Ladyjacks Hoist Southland Tournament Trophy
KATY, Texas – For the Stephen F. Austin women’s basketball team, Sunday marked an unforgettable Sweet 16.
Zya Nugent’s 3-pointer with 4:42 left in the third quarter snapped a 30-30 tie and put top seed SFA in position to hold off determined third seed Sam Houston 56-45 to claim the 2021 Hercules Tires Southland Conference Women’s Tournament crown, its first since 2006 and its 16th in program history. The win gives SFA (24-2) the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s a great feeling,” said SFA coach Mark Kellogg. “It’s been a while for SFA, but it’s a tradition-rich program. There have been some great coaches and players through this program, so we’re just happy to represent.”
“I’m glad that we got there,” said Nugent, who finished with 13 points, six rebounds and two assists. “I felt like everybody counted us out, so now this is our time to shine.”
Up 37-32 entering the fourth quarter, freshman forward Avery Brittingham delivered what proved to the decisive sequence of the game. Following an Aaliyah Johnson basket, Brittingham cut in front of a Sam Houston pass at midcourt and sprinted her way to a layup that made it 43-34 with 6:48 left. A Nugent layup expanded the margin to 45-34 and completed a 15-4 run.
Still, the Bearkats refused to go away, inching within 45-41 following a Leggett basket with 2:22 on the clock. It would be as close as Sam Houston would get, for on the ensuing possession, Nugent buried a 3-pointer from the left corner to expand the lead back to 48-41. A layup from Johnson, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, with 38 seconds left all but put away the feisty Bearkats, who were seeking their first tournament title since 2010.
“We had couple of possessions get away from us,” said Sam Houston coach Ravon Justice. “We didn’t execute like we usually do, but at the end the of the day, I thought the kids fought hard.”
Sam Houston managed to shoot just 30 percent from the field. Stephen F. Austin did a stellar job on containing Southland Conference Player of the Year Amber Leggett, who scored just 14 points on 6 for 15 shooting from the field.
“We wanted to hang our hat on the defensive end,” said Kellogg. “That’s typical from game to game.”
From the outset, the Bearkats came out looking like a much different team than the one which had been swept by the LadyJacks in the regular season, yet SFA replied in a manner fitting a team that came into Sunday with 18 straight wins.
After a Courtney Cleveland jumper put Sam Houston up 11-10 with 3:26 left, SFA dialed up a 7-2 run to close out the first quarter, with Marissa Banfield’s 3-pointer opening the LadyJacks’ sprint late in the opening 10 minutes.
The Bearkats faltered the second quarter as their offense never shifted into gear. Sam Houston went 6:03 without a field goal, going 1-for-11 until a Madelyn Batista basket at the 1:06 mark finally pulled them out of their scoring drought. Fortunately for Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin suffered its own offensive blackout, managing to score just nine points in the quarter, but still in possession of a 26-22 lead at intermission.
Sam Houston tied the score at 28 early in the third quarter on consecutive 3-pointers from Cook and regained the lead on a layup from Batista. After tying the score at 30-30, the Bearkats had five straight possessions to take the lead but were unable to deliver.
“That’s something that’s going to haunt me tonight,” said Justice.
Joining Johnson (16 points, eight rebounds, two steals and three blocks on Sunday) on the All-Tournament Team were Nugent, Sam Houston’s Leggett and Cook along with Nicholls’ Chelsea Cain.