Stephen F. Austin
Tulane
Ladyjacks Hang Tough But Fall to Tulane
11/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 16, 2007
NACOGDOCHES - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack basketball team battled back from a 1-for-14 start offensively to hang with Tulane, but fell short of victory. The Green Wave held on for a 56-45 victory Friday evening at the William R. Johnson Coliseum. The loss drops SFA to 1-2 (.333) on the season.
The Ladyjacks scored the game's first four points, and forced Tulane into four consecutive turnovers, but SFA was unable to take advantage of the Green Wave's miscues. The Green Wave eventually heated up knocking down six of their first 12 shots to take a six-point lead with 11:15 remaining in the first.
The Ladyjacks stayed close in the first half behind some strong defense, by attacking the glass and some clutch shooting by junior Natashia Green. SFA forced its opponents into 12 first-half turnovers, while maintaining a 25-19 advantage on the boards. Green knocked down some clutch shots which allowed the Ladyjacks to cut the deficit to on a couple of occasions in the opening half. The late rally sent the Ladyjacks into the locker room trailing by only three points, 25-22.
The Green Wave managed to push its advantage to eight points several time in the second half, but SFA's stingy defense wouldn't allow the lead to become any larger. Senior Nikki Carr drilled a couple of second half three-pointers to help SFA stay within striking distance. But the Green Wave weathered the SFA rally behind a game-high 16 points from Brittany Lindsey.
Lindsey helped Tulane push its advantage to double-digits for the first time with 7:06 remaining in the contest. Leading by 15 points, the Ladyjacks mounted one final rally led by a three-pointer from the baseline from junior Jessica Gaines, but the Ladyjacks were able to get no closer than 10 points down the stretch.
Sophomore Whitney Cormier led the Ladyjacks with a team-high 11 points, marking her third-straight double-figure game to start the 2007-08 season. Carr added 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Freshman Decreasha Goodner finished the game with six points and five rebounds.
SFA returns to action Friday when they travel to El Paso, Texas to play in the first round of the UTEP Thanksgiving Tournament. The Ladyjacks will face Nevada in the first round of the tournament. The game against the Wolf Pack is slated to begin at 4:30 (5:30 p.m. Nacogdoches time) p.m.
-SFA-
