McNeese State Snaps Nation's Third-Longest Home Winning Streak
Women's Basketball Weekly Release (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Wednesday, Jan. 30
Stephen F. Austin at McNeese State*, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 31
Nicholls State at Oral Roberts*, 5 p.m.
Southeastern La. at Central Arkansas*, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN3)
Northwestern State at Lamar *, 5:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 1
Sam Houston State at A&M-Corpus Christi*, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 2
Nicholls State at Central Arkansas*, 2 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin at Lamar*, 4 p.m.
Southeastern La. at Oral Roberts*, 5 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 3
Northwestern State at McNeese State*, 1:30 p.m.
News & Notes
Sam Houston State Moves into First; Central Arkansas Sees Streak End: Almost halfway through conference play, Sam Houston State has established itself as the team to beat in the Southland. The Bearkats sit alone atop the standings at 7-1 with against Central Arkansas (6-2), Lamar (5-3) and Oral Roberts (5-3). The Bearkats’ lone loss came at the hands of McNeese State, which sits two games behind Sam Houston at 5-3. The Cowgirls are starting to make their push in the conference race after starting the year 1-2. McNeese is coming off an impressive road trip in which they knocked off UCA and ORU. The decisive 77-61 win against the Sugar Bears snapped UCA’s 22-game home winning streak, which was the third longest in the nation at the time. UCA had also won its last 25 regular season games at the Farris Center and defeated its last 13 conference opponents before the loss. This week features conference games on five consecutive days, starting with Stephen F. Austin and McNeese on Wednesday at 5:30. Thursday’s games begin at 5 p.m. when ORU hosts Nicholls State followed by the ESPN3 broadcast between Southeastern Louisiana and UCA at 5:30 p.m. Northwestern State and Lamar will also tipoff at 5:30 p.m., in Beaumont, Texas. Sam Houston State travels to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for the lone Friday night game at 7 p.m. On Saturday, UCA hosts Nicholls at 2 p.m., SFA travels to Lamar at 4 p.m. and Southeastern visits ORU at 5 p.m. The weekend wraps up Sunday with Northwestern State at McNeese at 1:30 p.m.
Southeastern Louisiana Looks to Upset Central Arkansas on ESPN3 Thursday Showdown: The Southland Conference’s television package continues with the fourth of 10 conference games Thursday evening. Southeastern Louisiana looks to build upon its first conference win when it travels to Central Arkansas. The Sugar Bears are 6-2 in league play while the Lady Lions are 1-7 after beating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last Saturday. UCA holds a 7-6 advantage in the all-time series between the two schools but Southeastern won the last time the two schools met 58-53 on Feb. 25, 2012 in Hammond, La. Lincoln Rose and Chris McColpin will have the call Thursday in Conway, Ark. The Southland Conference and ESPN3 announced in October that the league’s primary basketball television package will be seen exclusively on the broadband network beginning with the 2012-13 season. The schedule, the largest in conference history, includes 22 men’s and women’s basketball games in the initial year of the agreement. ESPN3 will also have exclusive coverage of the Southland Conference Basketball Tournament at the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy, Texas, during the women’s and men’s semifinals March 15, plus the women’s championship on March 16. The men’s championship will be carried on ESPN2 on March 16. In addition to the expanded basketball slate, ESPN3 will be the exclusive home for the Southland Conference softball and baseball championship games in 2013. In 2013, ESPN3 will add a selection of exclusive Southland football games to complement the Southland Television Network syndicated package, which is carried by more than 20 affiliates across four states.
Kalis Loyd Becomes Lamar’s All-Time Scorer: In Lamar’s 67-62 overtime loss to Central Arkansas on Jan. 26, Kalis Loyd became Lamar’s all-time leading scoring, pouring in 25 points to give her 1,749 for her career, passing Uirannah Jackson’s record of 1,730. Loyd set the record when she hit a jumper with 7:30 remaining in the first half.
Nicholls State’s KK Babin Scores Her 1,000th Career Point: Nicholls State junior guard KK Babin became the 11th Colonel women’s basketball player to surpass 1,000 points for her career on Jan. 26. In the 70-63 loss, Babin scored a team-high 17 points, only needing 10 points to reach the milestone entering the contest. The Gonzalez, La., native scored her 1,000th point on a free throw with 12:06 remaining in the game.
Sam Houston State’s Sequeena Thomas Adds to School’s Record Book: In Sam Houston State’s 64-48 win against Central Arkansas on Jan. 17, senior forward Sequeena Thomas set the school rebound mark after she pulled down 14 in the contest. Thomas now sits at 1,012 career rebounds. Along with having the school mark on the board, Thomas also recorded her 45th career double-double against Nicholls State on Jan. 26, which also ranks No. 1 in Bearkats women’s basketball. Each contest, she also keeps adding to her school record in blocks, which currently sits at 193.
Central Arkansas’ Megan Herbert Continues to Make Her Mark in the Southland: In Central Arkansas’ 72-56 win over Nicholls State on Jan. 3, Megan Herbert became the Southland’s all-time leader in free throws made. The senior from Rogers, Ark., hit eight shots from the line to help her surpass UTSA’s Angel Singleton’s (1995-98) mark of 553. Currently, Herbert sits at 577 made free throws with plenty of basketball to be played this season.
Exclusive 2,000 Point/1,000 Rebound Club: Herbert keeps etching her name in the records books as she scored her 2,000th career point against Northwestern State on Jan. 12. By reaching that milestone, she became only one of two current Division I women’s basketball players with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, joining Baylor’s Brittney Griner. Herbert also become the 57th Division I women’s player to reach 2,000 points and 1,200 rebounds, joining two former Southland players, Pat Jean (1880-83) and Joskeen Garner (1992-96). Currently, Herbert has 2,085 points and 1,316 rebounds in her career at UCA.
Herbert Moves Up NCAA Record Book: Along with setting conference records, Herbert continues to climb in the NCAA record book in career double-double. Herbert’s 76 career double-doubles is the most among active players and places her seventh in Division I history with Southern Cal’s Cheryl Miller and Duke’s Chris Moreland.
Katy Remains the Destination for Sixth Consecutive Year: The 2013 Southland Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament returns to the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy, Texas. This will be the sixth consecutive year for the tournament to be held in Katy. This year’s tournament will begin on Wednesday, March 13 with first-round action beginning at 5 p.m. First and second round games will be streamed live for free on the Southland Conference Digital Network. The semifinals, which will be shown on ESPN3, will take place on Friday, March 15 and the championship will be played Saturday, March 16 with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff and be televised on ESPN2. The 2012-13 tournament will be the 14th in league history to be played at a neutral site. The tournament was played in Shreveport, La., from 1995-2001 and was held in Houston before moving to Katy in 2008.
Southland Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary in 2013: Celebrating a half-century of academic achievement and competitive success, the Southland Conference embarks on a special commemoration of its 50th anniversary in 2013. The celebration coincides with the Southland’s 17 championship sports during the 2013 calendar year, starting with the league’s 50th season of men’s basketball and continuing through the 50th football season next fall. Founded on March 15, 1963, five institutions of higher learning – known then as Abilene Christian College, Arkansas State College, Arlington State College, Lamar State College of Technology, and Trinity University – formed the new consortium that campus officials at the time stated “will be guided by officials who aim to operate the conference on high academic levels and sound ethics.” Further, officials touted “The Conference hopes to give two states – Arkansas and Texas – a bright new era of added athletic excellence. In addition, the conference will fill the needs of five modern, growing colleges with athletic competition calculated to build an increasing host of fans.” While the original intent of the Southland founders was to soon add other “like-strength” colleges after the conference’s formation, the original five members remained intact until the 1971-72 additions of Louisiana Tech and Southwestern Louisiana, and the 1972-73 addition of McNeese State brought the conference into Louisiana, and began a number of membership changes that have included 22 major universities in the South and Southwest since then.
Southland Conference Will Grow to 14 Teams for 2013-14: Oral Roberts University is the new kid on the block in the Southland Conference this season, but it will become an instant veteran of the league in 2013-14 when the conference welcomes four more schools into the fold, increasing the membership to 14 institutions. The league announced last November that Houston Baptist University would join the Southland, but this past August Southland commissioner Tom Burnett announced the addition of three more schools. The University of New Orleans, Abilene Christian University and the University of the Incarnate Word will be welcomed into the conference July 1, 2013, giving the Southland members in key population centers Houston, San Antonio and New Orleans, all home to significant student-recruitment and alumni bases. Additionally, original Southland Conference member Abilene Christian, one of the most decorated athletic programs in the NCAA, will return to the league after a 40-year absence. ACU and UIW will be transitioning from NCAA Division II and will not be eligible to win the conference championship during their transition periods, which should be complete in time for the 2017-18 season.
Are You Southland Strong? The Southland Conference has launched a new marketing campaign known as “Southland Strong.” The motto encompasses a positive mindset and confident outlook for everything that happens in the Southland. It is about competitiveness and success in the conference, in the NCAA, in professional sports and many other great achievements by member institutions and student-athletes. But it is more than just excelling in competition; it is also about being successful in the classroom and in the workforce. Southland Strong is also about great works by the league’s athletic departments reaching out and giving back to the local communities and student-athletes providing leadership through their endless efforts with local charity and youth groups. The conference encourages its member institutions and student-athletes to help promote the campaign by joining the social media conversation by using the #SouthlandStrong hashtag to tell why someone or something is Southland Strong.
2012-13 Team Capsules...
Central Arkansas: Until last Thursday’s loss to McNeese State, the Sugar Bears had the nation’s third-longest home winning streak at 22 games, trailing only Baylor (48) and Kentucky (31)… Central Arkansas had won 25 straight regular-season games, with only a loss to UAB in the 2011 WBI first round… Since the start of the 2009-10 season, the Sugar Bears have gone 48-7 (.873) in games inside the Farris Center. They are 24-4 at home in conference games since the start of the 2010 conference season… With Saturday's win over Lamar, Central Arkansas tied the Lady Cardinals for most wins among Southland teams since 2009-10 with 79. The Sugar Bears have the highest winning percentage (79-33, .705) and most Southland wins (42-14, .750) during that time… Five of the Sugar Bears' eight conference games have been decided by exactly 16 points, with wins over Nicholls State (72-56), Southeastern Louisiana (76-60) and Northwestern State (60-44) and losses to Sam Houston State (64-48) and McNeese State (77-61)… The only two single-digit margins have been wins over Stephen F. Austin (57-54) and Lamar (67-62 in overtime)… In each of the last three games, Megan Herbert and Courtney Duever have both posted double-doubles, combining to average 31.3 points and 25.3 rebounds per game. In the win over Lamar, the duo combined for 31 rebounds, one fewer than the Lady Cardinal roster, as the Sugar Bears had a 49-32 rebounding advantage.
Lamar: Lamar coach Larry Tidwell has coached 179 games, tying Pat Park for the school record... Tidwell will coach his 180th Lamar game Thursday as the Lady Cardinals host Northwestern State… Lamar has not lost three consecutive conference games since Feb. 25-March 4, 2009… Lamar has won eight straight against Northwestern State… Kalis Loyd became Lamar’s all-time leading scorer during Saturday’s game at Central Arkansas. Loyd now has 1,749 points, surpassing Uirannah Jackson’s 1,730 points… Lamar is planning a women’s basketball reunion for all former coaches and players for the weekend of Feb. 15-16, the weekend the Lady Cardinals host McNeese State.
McNeese State: McNeese State picked up two big road wins at Central Arkansas and Oral Roberts to move into a tie for third place in the league standings… The win at Central Arkansas snapped the Sugar Bears’ 22-game home winning streak as well as its 13-game Southland home winning streak… Junior Cecilia Okoye scored a career high 21 points in the win over Central Arkansas and junior Arianna James’ layup with four tenths of a second left was the game winner at Oral Roberts… McNeese will begin the second half of conference play at home against Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State this week.
Nicholls State: The Colonels went 1-1 at home over the weekend, defeating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday before falling at home to Sam Houston State... Nicholls State had a season-high 21 steals against the Islanders, with KK Babin (7) and Jenny Nash (6) setting career-highs... the 21 steals was the highest single-game total dating back to the 2004-05 season... the loss to Sam Houston was the Colonels' fourth straight to the Bearkats... Babin led Nicholls with 17 points to eclipse the 1,000 point plateau for her career, becoming the 11th Colonel in program history to reach the milestone... Nicholls remains as one of the Southland's best shooting teams, ranking in the top two in percentage. The Colonel are tied for first in field goal (.429) and free throw (.726) and are second behind the arc (.313)... Alisha Allen ranks sixth in the league in scoring (15.2 ppg), followed by Babin (12.4) at 11th... Babin ranks second in assists (5.2)... The Colonels will hit the road for their next two games with rematches against Oral Roberts and Central Arkansas... Nicholls defeated ORU earlier this season, 69-66. It was the first meeting between the programs... UCA beat Nicholls 72-56 in Thibodaux. UCA leads the all-time series 11-3 and is 6-0 at home.
Northwestern State: Before the Southeastern Louisiana game (1/19), Northwestern State had only held the lead for 12 minutes and 14 seconds in 240 minutes of play, which is only five percent of all six games combined… Against Southeastern and Stephen F. Austin, Northwestern held the lead for a combined 51:56 in a combined 85 minutes played. Southeastern was the first time in Southland play the Lady Demons held the lead at half, 10-minute or 5-minute marks… In Northwestern’s three conference wins, the Lady Demons scored 64 points in each contest… Northwestern is 3-1 when holding opponents to 59 or lower… During non-conference Northwestern averaged only 49 points a game and shot only 33 percent, and 21 percent from behind the arc. They are averaging 59 points during Southland play and shooting 42 percent from the field including a league leading 39 percent from behind the arc… The Lady Demons are 7-2 in games that are decided by 10 points or less and 3-1 in games that decided by five points or less… Freshmen over average 55 percent of Northwestern’s points and sophomores average over 18 percent. The Lady Demons’ top two average minutes belong to freshmen Janelle Perez (36.8) and Keisha Lee (31.6).
Oral Roberts: Cooper is the first Oral Roberts freshman to score 20 points since the 2009-10 season… Junior Sarah Shelton tallied her first two career double-doubles this week, with 19 points and 12 rebounds against Lamar and 12 points and 12 rebounds against McNeese State… Senior Jaci Bigham added 20 points in the McNeese game and hit a season-high four three-pointers against the Cowgirls… ORU hit a season-high 10 three-pointers against Lamar, then topped the mark with 12 three-pointers against McNeese… Shelton blocked seven shots in the two games, including a career-best four against McNeese… ORU’s one-point loss to McNeese came at the buzzer, their first buzzer-beater loss since Jan. 9, 2010 against IPFW.
Sam Houston State: Britni Martin upped her career scoring total to 1,658 … Martin ranks No. 2 in all-time Sam Houston State women’s scoring (Sherry Pfister is Sam Houston’s all-time leader with 1,975 points in 1980-83)… Martin ranks as Sam Houston’s all-time leader in treys with 287 in her career… Sequeena Thomas became the first Sam Houston women’s player to both score 1,000 career points and pull down 1,000 career rebounds with 14 boards Saturday at Nicholls State… Thomas stands sixth in Sam Houston career scoring (1,230 points) and is Sam Houston’s all-time rebound leader (1,012)… After a 3-8 start in November and December, the Bearkat women have won eight of their nine and stand 11-9 for the year… Guard Chanice Smith is eight points away from becoming the 14th Bearkat woman to score 1,000 career points… When she accomplishes that goal, it will give Sam Houston three senior player on the same squad with more than 1,000 points to their credit.
Southeastern Louisiana: Southeastern Louisiana split a pair of games this week in Southland Conference play … On Saturday, the Lady Lions snapped an eight-game losing streak and picked up their first Southland win with a 66-54 triumph over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi… In the win, the Lady Lions tied a season-high with five players in double figures… Sophomore guard Symone Miller led Southeastern with 14 points and was joined in double figures by senior forward Brandi Simmons (12 points), junior forward Aja Gibson (11 points), sophomore guard Elizabeth Styles (11 points) and junior guard Jameika Hoskins (10 points)… Southeastern opened the week with a valiant effort against league leader Sam Houston State … The Lady Lions trailed by 15 in the second half, but cut the lead to three in the final minutes before eventually falling, 58-53. Gibson led the Lady Lions with 18 points and was joined in double figures by Hoskins (13 points) and Styles (10 points).
Stephen F. Austin: The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks played just one game this past week, defeating Northwestern State 57-50 in SFA’s first overtime game of the season... Sophomore forward Daylyn Harris scored a career-high 21 points, 16 of which came in the second half… The sophomore from Livingston, Texas, made 4-of-5 three-point attempts and at one point scored eight straight points in the second half to help the Ladyjacks rally from a 35-27 deficit to tie the game… SFA has now won three consecutive games, its longest win streak of the season… SFA will be back in action Wednesday when it travel to Lake Charles, La., for a rematch against a McNeese State team that defeated the Ladyjacks 74-57 back on Jan. 5 in Nacogdoches.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: Jessica Jammer powered the Islanders with a season-high 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field on Saturday at Southeastern Louisiana… Thursday at Nicholls State, Taryn Gregory paced the Islanders with a season-high nine points… The Islanders out-rebounded the Colonels on Thursday, 41-35, behind Ashley Darley's eight boards and Brandi Huff's seven. On Saturday, the Islanders and Lady Lions were even at 24 boards apiece… For the third straight game, the Islanders had contribution from their bench. On Thursday against Nicholls State, the Islanders' bench notched the 23-21 advantage and on Saturday the Islanders' outscored the Lady Lions' bench 10-8… Janae Blount leads the team with 8.5 points per game while Jammer leads the Islanders in conference play with 9.3 points per game… Coach Chadwick has used 10 different starting lineups this season.