Stephen F. Austin
Duke
Ladyjacks Fall to No. 4 Duke
11/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2003
DURHAM, N.C. - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack basketball team dropped its third-straight game Saturday to open the 2003-04 season. The Ladyjacks faced fourth-ranked (ESPN/USA Today poll) Duke in the first round of the Duke Women's Basketball Classic. Duke defeated the Ladyjacks, 119-53.
The Blue Devils opened the game with an 11-0 run sparked by a Monique Currie three-pointer. Currie finished the game 12 points and seven rebounds. But SFA fought right back to tie the game at 18 with with 9:35 remaining in the first half. Mills led the SFA charge with her 10 first-half points. She finished the game with 12 points and a rebound.
The Blue Devils responded with a 24-12 run over the next eight minutes to take a 42-20 lead with 2:18 remining in the first half. Duke pushed its advantage to 16 points and went into the halftime up, 49-33. The Ladyjacks shot 13-of-25 (.520) in the first half but Duke was able to match the pace going 19-for-30 (.633) in the opening stanza.
The Blue Devils opened the the second-half in similar fashion to the first, going on a 22-0 run to open a 71-33 advantage with 14:07 remaining in the game. Freshman Jennifer Simpson stopped the SFA scoring drought when she nailed her only three-pointer of the game with 13:56 remaining. She finished the night with five points on 2-of-2 shooting.
Sophomores Kirby Killingsworth and Britany Vinson added six points. Killingsworth also pulled down a team-high four rebounds.
But the Ladyjacks were hurt by 40 turnovers which the Blue Devils cashed in on. Duke turned the 40 turnovers into 60 points.
The Blue Devils had seven players finish with double-figure points led by Iciss Tillis' 23 points.
The Ladyjacks will face Creighton Sunday in the Duke Women's Basketball Classic. The game is scheduled to tipoff at 1 (noon Texas time)p.m., from Cameron Indoor Stadium.
-SFA-
