opening period. Button led all scorers with 15 points, while Taylor added 11 for UH. Southeastern was led by Sinclair with six points. Carlin, Mitchell and Thomas chipped in four points for the Lady Lions, who shot just 25 percent (6-for-24) in the first half. However, the Lady Lions made 13-for-15 from the free throw line in the opening period.
Southeastern will remain on the road for its next contest, heading to New Orleans on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. contest at UNO. The Lady Lions will open their 2008-09 home slate on Saturday, Nov. 22, hosting North Florida at 3 p.m. in the University Center.
Southern Miss 72, Sam Houston State 60
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Freshman guard Khamra Echols scored 22 points in a 72-60 loss to Southern Mississippi as the Sam Houston women’s basketball team opened their 2008-09 schedule before the largest crowd ever to see a women’s contest at Johnson Coliseum
On Elementary School Day a crowd of 2,260, mostly from area schools, filled the seats as the Kats fell to USM’s senior-laden squad that earned a berth in the Women’s NIT last year.
Pauline Love led the Golden Eagles with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Candace Rucker added 16 points.
Southern Mississippi used their height to dominate the Bearkats inside, out-scoring Sam Houston in the paint 40 points to 20. USM hit 41.2 percent from the floor (28-of-60) while limited the Bearkats to 30.8 percent (20-of-58).
Another freshman, Bre Agnew, also scored in double figures with 10. Junior Btitany Brooks added seven points.
After an early tie, Southern Misssissippi led the rest of the way, building a 34-20 halftime margin and going up by as many as 23 points in the second half.
Junior transfer Therese Hager and senior Lydia Gonzales led the Kats on the boards with eight each. Despite the Eagles’ height, Sam Houston was only out-rebounded 40-38.
Louisiana Tech 77, Central Arkansas 36
RUSTON, La. ? Louisiana Tech showed for the 453rd time why it is one of the toughest places to win in all of college basketball, dominating the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears in the season opener for a 77-36 win on Friday in the Thomas Assembly Center.
The Lady Techsters (1-0) outscored the Sugar Bears (0-1) 35-3 over 15 minutes to run their all-time home record to 453-38 (.923) and send UCA home with a loss in the first game under head coach Matt Daniel.
Despite being whistled with seven fouls in the game's first five minutes and playing the majority of the half without starters Mariesha Piggee and Megan Moss, the Sugar Bears were able to keep the game close deep into the half.
Then, trailing just 26-21 with 6:55 to play after a pair of free throws by Jamye Adair, the Sugar Bears saw the game slip away in a hurry.
The Techsters closed the half with a 14-0 run, and kept the clamps on the Sugar Bears in the second half. UCA didn't record its first field goal of the second half until a layup by Nakeia Guiden nearly nine minutes in, and by that point Tech had extended its lead to 61-24.
The lead would grow to as much as 44 in the second half on a layup by former Conway High standout Sidney Stewart with 36 seconds left, putting the Lady Techsters ahead 77-33.
On a dismal shooting night for UCA ? which shot just 20 percent (11 of 55) as a team ? Adair was the lone Sugar Bear to reach double figures in scoring, leading the team with 15 ? including 11 in the first half.
The Techsters shot 42.7 percent from the floor and when they did miss often found a way to get it back ? corralling 24 offensive rebounds and scoring 17 second-chance points.
In all, Tech dominated the glass ? outrebounding UCA 60-35 and keeping the Sugar Bears to six second-chance points.
Adrienne Johnson led four Tech scorers in double figures with 22 points in 28 minutes. Shanavia Dowdell had 18 points and 13 rebounds, Whitney Jones added 12 and nine and Stewart added 11 points in 22 minutes off the bench.
The Sugar Bears played the game without junior forward Meaghen Kelleybrew, who missed the game with a foot injury.
UCA returns to action on Tuesday when they travel to Cape Girardeau, Mo. to take on Southeast Missouri State.
South Alabama 83, Nicholls State 30
MOBILE, Ala. - Nicholls trailed 38-17 at halftime, but first game jitters caught up with the Colonels in the second half as they fell 83-30 in the Mitchell Center on Friday night.
"Coach Rick Pietri does a great job with his team, and they will be in contention for the Sun Belt Conference title this season," said Head Coach DoBee Plaisance.
"Our team never gave up, and the mistakes that we made tonight are correctable. They (USA) were a much bigger team then we were in the post, and we still managed to keep the rebound margin low."
Leading the Colonels in scoring and also making her first collegiate career start was true freshman Jasmine Hoskins with nine points and a team high seven rebounds. Senior Dominique Washington tallied seven points, while adding six boards. Also adding six boards was senior Christie Bryant to go along with her lone point.
The Colonels will be back in action on Wednesday November 26 at Louisiana Tech. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in Ruston, La.
#12 Vanderbilt 85, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 51
Drake 72, Texas State 54