SFA Plays Final Non-Conference Game
12/31/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 31, 2004
The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack basketball team went 1-1 (.500) at the Tulane/DoubleTree Classic over the weekend to finish third after knocking off Georgia State, 61-56, in the consolation game. The Ladyjacks return to action Sunday when they travel to Corpus Christi, Texas to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to close out the 2004-05 non-conference schedule. The game against the Islanders is slated to begin at 3 p.m., from the American Bank Center. SFA will then return home to open the Southland Conference schedule against Northwestern State. The game against the Lady Demons is slated to get under way at 8:15 p.m., from the William R. Johnson Coliseum.
SFA vs. the Islanders: The Ladyjacks are 0-1 all-time against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The lone meeting between the two schools came last season when the Islanders escaped Nacogdoches with a 72-69 overtime victory.
SFA vs. the Lady Demons: The Ladyjacks are 40-15 (.727) all-time against Northwestern State. Although the Ladyjacks have dominated the series, the Lady Demons come to Nacogdoches riding a two-game win streak over SFA after sweeping the season series last year. The Ladyjacks have dropped three of the last four games against Northwestern State but have won 10 of the last 15 meetings.
Tradition of Winning: The SFA Ladyjack basketball program has been one of the most dominant programs in women's basketball history. The Ladyjacks are among the nation's all-time top 10 with 744 wins. The Ladyjacks are also among the all-time top 10 with a .738 winning percentage (744-264).
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 258-32 (.890) all-time record. SFA has won 14 of a possible 17 SLC tournament titles and 13 regular-season titles. SFA has also recorded four undefeated seasons in league play and has had 38 players named All-SLC.
Home Sweet Home: The Ladyjacks are one of the nation's all-time winningest teams at home, with an all-time record of 326-82 (.799). The Ladyjacks have now won 60 of their last 73 games at home and are 3-1 (.750) in the William R. Johnson Coliseum this year.
SLC Openers: The Ladyjacks are an impressive 16-1 (.941) all-time in Southland Conference openers. The lone loss was an 84-54 setback at Northwestern State last season. SFA is 1-1 (.500) all-time when opening the season against Northwestern State. The only other league-opening meeting against the Lady Demons came during the 1989-90 season when SFA recorded a 92-73 victory.
Solid Start: The Ladyjacks are out to a 6-4 start this season. It is the best start for SFA since the 2001-02 season when it got out to an 8-4 (.667) start.
The Streak: Despite the Ladyjacks heart-breaking 79-72 setback against Tulane, the Ladyjacks are still one of the hottest teams in the Southland Conference having won six of their last eight games.
Career-High: Sophomore Jennifer Simpson came off the bench to lead the Ladyjacks against Tulane. Simpson finished the game with a career-high 15 points and a career-high nine rebounds. She was 5-of-10 (.500) from the floor and 4-of-7 (.571) from the free-throw line. She was also named to the Tulane/DoubleTree Classic All-Tournament team after averaging 10.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
Coming Off the Bench: Senior Stacey Szymanski played the role of hero Wednesday in the Ladyjacks win over Georgia State. Szymanski came off the bench to lead SFA with a season-high 12 points on 4-of-6 (.667) shooting. She was also a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Szymanski also added four rebounds and two steals in the victory.
Free-Throws: The Ladyjacks have been struggling from the free-throw line this season making only 58 percent of their free throws, but in the win over the Lady Panthers SFA showed marked improvement. The Ladyjacks were 14-of-16 against Georgia State recording a season-high 87.5 percent from the charity stripe.
Up Next ... The Ladyjacks will kick-off a three-game conference road swing beginning Thursday Jan. 6, when they travel to Monroe, La., for 5:30 p.m., showdown against the Lady Indians. SFA will return to action two days later to face rival Sam Houston State. The game against the Bearkats is slated to begin at 4 p.m., from the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
