No. 17 Oklahoma Comes to Town
12/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 9, 2003
The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack basketball team will look to get on the winning track when it returns to the friendly confines of the William R. Johnson Coliseum this week after a four-game stretch that took them to Durham, N.C. and Houston, Texas. The Ladyjacks will square off against No. 17 Oklahoma Saturday in their lone game of the week. The game against the Sooners is scheduled to tipoff at 2 p.m.
SFA vs. the Sooners: The Ladyjacks trail the all-time series, 4-3 (.571), against Oklahoma. The Ladyjacks won three of the first four meetings between the two schools but have dropped the last three games. SFA traveled to Norman, Okla., last season but fell to the Sooners, 77-55.
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 .747 winning percentage (729-247).
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.
Home Sweet Home: The Ladyjacks are one of the all-time winningest teams at home, with an all-time record of 318-75 (.809). The Ladyjacks have now won 52 of their last 58 games in the William R. Johnson Coliseum. The Ladyjacks were 10-2 (.833) at home last season.
Double-Headers: Saturday's game against Arkansas is a scheduled double-header with the SFA men's basketball team as the Lumberjacks will face Grambling State at 4:30 p.m. Last season the Ladyjacks recorded a perfect 10-0 record in double-headers at the William R. Johnson Coliseum.
Windex Award: Sophomore LaToya Mills had a huge game on the boards against Rice. Mills finished the game with a season-high 11 rebounds against the Owls. Mills' 11-rebound effort marked the first time this season that a Ladyjack has recorded double-figure rebounds. It is the first time a Ladyjack has recorded double-figure rebounds since Amy Collins recorded 10 against Louisiana-Monroe last season. It is the ninth time in Mills' career that she has pulled down double-figure rebounds. Mills leads the Ladyjacks averaging 5.2 rebounds per game.
Colonel Szymanski: After averaging 17.5 points per game to lead SFA in its two exhibition games, junior Stacey Szymanski struggled offensively to open the 2003-04 regular season. But Szymanski busted out her of slump against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels. Szymanski led the Ladyjacks against EKU scoring a career-high 19 points on 8-of-15 (.533) shooting. Szymanski scored 15 of her points on a 6-of-8 (.750) second-half shooting performance.
More Career-Highs: Freshman point guard Nikki Carr also had a huge game against Eastern Kentucky. The Hawkins, Texas product scored a career-high 15 points on 5-of-7 (.714) shooting. Carr also added six steals, four assists and three steals against the Colonels.
Kirby's Land: Sophomore guard Kirby Killingsworth knocked down four three pointers in the two games at the Gene Hackerman/Rice Invitational. With the four three-pointers, Killingsworth now has 58 for her career. The 58 three-pointers places her seventh all-time in school history.
Just Missed the Triple-Double: Despite going only 3-of-12 (.250) from the floor, sophomore Kirby Killingsworth just missed a triple-double against Eastern Kentucky. Killingsworth finished the night with 12 points, nine rebounds and seven steals. The nine rebounds ties a career-high which she set twice last season (at Sam Houston State and vs. Northwestern State). The seven steals are also a new career-high for Killingsworth and marked the most steals by a Ladyjack in a game since Nicole Guild recorded eight against Northwestern State in the 2002 SLC Championship game.
Speed Limit 73: Despite losing to Eastern Kentucky in the Gene Hackerman/Rice Invitational the Ladyjacks posted their highest point total of the season. The Ladyjacks scored 73 points on 24-of-63 (.381) shooting, while going 4-of-15 (.267) from behind the arc. SFA was also 21-of-37 (.568) from the free-throw line. The 37 free-throw attempts are the most for the Ladyjacks since they attempted 50 against McNeese State during the 2000-01 season.
Can I Assist You: Sophomore Britany Vinson led SFA with her seven assists against Eastern Kentucky. It was the most assists by a Ladyjack since Vinson recorded a career-high eight assists last season against Colorado State and Southeastern Louisiana.
Starting Rotation: SFA head coach Lee Ann Riley makes good use of her bench. In the Ladyjacks six games, 12 players have seen action. Of the 12 players, 11 are averaging at least 10 minutes per contest. Nine of the 12 players have also been in the starting lineup as the Ladyjacks have used six different starting units this season.
Looking Ahead ... The Ladyjacks will hit the road again when they travel to Jonesboro, Ark., Sunday, Dec. 21st to take on Arkansas State. The game is scheduled to tipoff at 2 p.m. in the Convocation Center.
