Latisha Prater Named SLC Player Of The Week
12/12/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 12, 2000
Stephen F. Austin Earns Pair of Wins as Southland Slate Opens Southland Conference powerhouse Stephen F. Austin opened the league schedule last week with a pair of road victories to take an early 2-0 lead. The Ladyjacks were successful in San Marcos where they defeated Southwest Texas last Thursday, 57-48. Then on Saturday, SFA downed Texas-San Antonio, 67-53.
Three Ladyjacks scored in double figures against the Bobcats. Latisha Prater led with a game-high 15 points followed by 12 each from Jessica Guild and Nathesia Wright. Guild added seven assists and Prater had three steals. For SWT, Aleise Johnson poured in 12 points and Brooke Hogue had 10. The 'Cats shot 46.5 percent from the field to SFA's 39.3 percent, but SWT had 19 turnovers.
In the UTSA game, Stephen F. Austin was led on offense by Chaquita Dilworth, who had 15 points, and Prater, who notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards. Yolanda Grant scored 10 points and registered three blocks while Lashinda Winters helped with seven assists. The Roadrunners found their offense in Renda Churman's 14 points. She also had nine rebounds. Julie Rampley tallied six assists and three steals.
In the other Southland matchups, Texas-Arlington went 0-2 on the road with losses to UTSA, 66-49, and SWT, 69-52. In the game against Texas-San Antonio, Renee Wharekura led all players with 22 points and 11 rebounds. But she was the only Roadrunner to score in double digits. UTSA's Amber Prose and Rampley each had 14 with Rampley adding nine rebounds (six on offense) and five assists.
UTA played a close first half against SWT, down only 28-25 at the intermission. Freshman Sheena Johnson found a rhythm and tallied her first career double-double with season highs in points (18) and rebounds (12) followed by Wharekura's 11 points, but it wasn't enough to get past the Bobcats. SWT shot 74.1 percent from the free throw line and 44.2 percent from the field to UTA's 40 percent from the charity stripe and 35.6 percent from the field. Southwest Texas had three players score in double figures - Sarah Dodds (17), Kendall Arant (14) and Amber Morrow (10). Arant guided the offense with eight assists and three steals.
Net Notes Congratulations to Southwest Texas, which earned the 500th victory in the 35-year history of the women's basketball program, with a 69-52 win over UTA Saturday. The Bobcats, who are the 38th team in NCAA Division I to reach the 500-win plateau, now boast a 500-440 all-time program record.
Louisiana-Monroe broke a four-game losing streak with two home wins, both in non-conference action. The Lady Indians defeated Centenary, 99-49, and Southern Mississippi, 55-44, both at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
Against Centenary, ULM's margin of victory was the fourth largest in school history and the most since the 1985-86 season, a span of 403 games. Against the Ladies, ULM shot a season-high 54.9 percent from the field and limited Centenary to 29.6 percent shooting.
Center Terri Butler led the way with 22 points and guard Mykayla Alewine added 16. The Lady Indians also hit 71.4 percent of their free throws, a big improvement over the 56.0 percent they came in shooting for the year at the line.
Against Southern Mississippi, defense was the key for ULM. USM shot only 29.3 percent (17-for-58) from the field. Alewine led on offense with 16 points and Danielle Butler and Terri Butler (no relation) scored 14 and 12 points, respectively. ULM hit eight of its nine free throw opportunities (88.9 percent) and registered a 44.9 field goal percentage.
ULM opens its Southland schedule Thursday at Nicholls State. Last year, Nicholls beat ULM in Monroe in the Lady Indians' second Conference game before ULM won later in the year at Thibodaux. All-time, ULM leads the series, 28-3.
ULM will meet Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday in Hammond. The Lady Indians defeated SLU both times last season, including a 72-67 overtime win in Hammond.
Lamar's Shawnta Vanzant, who is the league's scoring co-leader with an average of 19.0 points per game, led the Lady Cardinals to a 60-38 win over Missouri-Kansas City with season highs in assists (8) and steals (6) along with 13 points, five rebounds and a block. Nakita Miles scored a career-high 16 points against the Kangaroos. The victory ended a three-game slide for the Lady Cards, who meet McNeese State at home Saturday in their first Conference game of the season
Vanzant also leads the Southland in assists (5.00 apg) and 3-pointers made (24).
Arkansas proved to be too much for the SLU Lady Lions last week as the Lady Razorbacks easily defeated SLU, 97-40. Southeastern held its own for the first six minutes of the contest before a relentless press started to take effect. A 9-0 run gave Arkansas a 15-8 lead that grew from there. The full-court press forced an astonishing 40 turnovers that led to 49 points. For the Lady Lions, Stacey Turner scored 14 points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds. Deirdre Allen, a preseason second team all-Southland Conference selection who was playing in her first game after missing the first four due to being ineligible, added six points.
After winning its first game of the season, SLU has dropped the last four, all of which have been on the road. The Lady Lions return to their home court Thursday to open Southland play versus Northwestern State, which is also opening its league schedule.
Northwestern State is 23-10 all-time against SLU, and a perfect 6-0 since Southeastern joined the Southland Conference is 1997-98. The Lady Demons then head to Nicholls State Saturday where they own a 41-3 all-time record against the Lady Colonels. The three losses are spread over three decades - 1979-80, 1987-88 and 1997-98 - and no loss was by more than five points. The Lady Demons have not lost in Thibodaux since 1987-88.
Nicholls State is the only Southland school that has not played at home yet this season. The schedule put the Lady Colonels on the road for their first five games, which have all been losses. Nicholls opens its home schedule against Louisiana-Monroe Thursday and will be searching for a few firsts that night, including their first victory in a Southland Conference opener as well as Coach Do Bonin's first career home-opening win. Thursday's game is the second latest home opener in the Bonin era, which is in its seventh season. In 1995-96, the Lady Colonels didn't hit the Stopher Gym floor until Dec. 19 when they hosted Dartmouth.
The Lady Colonels have been extremely proficient from the free-throw line in the last two outings. Against Cal-Northridge, the team connected on 34 of 43 free throws. With 16 free throw opportunities against La. Tech, Nicholls State made 14 for a two-game total of 48-for-59 (81.4 percent). In addition, seven players are currently hitting 70.0 percent or more from the charity stripe. For the season, Nicholls is 74-for-101 with a 73.3 free throw percentage, tops in the Southland and the only team shooting 70.0 percent or better.
SHSU is the last Southland team to start its Conference schedule. The Bearkats have two non-league contests - Dec. 14 (at Colorado) and Dec. 19 (TCU) - before they travel to ULM for a Dec. 30 game. Stacy Allen is tied for the league lead in scoring at 19.0 ppg with Lamar's Shawnta Vanzant.
UTA and UTSA have the week off. Both teams have non-Conference games on Dec. 19 and then take a holiday break before starting back Dec. 28.
Women's Basketball Player of the Week - Dec. 12, 2000 Latisha Prater * Stephen F. Austin * Jr * G * Cotton Port, La. Prater, a transfer from Pensacola Junior College, led Stephen F. Austin to two Southland Conference victories last week. She averaged 14.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals, and registered a .650 shooting percentage (13-for-20). Prater poured in 15 points against Southwest Texas, then tallied a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Texas-San Antonio.
Also Nominated: Shawnta Vanzant, LU, Mykayla Alewine, ULM, Sheena Johnson, UTA.
Previous Winners: Shawnta Vanzant, LU (11/22), Kia Converse, NWLa. (11/28), Shawnta Vanzant, LU (12/5).
