UTSA Rolls Over Rice
UTSA 81, Rice 50
SAN ANTONIO, Texas ? The UTSA women’s basketball team got off to a fast start with a balance offensive attack as four Roadrunners scored in double-figures and extend its winning streak to four with a 81-50 win over Rice Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
Senior guard Monica Gibbs led four Roadrunners, who even their record to 6-6 on the year, in double-figure scoring with a game-high 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, as she recorded her 29th career double-double. Meanwhile, senior forward Onika Anderson posted her seventh double-double of the season with 14 points and a game-best dozen broads.
Sophomore guard Whitney York and junior guard Alysse Davis chipped in with 13 and 10 points, respectively. York also dished out a career-high seven assists.
UTSA hauled in a season-best 55 rebounds, including 18 offensive boards, which led to 42 points in the paint. The Runners also tied a game record with only six turnovers set against Southeastern Louisiana this past February, while forcing 17 Rice miscues that led to 26 points off turnovers.
“I thought we were ready to play and were focus today,” head coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair said. “We stuck to the game plan and didn’t allow their best player get off to a fast start. We also rebounded well, as Ryba and Onika dominated the glass for us. I think we are starting to come together as a team and are starting to get contribution from everyone on the team.”
Melissa Wittmayer was the lone Owl (4-8) to reach double-digits with team-high 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Rice scored the first four points of the second half to make it a 47-23 contest at the 18-minute mark. This would be the closet the Owls would get for the rest game. UTSA responded with a 23-5 run over the next 10 minutes for its largest lead of the game at 70-28.
A freebie by Maduess Fulton ended Rice’s three minute scoreless drought and then a jumper by Watts made it a 32-point UTSA lead, but the Roadrunners were too much as they picked the 80-51 win.
UTSA got off to the fast start making its first three baskets to grab the early 7-0 lead, as the Roadrunners would not look back. Gibbs’ steal that led to a layup highlighted the quick start. A 3-pointer by Watts and a layup by Fulton made it a 10-7 contest with 15 minutes to go.
The Owls got within eight of the Runners lead at 20-12, but Anderson’s bucket capped off a 7-0 run by the Birds over the next three minutes to make it a 27-12 edge.
Martin’s baseline jumper as the clock expired highlighted a 20-4 spurt by the Roadrunners to extend their lead to 47-19 at the half. Davis also added eight points during that run.
UTSA held Rice in check to 21.2 percent shooting in the first half, while the Roadrunners shot 46.3 percent from the floor.
UTSA closes out its four-game home stand against Tulsa on Jan. 5, at the Convocation Center. Tipoff slated for 6 p.m.
McNeese State 71, Louisiana Tech 66
LAKE CHARLES, La.- Senior Shante’ Perry set a single game three-point record with nine and tied a single game record with 39 points to lead McNeese State to a 77-61 upset victory over Louisiana Tech here Saturday. Perry also tied the school record for field goals made with 14 and went into the locker room with 21 first half points. Perry connected on 14 of 25 field goals and was nearly perfect from behind the arc, making nine of 10 attempts. The 1,311 fans helped the Cowgirls set a new attendance record in its “Pack the House” game.
“What a performance by senior Shante’ Perry. She really stepped up tonight. Our team did and excellent job of feeding her the ball. This is what coaching is all about, to witness a kid like Perry adjust to new coaches, face adversity and take on this young team with confidence and poise. I am so proud of her,” said head coach Brooks Williams.
The home victory over the Lady Techsters was the first since the 1978-79 season when the Cowgirls won 71-70 at the Lake Charles Civic Center. The McNeese victory is also only the fifth all-time victory over Louisiana Tech.
“What a historic win for our Cowgirl program. I am extremely proud of our intensity and effort from tip to finish.”
The Cowgirls led 32-26 at the half but Louisiana Tech began the second half on a 13-0 run to take a 39-32 lead with 16:32 left in the game. The Cowgirls slowly cut into the lead and took a 46-44 lead on an Ashlyn Baggett trey with 11:51 left. The Cowgirls extended their lead to eight (57-49) with 6:51 remaining.
After Louisiana Tech took a brief lead (59-57) with 4:37 left in the game, two free throws by Jessica Hooker tied the game 59 all and free throws by Perry with 3:45 gave the Cowgirls the lead for good. McNeese held a six point lead twice in the last three minutes of the game (67-61) with 1:22 left and again with :36 left. Eight of the Cowgirls final ten points of the game came from the free throw line, where the Cowgirls lead the Southland Conference with a 73.0 free throw percent.
“We came back after the half and were much improved keeping La. Tech off the glass. I thought our defensive effort was a total team effort and we played together and extremely hard.”
The Cowgirls forced the Lady Techsters to turn the ball over 15 times and scored 12 points. McNeese’s bench contributed with 13 points.
McNeese improved to 7-5 overall and extended its winning streak to six games. The victory also allowed the Cowgirls to remain undefeated at home this season. The loss dropped Louisiana Tech to 7-7 on the year. The game marked the final non-conference game this season for the Cowgirls who will begin Southland Conference action at home this Saturday against Texas-San Antonio.
“Our challenge will be taking this momentum into Southland Conference play. I believe our girls will continue to work hard and get better as we get ready to host UTSA.”
Sam Houston State 79, North Texas 72
HUNTSVILLE, Texas ? Ray Alexander and Britni Martin each scored 14 points to lead Sam Houston as the Bearkats defeated North Texas 79-72 in a non-conference women’s basketball game Saturday at Johnson Coliseum.
In a game with eight ties and seven lead changes, Sam Houston to break a 64-64 tie on two Whitney Smith free throws. The Kats outscored North Texas 15-8 in the final 5:17 minutes of play to up their season record to 3-10.
North Texas (5-9) was led by Yari Escalera and Amber Jackson, both with 17 points.
Five Bearkats scored in double figures with Smith and Lydia Gonzales each totaling 11 points and Lucy Livingston adding 10. Martin and Smith led Sam Houston under the boards, each with 10 rebounds.
North Texas opened the game by jumping out to a 17-5 lead in the first four minutes. Sam Houston cut the lead to 43-39 at halftime and outscored the Eagles 40-29 in the second period.
“This was a big win for us,” SHSU head coach Brenda Nichols said. “We’ve played a very challenging non-conference schedule. The girls have kept their heads up and continued to improve. North Texas has beaten two Southland Conference teams so this win will be a big confidence builder for us going into league play.”
Sam Houston hit 28-of-63 from the field for .444 shooting while North Texas was 29-of-74 for .392. Jackson led the Eagles with nine rebounds.
The contest was the final non-conference tilt for the Sam Houston women’s team. The Bearkats will open Southland Conference play Saturday at 2 p.m. against Stephen F. Austin State at Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville.
Stephen F. Austin 56, No. 10 ? Auburn 79
AUBURN, Ala. - The No. 10 Auburn Tigers jumped out to a 14-0 lead, and they were able to hold on to record a 79-56 victory over Stephen F. Austin Saturday afternoon at the Beard-Eaves Coliseum in Auburn, Ala. The loss drops SFA to 5-7 on the season, while Auburn improves to 15-0 on the year.
The Tigers jumped out of the gate quickly connecting on their first four field goal attempts, building a 14-0 lead before SFA could score its first bucket. While Auburn was off to a quick start, SFA struggled early on missing its four shots and connecting on only 2-of-its-first-9. Freshman Tammara Marion hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to put SFA on the board, 14-3, with 15:43 remaining. After Auburn built the advantage to 17 points, Marion hit another three-pointer to trim the lead to 14 points, but SFA had no answer for Auburn's size.
The Tigers never cooled off in the first half connecting on 9-of-their-first-11 attempts, and finished the half shooting 17-of-30 (.567) from the floor. SFA picked up the intensity finishing the half 10-of-27 (.370) from the floor, led by Marion's 12 first-half points. The Tigers used their height advantage to take a 19-11 lead on the glass in the opening half.
In the second half SFA was able to hold Auburn to a 37 percent shooting performance, but the Tigers really began attacking the glass. The Tigers outrebounded SFA, 48-27, in the second half as they pushed their lead to 20 points.
The Ladyjacks started the second half connecting on its first two possessions, and forcing Auburn into a turnover. SFA trimmed the lead to 11 points early in the half, and were able to keep the Tigers within striking distance for the first 10 minutes of the half, before Auburn started to pull away due to its advantage on the glass. The Tigers finished the game with a 13-point advantage in second-chance points, and a 16-point advantage in points in the paint.
Auburn finished the game 27-of-57 (.474) from the floor, while the Ladyjacks shot 22-of-60 (.367). The Tigers also outrebounded SFA, 48-27, while SFA forced its host into 17 turnovers.
Marion led the way with 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including a 5-of-7 mark from beyond the three-point arc. Freshman Amina Sawyer added 14 points and five rebounds, while junior Whitney Cormier chipped in 10, and pulled down a team-high six rebounds. Sherell Hobbs led the Tigers with her 19 points and nine rebounds.
The Ladyjacks return to action Saturday, Jan. 10, when they travel to Huntsville, Texas, to take on Sam Houston State in the 2008-09 Southland Conference opener. The game against the Bearkats is slated to begin at 2 p.m. from the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
Southeastern La. 48, Alabama 59
HAMMOND, La. ? Alabama closed with an 11-1 run to pull away from Southeastern Louisiana late, as the Lady Lions suffered their first home loss of the season, 59-48, in non-conference women’s basketball action on Saturday afternoon at the University Center.
Southeastern (7-5) lost for the first time in seven tries in Hammond this season, despite forcing 24 Alabama turnovers. The first Southeastern Conference team to visit the University Center since the 2002-03 season, the Crimson Tide (12-3) forced the Lady Lions into 22 turnovers, however, while also out-rebounding the Lady Lions, 46-30. The win was Alabama’s sixth in a row.
Southeastern head coach Lori Davis Jones was pleased with the team’s effort to get back into the game after trailing by as many as 12 points, but was frustrated that her team let an opportunity slip away.
“We were very proud of the team’s effort to get back into the game,” Jones said. “We had a very good opportunity to beat an SEC opponent on our floor, but we made too many turnovers in crucial situations. We have to limit our wasted possessions if we are going to be successful in the Southland Conference.”
Southeastern senior forward Kristy Carlin scored a game-high 16 points and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds for the Lady Lions. Carlin finished the game one point shy of becoming the school’s 16th student-athlete to reach 1,000 career points. The Walker native will be honored for becoming the 11th student-athlete in school history to reach both 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds during Tuesday’s game with Millsaps.
Senior guard Bethany Sinclair finished with eight points and six rebounds for Southeastern, while junior forward Zevy Ivory grabbed six boards as well. Sinclair, Carlin and Ivory each had two steals apiece, while freshman guard Kelli Jenkins dished out a team-high three assists for the Lady Lions.
Alabama was led by freshman guard Ericka Russell’s 14 points. Russell and sophomore guard Alyson Butler (12 points) both hit key three-pointers during the game-deciding run. Junior center Courtney Strauthers, junior guard Dedrea Magee and sophomore forward Tierney Jenkins pulled down seven rebounds apiece for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama led by eight at halftime and pushed the lead to as much as 12 early in the second half. A jumper by Magee with 12:05 remaining put Alabama up, 43-32.
With Southeastern’s hopes dwindling, Carlin took over. After a layup by Sinclair cut the Alabama margin to nine, Carlin scored the game’s next seven points. Lady Lion junior guard Kim Edmonson capped the team’s 12-0 run with a long three to put Southeastern up, 44-43, with 6:56 left.
Russell scored Alabama’s next five points to break the scoring drought, hitting a three with 5:31 left to put the Crimson Tide up, 48-44, with 5:31 left.
Southeastern fought back, as Carlin hit three straight free throws to pull the Lady Lions within one, 48-47, with 4:01 left. With a chance to tie, the SLC’s top free throw shooter missed the second of two tries from the charity stripe.
The team’s traded empty possessions, before Butler buried a three to put the Crimson Tide up by four, 51-47, with 2:46 left. After a Carlin shot rimmed out, Russell hit the dagger, drilling a long three and drawing a foul on Jenkins in the process. Russell completed the four-point play to give Alabama a 55-47 lead with 2:11 left. Southeastern would get no closer than seven the rest of the way.
Southeastern will close out its non-conference schedule on Tuesday, hosting Millsaps at 3 p.m. in the University Center. Tuesday’s game will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net.
Lamar 45, No. 4 ? Texas 82
AUSTIN, Texas - The Lamar University women’s basketball team dropped an 82-45 decision Saturday afternoon against the No. 4 ranked University of Texas Saturday at the Frank Irwin Center.
The loss drops Lamar to 8-4 on the year while Texas improves to 12-1 on the year with the win.
The Lady Cardinals held strong in the first half, knocking down 10 of their 25 shots for a 40 percent effort, but a 61.5 percent shooting effort by Texas gave the Longhorns a 39-25 lead heading into the break. After a quick 6-0 start by the Longhorns, LU battled back and did not allow UT to build their lead any higher than 10 points in the first 12 minutes. After an Emily Spickler three pointer cut the score to 26-17 with 6:30 to play, Texas used a 13-8 run to finish the half.
Lamar was led by Emily Spickler and Brittney Williams who each scored six points, while Trashanna Smith led all players with five rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.
In the second half the Lady Cardinals were not able to hold off the hot shooting Longhorns, who erupted for 43 points, while holding LU to 20. Williams led the way for Lamar offensively in the second half, scoring eight points, while knocking down a pair of three pointers.
For the game, Williams was the only Lady Cardinal to finish in double digits in the scoring column, tallying 14 points, while Spickler finished with nine points. Smith finished with a game high eight rebounds, while Agnija Reke finished with four assists.
As a team Lamar shot 35.3 percent from the field, knocking down 18 of their 51 shots, while Texas posted a 56.9 shooting percentage, going 29-51. The Longhorns won the rebounding battle 36 to 18 and Lamar turned the ball over 18 times to UT’s 17.
The Lady Cardinals will be back in action on Tuesday at 7 p.m. when they return to the Montagne Center to host Paul Quinn College. Southland Conference action gets under way on Saturday when Lamar heads to Southeastern Louisiana for a Saturday afternoon showdown.
Central Arkansas 38, No. 22 ? Kansas State 81
MANHATTAN, Kan. ? The Kansas State Wildcats proved once again they are one of the nation's best teams, easily defeating the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears 81-38 on Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.
The No. 22 Wildcats (13-0), one of only six undefeated teams in the nation, made sure they remained in that elite group as they jumped on the Sugar Bears (4-9) early ? building a 19-0 lead while forcing seven turnovers ? and never looked back, continuing their best start to a season in program history.
"We came out a little overwhelmed," UCA head coach Matt Daniel said.
"That was the biggest crowd we'll play of in front of all year and we're starting three freshmen and a sophomore. Once we settled down and just played we were alright, but that happens with a young team."
After falling behind by 32 at the end of the first half to go into the locker room trailing the defending Big 12 champions 46-14, the Sugar Bears were more effective in the second half as they were outscored only 11, 35-24, and improved from 23.1 percent shooting (6 of 26) to 36.4 percent (8 of 22), and committed only nine turnovers while forcing 11 against the Wildcats.
"Once we settled in we played a little bit and in the second half they only beat us 11," Daniel said. "I'm disappointed with the loss, but I think we kind of grew up in the second half. The kids played from opening tip to final buzzer. If we can continue to play hard and work on our focus and take care of the ball we'll be ok. I'm just thankful to have the non-conference schedule behind us and I'm excited about the conference schedule ahead."
UCA freshman point guard Destinee Rogers had 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting, mostly on drives to the basket, to lead all scorers. Sophomore guard Laura Beth Anderson came off the bench to score 10 for the Sugar Bears. They were the only two to score in double figures for UCA, which played 13 players and had only six score.
Ashley Sweat scored 15 in 22 minutes to lead the Wildcats. Marlies Gipson had 14 in 23 minutes, Kelsey Nelson had 11 in 16 and Kari Kincaid had 10 in 18.
Shalee Lehning, the Wildcat point guard and Wooden Award candidate, had just five points but grabbed seven rebounds and had 12 assists to improve on her average of 8.9 per game ? tops in the nation.
KSU out-rebounded UCA 45-28 and shot 11-12 (91.7 percent) from the free throw line. The Sugar Bears were 8 of 16 (50 percent).
UCA committed 21 turnovers, which the Wildcats converted into 35 points.
UCA scored 11 off of 16 KSU turnovers.
It was the final non-conference game for both teams, with KSU opening Big 12 play against in-state rival Kansas next week. The Sugar Bears will open their Southland Conference season next Saturday at home against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Texas State 55, No. 7 ? Baylor 95
WACO, Texas (AP) -- Danielle Wilson had 26 points, seven rebounds and four blocks to help No. 7 Baylor cruise past Texas State 95-55 Saturday night.
Morghan Medlock scored 15 points in just 12 minutes for Baylor in her first home game since her mother was murdered on Dec. 19. Baylor held a moment of silence before the game.
Ashley Cole scored 14 points and Gabby Mattox added 11 to lead Texas State (6-6), which got no closer than 17 in the second half.
Lindsay Palmer and Jhasmin Player each added 10 points for Baylor.
Baylor forced 27 turnovers and held the Bobcats to just 36 percent shooting.