Lyndzee Greene Helps Guide No. 7 Northwestern State to 96-82 Upset of Stephen F. Austin
By Brandon C. Williams
Southland.org
KATY, Texas - Lyndzee Greene and her Northwestern State teammates were tired of losing after dropping seven of their last nine regular season games entering Tuesday afternoon's Southland Conference quarterfinal game against Stephen F. Austin, a team the Lady Demons had never defeated in nine previous tournament tilts.
Greene and the Lady Demons are no longer tired of losing after seventh-seed Northwestern State shocked second-seeded SFA 96-82 to advance to Thursday's semifinal.
"As seniors, we just wanted to go out with a bang," said Greene, who scored 13 points and added eight rebounds and six assists. "We just forgot about our record and just started playing like we know we could."
The Lady Demons (15-15) shot 59 percent from the field in the second half to pull away from a Lady Jacks (18-10) squad that came into the Merrell Center with a seven-game winning streak.
Stephen F. Austin struggled to find offensive consistency, shooting just 35 percent from the field.
SFA looked good early, leading 14-6 as Northwestern State missed nine of their first 12 shots. Once the Lady Demons got acquainted with the basket, they proceeded to swing the momentum with a 32-12 run in a span of 11:11 to take a 38-26 lead at the 4:12 mark of the first half.
The Lady Jacks pulled within 42-35 at intermission and were still in striking range after Antoinette Davis' layup made it 59-54 with 12:16 remaining.
It would be as close as SFA would come, as Northwestern State went on a 26-7 run to blow the game wide open.
"We were able to score off their press," said Lady Demons coach Jennifer Graf. "I can't say enough about the effort our ladies put out there today."
Freshman Trudy Armstead led five Northwestern State players in double figures with 25 points while pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds.
"Trudy's a unique player," said Graf. "There was a lot of pressure on her, but she stayed focused and did an outstanding job."
Jessica McPhail came off the bench to contribute 22 points and nine rebounds, while Brittiany Houston scored 14. Anna Cate Williams added 13.
Despite the loss, the Lady Jacks still hold postseason aspirations. SFA can make the Women's National Invitational Tournament if Lamar wins the tournament, but the fact rang hollow for Lady Jacks coach Lee Ann Riley.
"We just didn't play with the intensity that we did in our last seven games," she said. "Give credit to Northwestern State. They played a great game."
Whitney Cormier led the Lady Jacks with 23 points, while Ebony Alexander scored 18. Tammara Marion and Schera Sampson scored 10 each for SFA.