Women's Basketball: Dec. 20 Scoreboard
Stephen F. Austin 72, Arizona 60
Southeastern Louisiana 69, Florida A&M 67 (OT)
Abilene Christian 80, Air Force 44
A&M-Corpus Christi 67, Texas Southern 63
Houston 65, Nicholls 47
Jackson State 62, Northwestern State 61
Stephen F. Austin 72, Arizona 60
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Porsha Roberts scored 21 of her game-high 29 points in the second half, Tierany Henderson tied a career-high with 16 rebounds and the Stephen F. Austin women’s basketball team earned a big 72-60 victory over Arizona on Saturday evening inside William R. Johnson Coliseum.
Roberts had another huge performance for the Ladyjacks (6-4), going 11-for-16 from the field and connecting on seven of nine free throw attempts in the game. She came one rebound shy of her fifth double-double of the season, finishing with nine boards – five of which came on the offensive glass. The senior from Waco, Texas is averaging 23.0 points over the Ladyjacks’ last four games.
Henderson was a rebounding machine for SFA, recording seven offensive and nine defensive rebounds on the evening. Her efforts helped the Ladyjacks win the rebounding battle and outscore Arizona 18-11 in second chance points.
Arizona (6-4) held a slim 25-23 advantage at the break but SFA regained the lead early in the second half. The Ladyjacks shot 53.6 percent (15-for-28) in the final 20 minutes and built a 17-point cushion with 6:02 left to play before coasting to the 72-60 victory.
SFA limited Arizona to under 40 percent shooting in the contest and didn’t surrender a three-pointer.
Senior guard Brittney Matthew joined Roberts in double figures with 10 points on 3-for-7 shooting. Junior Paulletta Powell and sophomore Taylor Ross each contributed eight points and Henderson and freshman Charisma Alexander each chipped in six to round out the Ladyjacks’ top scorers.
SFA forced 20 Arizona turnovers with the help of three steals apiece from Ross and junior Victoria Pena. Henderson and Matthew led the squad with four assists on the night.
The Ladyjacks return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 6 p.m. when they host Southern Arkansas in William R. Johnson Coliseum for a New Year’s Eve special.
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Southeastern Louisiana 69, Florida A&M 67 (OT)
HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana senior guard Elizabeth Styles scored a season-high 21 points to lead the Lady Lions to a thrilling 69-67 overtime victory over Florida A&M in non-conference women’s basketball action Saturday afternoon at the University Center.
The Lady Lions (4-6) returned home for the first time since Dec. 2 and snapped a three-game losing streak. Fifteen of Styles’ points came in the second half as SLU bounced back from an 11-point halftime deficit to force overtime against the visiting Rattlers (3-6).
In overtime, Styles and senior backcourt mate Symone Miller scored six points apiece to allow Southeastern to outlast FAMU. Styles also notched three steals, as the Lady Lions forced a season-high 26 turnovers.
Styles and Miller (15 points) were joined in double figures by junior forward Nanna Pool, who posted her fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Pool moved into 10
th place on the school’s career list with 585 rebounds.
Senior forward Jameika Hoskins chipped in with seven points – including the game-tying free throw at the end of regulation – and 11 rebounds. Styles paced the team with a game-high six assists.
Junior forward Olivia Antilla scored a game-high 22 points for FAMU, while also leading the Rattlers with eight rebounds. Freshman guard Dawn King (16 points) and junior guard Khaderja Young (15 points) joined Antilla in double figures, while Young also dished out a team-high four assists.
FAMU held Southeastern to just 22.9 percent (8-for-35) shooting in the first half to take a 32-21 lead into the break. SLU opened the second half on a 9-2 run to cut the lead to single digits. However, FAMU continued to hold off the Lady Lions. The Rattlers maintained a six-point lead with 3:05 left after an Antilla jump shot.
Styles slashed to the hoop for a bucket on the ensuing possession, then a Young turnover led to a basket by freshman guard Taylin Underwood to cut the lead to 55-53 with 2:30 remaining.
After both teams traded empty possessions, another Antilla score put FAMU up, 57-53, with 1:38 left. Styles’ ability to penetrate led to SLU’s next score, as the Savannah, Georgia native knifed into the lane and found an open Hoskins for a score and a three-point play opportunity. Hoskins knocked down the free throw to pull the Lady Lions within one with 1:24 remaining.
Both teams couldn’t find the basket on the ensuing possessions, but SLU had one last possession with the shot clock turned off. Miller left her shot short, but Hoskins was able to come out of the scramble with the offensive board. After drawing a foul, the Aberdeen, Mississippi product netted one of two from the line to force overtime.
SLU controlled overtime from the onset, as Styles scored and Miller followed with a three-pointer to give the Lady Lions a five-point lead less than a minute into the extra period.
Florida A&M battled back and a layup by Young knotted the score at 62 with just over two minutes left. Styles answered with another strong drive to the hoop, then Miller hit her second trey of overtime to give SLU a 67-62 lead with a minute left.
This time, there was no rally left in the visiting Rattlers. A layup by Young cut the Lady Lion lead to three with less than 30 seconds left, but Styles would ice the game with a pair of free throws. King was able to net a three as time expired to cut the final margin to two.
Southeastern will now take a break to celebrate Christmas. On Dec. 29, SLU will close out its non-conference schedule with a 6 p.m. game at Ole Miss. The game will be the return of SLU head coach Yolanda Moore to Oxford, where she was a three-time All-SEC forward for the Rebels and earned a spot in the Ole Miss Sports Hall of Fame.
The game will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and the Internet at
www.LionSports.net.
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Abilene Christian 80, Air Force 44
Recap to follow.
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A&M-Corpus Christi 67, Texas Southern 63
Recap to follow.
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Houston 65, Nicholls 47
LUBBOCK, Texas - Houston used an early 18-1 run to set the tone against the Nicholls State University women’s basketball team and the Colonels shot a season low 25 percent from the field as Nicholls was handed its third consecutive loss with a 65-47 defeat on Saturday afternoon at United Supermarkets Arena.
Nicholls (3-6), still searching for its first road win, will close out the weekend in the Athletes in Action Tournament on Sunday against UTSA. Tipoff is slated for 11 a.m.
Jenny Nash was the lone Colonel to reach double figures, finishing with a game-high 18 points. Nash was on point with her 3-point shot as she knocked down 5-of-10 from behind the arc and 6-of-14 overall. But the senior from Houston would not get much help on the offensive end of the floor as the rest of the team combined to make just 9-of-47 from the field.
Nash and Taylor Morrison knocked down a 3-pointer each in the first eight minutes, helping Nicholls to an 11-9 lead over Houston (5-5). It would be the last lead for Nicholls, however, as the team managed only one point over the next nine minutes. A Tia Charles free throw ended a 9-0 run by the Cougars at the 7:26 mark, but Houston put together another 9-0 run to take a commanding 27-12 lead.
A pair of Shay Arnick free throws ended the 18-1 run, and Nash nailed another 3-pointer to bring the deficit to 27-17. Houston answered with four free throws before Nash made 1-of-2 at the line to send the Colonels into the locker room down 31-18.
Although the Colonel defense held UH to 34 percent from the field, the offense managed to make just 16 percent of its shots in the first 20 minutes.
In the early minutes of the second half, Nash sparked a surge, connecting on two 3-pointers before Ekiya Gray made a bucket inside to make the score 34-26. But once again, the offense was non-existent for a long stretch, going scoreless for nearly six minutes as the Cougars scored 18 consecutive points to blow open the game at 52-26 with 10 minutes remaining.
Nicholls would get no closer than 17 points the rest of the way as Houston improved to 2-0 on the weekend.
The Cougars were led by Mariah Mitchell off the bench with 15 points. Houston shot just 36 percent from the field, but was stellar from behind the arc (6-of-14) and at the free throw line (19-of-22).
Following Sunday’s game against UTSA, Nicholls will have a week off for the holidays before hosting Southern Miss on Monday, Dec. 29, in the squad’s 2014 finale.
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Jackson State 62, Northwestern State 61
Recap to follow.
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