SFA Looks for Two in a Row
1/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 19, 2004
NACOGDOCHES - Fresh off the 71-57 victory over Southeastern Louisiana, the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack basketball team will look to make it two in a row when it travels to Monroe, La., Thursday to face the Lady Indians. The game against ULM is scheduled to tipoff at 5:30 p.m., from Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The Ladyjacks will back in action 48 hours later when they return to the friendly confines of the William R. Johnson Coliseum to host Texas-Arlington. The game against the Lady Mavs is slated to tipoff at 6:15 p.m., from the William R. Johnson Coliseum.
SFA vs. the Lady Indians: The Ladyjacks are 37-11 (.771) all-time against Louisiana-Monroe. The Ladyjacks have won 19 of the last 23 meetings between the two schools, including the last four consecutive games. The Ladyjacks defeated ULM, 64-59, last season in Monroe, La.
SFA vs. the Lady Mavs: The Ladyjacks are 39-4 (.907) all-time against Texas-Arlington. The Ladyjacks have won eight of the last nine meetings between the two schools, but the one loss during that stretch came last season when UTA earned a 69-61 decision in Arlington. SFA defeated the Lady Mavs, 57-56, last season in the William R. Johnson Coliseum.
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 730 wins. The Ladyjacks are also among the all-time top 10 with a .743 winning percentage (730-253).
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 250-27 (.903) 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.
Riley vs. the SLC: SFA head basketball coach Lee Ann Riley is in her third season with the Ladyjacks. During that span, Riley has coached her troops to a 35-8 (.814) mark in Southland Conference games.
Home Sweet Home: The Ladyjacks are one of the all-time winningest teams at home, with an all-time record of 319-78 (.804). The Ladyjacks have now won 53 of their last 62 games in the William R. Johnson Coliseum. The Ladyjacks were 10-2 at home last season.
Academic Shootout: The Ladyjack Academic Shootout will be held Saturday Feb. 21st, when the Ladyjacks host Nicholls State. There will be a pledge table set up at the front gate of the William R. Johnson Coliseum at every remaining home game for fans to sign up. Fans can pledge money for every point the Ladyjacks score against NSU. The money will go to help raise funds for summer school scholarships.
Career-High: Sophomore Kendria Smith set a new scoring career-high in the win over Southeastern Louisiana. Smith scored 18 points to lead SFA to its first win of the season. She was 6-of-10 (.600) from the floor and 6-of-7 (.857) from the free-throw line. Smith also pulled down a career-high seven rebounds in the victory over the Lady Lions.
More Career-Highs: Junior Tiffany Perkins came off the bench to post career-highs in points (11), rebounds (six) and assists (four) against McNeese State. Perkins followed that up by dishing out a career-high five assists in the victory over SE Louisiana.
Getting the Start: Sophomore Britany Vinson was moved into the starting lineup for the Ladyjacks' past two games and has responded. Vinson scored 16 points in her two starts and led the team with 11 assists (five vs. McNeese State and six against Southeastern Louisiana).
Heating Up: After averaging only 3.8 points per contest in the team's first 10 games and scoring in double figures once, junior Stacey Szymanski seems to be finding her range. She is averaging 8.3 points per game over the last three games and has netted double-figures twice during that time. Szymanski is 11-for-21 (.524) from the floor during that stretch.
Post Players: The Ladyjacks focused on working the ball into the post against the Lady Lions while focusing less on the three-point shot and it payed dividends. Zedralyn Butler, LaToya Mills, Kendria Smith and Stacey Szymanski accounted for 47 of the Ladyjacks 71 points. The four Ladyjacks were 18-for-33 (.545) from the floor, including a near perfect 11-of-14 (.786) from the free-throw line.
Attacking the Glass: SFA has steadily been improving its production on the glass. The Ladyjacks outrebounded Southeastern Louisiana, 40-33, marking the third consecutive game that the Ladyjacks have grabbed at least 40 rebounds. The Ladyjacks are averaging 40.4 boards over their last five games.
Arc Angels: Sophomore guards Kirby Killingsworth and Britany Vinson are leaving their mark on the SFA record books. With the two three-pointers against McNeese State, Killingsworth now has 66 for her career. The 66 triples places her seventh all-time in school history. Killingsworth is tied for the team lead with 16 three-pointers this season. Vinson has nailed 40 treys in her career, placing her 11th all-time in school history. Vinson leads the team and is tops in the conference with a .410 three-point field-goal percentage.
Looking Ahead ... The Ladyjacks return to action Wednesday Jan. 28th, when they will host Sam Houston State in the William R. Johnson Coliseum at 7 p.m. SFA will then hit the road for a Saturday Jan. 31st showdown against Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond, La. The game is slated to begin at 3 p.m., from the University Center.
