In-State Battle
12/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 3, 2003
NACOGDOCHES - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack basketball team will look to rebound from a disappointing trip to the Duke Women's Basketball Classic this week when they travel to Houston, Texas for the Gene Hackerman/Rice Invitational. SFA will face the tournament-host Rice Owls Friday. The game against the Owls will begin at 7 p.m. The Ladyjacks will face either Baylor or Eastern Kentucky on the second and final day of the tournament. The start time for the Ladyjacks second game will depend on the outcome of their first game. If SFA wins Friday night they will play at 7 p.m. on Saturday. If the Ladyjacks fall to Rice in the first round they will play at 5 p.m. on Saturday. All games will be played at Autry Court.
SFA vs. the Owls: The Ladyjacks are a perfect 2-0 all-time against Rice. Friday's game against the Owls will be the first time the two teams have met since the 1977-78 season when SFA defeated the Owls, 86-31. The only other meeting between the two schools came during the 1974-75 season when the Ladyjacks earned an 82-20 decision.
SFA vs. the Lady Bears: The Ladyjacks are 15-4 (.789) all-time against Baylor. SFA has won the last three consecutive games and eight of the last 10 against Baylor. If SFA should meet Baylor in the second round of the Gene Hackerman/Rice Invitational it would be the first meeting with Baylor since the 1996-97 season when SFA picked up a 96-73 decision.
SFA vs. the Colonels: Eastern Kentucky is the lone non-Texas school playing in the Gene Hackerman/Rice Invitational. If the Ladyjacks should face Eastern Kentucky in the second round of the tournament it would be the first meeting between the two schools.
Tradition of Winning: The SFA Ladyjack basketball program has been one of the most dominant in women's basketball history. The Ladyjacks are among the nation's all-time top 10 with 729 wins. The Ladyjacks are also among the all-time top 10 with a .748 winning percentage (729-245).
Tradition of Winning in the SLC: As dominant as SFA has been nationally, they have been just as dominant in the Southland Conference. The Ladyjacks are the conference's most dominant team, compiling a 249-25 (.909) all-time record. SFA has won 14 of a possible 16 SLC tournament titles and 13 regular-season titles. SFA has also recorded four undefeated seasons in league play and has had 36 players named All-SLC.
The Century Mark: The Ladyjacks loss to No. 4 Duke marked the 50th time in school history that the Ladyjacks have played in a game where one of the two teams recorded 100 points. The Ladyjacks sport a 41-9 (.820) all-time record in those games.
Run of the Mills: Sophomore forward LaToya Mills led the Ladyjacks with 12 points against the fourth-ranked Blue Devils. The game marked the first time this season that Mills recorded double-figures in points. Mills followed up the 12-point outing with a 10-point, six-rebound performance against Creighton. Mills currently leads the team in points (9.2 points per game) and is tied for tops on the team in rebounds (3.5 rebounds per game).
Breaking Out of the Slump: Sophomore guard Kirby Killingsworth showed signs of breaking out of her early season slump Sunday against Creighton in the Duke Women's Basketball Classic. After averaging only 4.3 points in the team's first three games and going 0-for-13 from beyond the three-point line, Killingsworth led the Ladyjacks with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting (.500). Killingsworth scored 12 of her 16 points from beyond three-point range, going 4-of-8 (.500) from behind the arc. Killingsworth is currently second on the team averaging 7.2 points per game. Last season, Killingsworth led the Ladyjacks scoring with 10.9 points per game.
Arc Angel: Sophomore guard Kirby Killingsworth hit her first three-pointer of the season at the Duke Women's Basketball Classic against Creighton. She finished the game going 4-of-8 (.500). With her four triples Killingsworth moves to eighth all-time on the Ladyjacks three-point list with 54. Killingsworth led the Southland Conference with her 2.1 three-pointers per game as a freshman and she also recorded the third-best single-season mark in school history with 50 threes in 2002-03. She also recorded the ninth-best single-season three-point percentage going 50-for-140 for a .357 percentage.
Not Taking the Easy Way Out: The Ladyjacks are facing the nation's 12th-toughest non-conference schedule. Of the Ladyjacks four games this season two have been against top-25 teams (No. 12 Louisiana Tech and No. 4 Duke) and the other two were listed among the "others receiving votes" category (Colorado State and Creighton). All four teams advanced to postseason play last season with Duke and Louisiana Tech playing in the NCAA Championships, while Creighton and Colorado State advanced to the semifinals of the Women's National Invitational tournament.
Starting Rotation: SFA head coach Lee Ann Riley makes good use of her bench. In the Ladyjacks four games, 12 players of have seen action. Of the 12 players, 11 are averaging at least 11 minutes per contest. Nine of the 12 players have also been in the starting lineup as the Ladyjacks have used four different starting units this season.
Be-Deviling: Despite falling to the fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils, the Ladyjacks were very solid offensively. In fact, the Ladyjacks recorded their best offensive night of the season, in terms of field-goal percentage. The Ladyjacks were 21-of-46 against Duke to record a season-high .457 shooting percentage. The Ladyjacks also recorded a season-high from three-point range against the Blue Devils as well. SFA went 6-of-16 from three-point land against Duke recording a .375 percentage.
Looking Ahead ... The Ladyjacks return to the friendly confines of the William R. Johnson Coliseum Saturday Dec. 13th, to take on No. 17 Oklahoma. The game is scheduled to tipoff at 2 p.m.
