Southland Conference Weekly Update
1/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 9, 2001
Stephen F. Austin - Louisiana-Monroe Showdown Set For Thursday The top two teams in the Southland Conference are undefeated and headed for a showdown Thursday. Stephen F. Austin, with wins over Lamar and Sam Houston State, is 6-0 and enjoying a 20-game home winning streak (and a five-game win streak overall). Louisiana-Monroe ran its winning streak to seven games and moved to 5-0 in the league with a 71-59 win over McNeese State. The two will square off Jan. 11 in Nacogdoches at 8:15 p.m.
Last season, SFA won the first of three meetings between these two squads, 77-56, on Jan. 15 at home in front of 1,179 fans. But on Feb. 26, ULM handed the Ladyjacks their only Conference loss in the next-to-last game of the season. The Lady Indians won, 59-57, in front of 1,675. They met again in the CenturyTel Classic semifinals. SFA won, 72-55.
ULM leads the Southland in three team categories including scoring offense (69.5 points per game). SFA is the league leader in five categories including scoring defense (53.7ppg).
Terri Butler leads the Lady Indians in scoring and is currently second in the league with an average of 17. 3 ppg. Danielle Butler (no relation) is ULM's No. 2 scorer with 11.3 ppg followed by Mykayla Alewine (10.6) and Shannan Elliott (8.4), all in the top 30 in the Conference.
For the Ladyjacks, Nathesia Wright leads all scorers and is No. 15 in the league with 10.2 ppg. Lashinda Winters (9.5) and Tami Rater (8.4) are also in the top 30.
SFA, which owns a 33-10 all-time record against ULM, would seem to have the upper hand with the home-court advantage. The Ladyjacks' streak of 20 home wins ranks No. 4 in the nation and dates back to last year. ULM is 2-3 on the road with the wins coming at Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana. But the Lady Indians' firepower should make Thursday's contest one of the most exciting in the Southland so far in 2000-01.
Net Notes Sophomore Amy Collins, who led SFA with a career-high 13 points against Lamar, had a breakout game by setting personal bests for scoring, assists, field goals made, three-pointers made and attempted, and three-point field goal percentage.
In the game against Sam Houston State, five Ladyjacks set career and season highs, including sisters Jessica Guild with seven steals and Nicole Guild with .500 field goal percentage.
Head coach Royce Chadwick's record against Louisiana-Monroe is 10-3 while the all-time series is dominated by SFA, 33-10.
Louisiana-Monroe won its only game of the week, a 71-59 victory over McNeese State, without any contribution from its second-leading scorer, Danielle Butler. The junior collected three early fouls and played only three minutes in the game. She finished with no points and no rebounds after coming into the game averaging 12.9 ppg and 6.3 rpg.
Northwestern State's 82-43 win over McNeese State was the school's largest Southland victory since the Lady Demons pounded Nicholls State by 47 points in 1994. Freshmen Katherine Grieder and Katrina Swanigan both had career highs with 11 and 12 points, respectively. Kia Converse tied her season high with 23 points and has been the team's leading scorer in the last four games. With 30 three-pointers this year, Converse needs just 36 to break the league record for career threes.
Junior Julie Rampley leads the UTSA Roadrunners in scoring, rebounds and assists in Southland play. She has led the team in scoring six times this season and in rebounding seven times. Last week she averaged 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the wins over Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls State.
Junior Latifa Northern suffered a broken nose against Texas A&M on Dec. 1. She will be required to wear protective head gear through the first half of conference play.
UTSA, having lost 24 of 25 road games dating back to the 1997-98 season, has won three straight road games, the fifth longest win streak in school history. Last Saturday's 57-45 victory over Nicholls snapped a five-game losing skid to the Lady Colonels and was the first win in Thibodaux, La., in three tries. Last Thursday, the Roadrunners won their first-ever game in Hammond, La., with a 56-41 decision over SLU.
Lamar's Shawnta Vanzant continues to light up the board as the league's scoring leader with 18.3 points per game and 40 three-pointers made. She shot 46.4 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range, leading the Lady Cardinals in scoring with 15 points against SFA and 26 against UTA. Her 26 points is the second-highest scoring output in the Southland this year. Earlier, Vanzant registered 29 points in one outing.
Junior Ann Webster scored a career-high 22 points to lead four players in double figures in Southeastern Louisiana's 80-53 romp of Southwest Texas, also its first Conference home victory. Shanna Achord and Stacey Turner added 14 points each for SLU, whose 27-point margin of victory was its largest since joining the Southland Conference in the 1997-98 season. Keelee Traylor scored 10 points and had a game-high seven rebounds for the Lady Lions, who shot a season-high 54 percent (27-for-50) from the field and forced 20 turnovers.
Sam Houston State's 72-62 victory over Texas-Arlington stopped a five-game losing streak. It was the Bearkats' first Conference win of the season.
Injuries have reduced the SHSU lineup to just seven healthy student-athletes. The Bearkats have used six players in the last two games. Brenda Abakwue, Stacy Allen and Olivia Villanueva played all 40 minutes against the Lady Mavericks.
Abakwue leads the Southland in rebounding with 9.0 grabs a game. She leads in defensive boards with 55.
Angela Karasch led McNeese with an average of 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 44.4 percent field goal shooting, and 60.0 percent shooting from the three-point arc last week. She led the Cowgirls with 12 points in the loss to ULM.
Against SLU, Southwest Texas was led by Sarah Dodds, who came off the bench to score 11 points and block three shots. Kendall Arant, the Bobcats' leading scorer at 12.4 ppg, was held to two points and 1-for-7 shooting from the field.
Nicholls State's Katie Schreiter has the league's best free throw percentage at .848 (28-for-33).
Texas-Arlington has won its last two straight home games after defeating Prairie View A&M, 57-45, last night. Three players scored in double digits - Renee Wharekura (14), Tawana Simpson (13) and Tasha Campbell (10). The Lady Mavs are at home for the next two contests, but will face two top teams in Northwestern State and ULM.
-SLC-
