Stephen F. Austin
Northwestern State
Ladyjacks Record Three-Point Road Win
2/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2007
NATCHITOCHES, La. - Senior Charity Egenti scored 15 points and pulled down 16 rebounds Saturday afternoon to help lead Stephen F. Austin past Northwestern State, 62-59. The Ladyjacks are now 16-8 (.667) on the season and 8-3 (.727) in Southland Conference play.
The first couple of minutes of the game foreshadowed the first half of action. The Ladyjacks scored the first field goal of the game 2:16 into the opening half, and Northwestern State didn't score its first field goal for another 28 seconds. Both teams struggled in the opening half struggling from the floor and combining for 18 turnovers. SFA spent a majority of the half shooting below 30 percent, until freshman Angelina Dennison and Martina Holloway hit consecutive threes to end the half. The two made three-pointers pushed SFA over 30 percent (.313) for the half and gave them a two-point advantage heading into the locker room.
Despite the struggles offensively in the opening 20 minutes, the game played out the way an old rivalry should, back-n-forth. The score was tied three times in the first half, and the lead changed hands 12 times.
After being outrebounded in the first half, the Ladyjacks began to take control of the boards, 26-19, in the second half. Once they flexed their muscle on the offensive and defensive boards, the field-goal percentage started to improve. The Ladyjacks connected 13-of-36 (36 percent) shots in the second half. Along with Egenti's 15 points, classmate Evelyn Edwards added 12 points and eight rebounds.
SFA gained control of the low post in second half, which opened up the Ladyjacks' perimeter attack. Dennison led the aerial raid by coming off the bench to record a career-high nine points on 3-of-7 (.429) shooting.
Despite leading by 10, the Lady Demons made one last desperate surge for the win. Northwestern State outscored SFA, 10-3, over the final 3:42 of the contest behind 20 points and 10 rebounds from Chassidy Jones, and 16 points and 14 rebounds from Tena Matthews. But the late rally wasn't enough to overtake SFA, as it held on for its eighth conference victory of the season.
The Ladyjacks' depth also played a key role in the victory. Northwestern State only went two players deep into its bench, while SFA played 10 players. The Ladyjack reserves outscored Northwestern State's bench, 21-11.
The Ladyjacks return to action Friday, Feb. 16, to host Sam Houston State. The game against the Bearkats is slated to begin at 7 p.m. from the William R. Johnson Coliseum, and will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest. All fans wearing purple will receive free admission to the game.
-SFA-
