Home Cookin'
12/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 9, 2004
The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack basketball team returns from the Lady Pirate Classic after posting a 1-1 record. SFA defeated Jackson State, 62-49, Sunday afternoon to take third-place in the tournament. The Ladyjacks now return to Nacogdoches to open a three-game homestand starting Friday night against Southern University. The game against the Jaguars is slated to begin at 6 p.m., from the William R. Johnson Coliseum. The game against Southern will be only the Ladyjacks second home game of the young season.
SFA vs. the Jaguars: The Ladyjacks are a perfect 2-0 all-time against Southern. Friday night's game will be the first meeting between the two schools since the 1983-84 season when the Ladyjacks recorded a 72-63 decision. The only other meeting in the series came during the 1981-82 season when the Ladyjacks hammered Southern, 109-55.
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 740 wins. The Ladyjacks are also among the all-time top 10 with a .738 winning percentage (740-263).
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 323-82 (.798). The Ladyjacks have now won 57 of their last 70 games at home but are 1-1 in the William R. Johnson Coliseum this year. The team's upcoming three-game homestand will be their longest stretch at home this season.
Career-High: Junior LaToya Mills had a tough time leaving the Williams Arena in Greenville, N.C. Mills scored 20 points and grabbed five rebounds against East Carolina. She followed that up by tying a career-high with 30 points and grabbing a career-high 17 rebounds in the Ladyjacks win over Jackson State. It marked the second time in her career that Mills has scored 30 points in a game (at Texas State on Mar. 5, 2004). Mills was named to the Lady Pirate Classic All-Tournament team.
Player of the Week: Junior LaToya Mills was named Southland Conference Player of the Week for her efforts at the Lady Pirate Classic. Mills averaged 25.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.5 assists in the team's two games. Mills tied a career-high in points (30) and set a new career-high in rebounds (17) in the team's 62-49 win over Jackson State Sunday afternoon.
30-Something: Junior LaToya Mills scored a career-high 30 points in the Ladyjacks victory over Jackson State. It is the second time in her career that she has reached the 30-point plateau and the third time in the last two seasons that a Ladyjack has scored 30 (Mills and Kirby Killingsworth). In fact, Mills' outburst against the Lady Tigers marks only the third time that a Ladyjack has scored at least 30 points in a game since former Ladyjack Anitra Davis scored 31 against Sam Houston State State during the 1998-99 season.
Double-Double: Junior LaToya Mills recorded her first double-double of the season and the 14th of her career when she posted 30 points and 17 rebounds against Jackson State. It is the second double-double that a Ladyjacks has recorded this season (Zedralyn Butler on Nov. 19). Mills was 11-of-20 (.550) from the floor and 8-of-11 (.727) from the free-throw line. Mills is currently fourth in the SLC averaging 15.6 points per game and fifth in the league averaging 7.0 rebounds per game.
Great Brit: Despite struggling from the floor against Jackson State, junior Britany Vinson has been one of the Ladyjacks' more potent offensive threats. Vinson followed up a 17-point performance with a 15-point outing against East Carolina. Vinson is averaging 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game over the Ladyjacks last three games. Vinson is 14-for-31 (.452) from the floor and is 10-of-22 (.455) from beyond the three-point arc during that stretch.
Arc Angels: Despite being only five games into their junior seasons, guards Kirby Killingsworth and Britany Vinson are among the school's all-time top 10 in three-point field goals. Killingsworth hit two three-pointers over the weekend and is currently fifth all-time with 93 career three-pointers. Vinson hit five three-pointers at the Lady Pirate Classic and is currently eighth in the SFA record books with 63 triples. Vinson is currently sixth in the SLC with a .379 three-point field-goal percentage. She led the league last season at a .373 clip. Vinson is also currently fourth in the conference averaging 2.20 three-point field goals per game while Killingsworth is ninth averaging 1.40 triples per contest.
Up Next ... The Ladyjacks will return to action Saturday Dec. 18, to close out their current three-game homestand against Tulsa and Arkansas State. SFA will face the Golden Hurricane Saturday Dec. 18, at 4 p.m. The Ladyjacks will be right back on the court three days later to face Arkansas State. The game against the Lady Indians is slated to begin at 7 p.m. Both games will be played at the William R. Johnson Coliseum.
