Women's Basketball: Feb. 19 Scoreboard
Stephen F. Austin 71, Lamar 60
Houston Baptist 67, UIW 64
New Orleans 76, Southeastern La. 64
Stephen F. Austin 71, Lamar 60
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin women’s basketball team used a balanced offensive attack and great defense to defeat Lamar 71-60 on Thursday night inside William R. Johnson Coliseum.
The Ladyjacks’ sixth straight victory and second over the Lady Cardinals on the year bumps SFA into sole possession of first place in the Southland Conference standings with five games to go.
The Ladyjacks (18-6, 11-2 SLC) got double digit scoring efforts from five different players for the first time this season. Taylor Ross led the way with 16 points on 5-for-7 shooting, including 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. Senior Porsha Roberts was efficient from the field, converting seven of eight shots into points to finish with 14. She also led the team with nine boards on the evening.
Senior Tierany Henderson reached a significant milestone after draining four of eight shots from deep in the contest. With the four three-pointers, Henderson has now made an even 200 during her career at SFA making her only the second Ladyjack to ever reach the mark. She finished Thursday’s battle with 12 points while also leading SFA in blocks (3).
Rounding out the double figure scorers were Brittney Matthew (10) and Adrienne Lewis (10). Matthew was all over the court for 32 minutes, dishing out a game-high six assists and notching five steals. Lewis’ 10 points off the bench was a new career-high for the sophomore. She also hauled in seven rebounds and went 5-for-6 from the floor in 14 minutes of work.
Lamar (14-11, 11-3 SLC) led for just seven second s the whole night after scoring the first two points of the game on a pair of free throws at the 18:58 mark. The Ladyjacks went on a 12-0 run over the next 7:01, capped by a three-pointer off the hands of Matthew to put SFA in control 12-2. The Lady Cardinals didn’t make their first shot from the field until a made layup with 11:05 remaining in the first half.
SFA continued to keep the edge throughout the opening half with the help of Henderson’s hot shooting. She knocked down a triple with six seconds remaining before the break to open up the largest lead of the game at 35-24. All 12 of Henderson’s points came in the first half as SFA enjoyed an 11-point lead at intermission.
The Ladyjacks kept their foot on the gas to start the second half, pounding the ball inside with Roberts and Lewis. The duo each scored eight points in the final 20 minutes to help give SFA a 30-20 edge in points in the paint. Ross also finished strong with 12 points in the final frame.
A layup by Lewis with 7:18 to play gave SFA its largest lead of the night at 57-36. The Ladyjacks would coast from there en route to the 71-60 final.
The Ladyjacks shot 45 percent from beyond the arc (9-for-20) while finishing at 45.6 percent shooting overall. The Lady Cardinals converted just 37 percent of their shots from the field.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier for SFA as it turns around to host third place Nicholls State (14-10, 10-3 SLC) on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. The team will wear pink jerseys in support of breast cancer awareness.
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Houston Baptist 67, UIW 64
HOUSTON, Texas – Junior guard Rachel Arthur’s jumper with 37 seconds to go in the game gave Houston Baptist the lead for good and senior forward Erin McGarrachan grabbed a defensive rebound and made a free throw with 10 seconds left to make the score a three-point game, as the Huskies defeated visiting Incarnate Word, 67-64, Thursday evening from Sharp Gym.
Arthur and McGarrachan both scored 15 points to lead HBU (11-14 overall, 5-9 SLC). Anna Strickland registered her fourth double-double of the season, with 12 points and 12 rebounds. She also tied career highs with six assists and six blocks. HBU shot 43 percent from the floor in the game.
Incarnate Word (5-19 overall, 2-11 SLC) had two players record double-doubles, as Yvonne Maosa posted 19 points and 12 rebounds and Shanise Brooks had 17 points and 14 boards. Brooks also had all five of the team’s blocks. The Cardinals shot 40 percent from the floor in the contest.
HBU scored 10 of the first 14 points of the game and led by as many as eight before the Cardinals used a 16-8 run to tie the contest at 22-all with 4:07 to go in the first half. Incarnate Word took its first lead of the game following a Brooks layup at the 2:40-mark and led for the remainder of the half until Monet Neal’s layup with 45 seconds to go gave HBU a 28-27 advantage entering the break.
McGarrachan led all players with nine first-half points, while Maosa led the Cardinals with seven points. HBU shot 44 percent from the floor, compared to 39 percent for UIW.
UIW started the second half outscoring the Huskies, 10-4, to take its largest lead of the game, 37-32, with 16:17 remaining in regulation.
The Huskies battled back to tie the game at 41-all and proceeded to use a 13-4 run – thanks in large part to back-to-back-to-back treys by Heidi Sihvola twice and McGarrachan – to take a nine-point lead, 54-45, with 9:33 to go in the game.
The Cardinals battled back and a three-point play by Jasmine Holman culminated a 15-5 run that cut HBU’s lead to only one, 60-59, with just under five minutes to play in regulation.
HBU increased its lead to five, but UIW fought back to tie the contest at 64-all with 48 seconds remaining, leading up to Arthur’s and McGarrachan’s heroics.
Arthur scored 11 second-half points for HBU, while Brooks and Maosa led UIW with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
HBU will take six days off before facing Abilene Christian on the road Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 7 pm.
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New Orleans 76, Southeastern La. 64
HAMMOND, La.
– Behind 30 points from freshman guard Randi Brown, the University of New Orleans was able to hold off Southeastern Louisiana, 76-64, in Southland Conference women’s basketball action Thursday night in the University Center.
The loss was the fifth straight for SLU (7-17, 3-10 Southland). UNO picked up their second Southland win of the season, improving to 4-18 overall and 2-11 in Southland Conference action.
Senior forward Jameika Hoskins posted her second double-double of the season, leading SLU with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Hoskins was joined in double figures by freshman guard Taylin Underwood (12 points), junior guard Erica Hernandez (11 points) and junior forward Nanna Pool (10 points). Senior guard Elizabeth Styles dished out a game-high 10 assists for SLU.
Brown was one of three Privateers to score in double digits on Thursday. Freshman forward Halie Matthews scored 19 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, while freshman guard Kayla Mundy chipped in with 11 points.
UNO pulled away in the first half, taking a 20-9 lead to start the game. The Privateers would eventually grow its advantage to 34-21 heading into halftime.
Southeastern would change the momentum in the second half, but could never reclaim the lead. With 4:25 left, Styles netted a pair of free throws to pull SLU within 57-56.
However, Brown would score the next four points and push the lead back to five. Southeastern would briefly cut the lead to three, but would get no closer as UNO closed the game by scoring the final seven points to bring the final margin to 12.
On Saturday, SLU will host Abilene Christian at 4:30 p.m. in the University Center in a game that will be televised live on ESPN3, as well as being broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at LionSports.net, where live stats will be available. Fans who attend the baseball game versus Tulane on Wednesday can present the game ticket from Wednesday’s game at Gate 3 of the University Center to receive free admission in Saturday’s basketball doubleheader versus ACU.
The first 200 fans will receive foam noodles courtesy of Southeastern Athletics. Styles is Saturday’s Spotlight Player of the Game and the first 100 fans will receive a trading card featuring the Savannah, Georgia native courtesy of PRIDE.
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