SFA to Face Salukis in WNIT
3/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 13, 2007
NACOGDOCHES - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks won their first two games of the 2007 O'Reilly Auto Parts Southland Conference Championship tournament, to advance to the SLC Championship game for the second consecutive season. The Ladyjacks dropped a 68-47 decision to Texas-Arlington in the championship game, but the Ladyjacks' season continues as they received an automatic bid to the Women's National Invitational Tournament. The Ladyjacks (21-11) will face Southern Illinois in the opening round of the WNIT. The Ladyjacks have won seven of their last 10 games heading into the tournament. Southern Illinois posted a 20-10 overall record and won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title with a 16-2 (.889) league mark. The Salukis faced an upstart Drake team in Des Moines, Iowa, during the first round of the MVC tournament and dropped a 59-47 decision. The Salukis enter the WNIT having won eight of their last nine games. The game against Southern Illinois is slated to begin at 7:05 p.m. from SIU Arena. If the Ladyjacks defeat SIU they will face the Kansas State in the second round of the WNIT. The game date and time for the second round game have not yet been announced.
Tournament Expansion: The WNIT expanded its tournament field from 40 to 48 teams for the 2007 season, which guarantees a spot for at least one team from all 31 NCAA Division I conferences. The 48-team field is the largest bracket in the tournament's history.
SFA vs. the Salukis: The Ladyjacks are a perfect 1-0 all time against Southern Illinois. The only time the schools met on the hardwood came during the 1980-81 season when SFA recorded a 79-60 decision.
A Return to Postseason: The Ladyjacks are entering postseason play for the second consecutive season. Last season, SFA won the Southland Conference regular season and tournament titles and entered the NCAA Championships as a No. 13 seed. The Ladyjacks faced fourth-seeded Arizona State in the first round of the tournament. The Sun Devils recorded an 80-61 victory in the game.
SFA in the WNIT: The Ladyjacks are making their second appearance in the WNIT, and their first since the 1987 season. That year the Ladyjacks went 2-1 (.667) in the tournament. SFA dropped its opener to Creighton, 76-68, but rebounded to defeat Appalachian State and Montana to win the consolation game.
SLC All-Tournament: Two Ladyjacks were named to the 2007 O'Reilly Auto Parts Southland Conference All-Tournament team. Senior Charity Egenti earned all-tournament honors 13.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 2.0 steals and 1.0 assists per game. Egenti also recorded a double-double against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi scoring 23 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Junior Nikki Carr joined Egenti on the all-tournament team averaging 14.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Carr also recorded a double-double against the Islanders scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
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 794 wins. The Ladyjacks are also among the all-time top 10 with a .729 winning percentage (794-295).
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 289-49 (.855) all-time record. SFA has won 15 of a possible 20 SLC tournament titles and 14 regular-season titles. SFA has also recorded four undefeated seasons in league play and has had 47 players named All-SLC.
Riley vs. the SLC: Ladyjack head coach Lee Ann Riley has compiled a dominant record against Southland Conference foes. Riley is 74-30 (.712) against SLC teams during the regular season.
Home Sweet Home: The Ladyjacks are one of the nation's all-time winningest teams at home, with a 354-89 (.799) all-time record. SFA has won 31 of its last 39 games at home and was a perfect 14-0 at home last season. The Ladyjacks were 9-4 (.692) at home this season.
SFA vs. WNIT Teams: There are two other teams in the 2007 WNIT's field of 48 that SFA faced during the regular season. The Ladyjacks traveled to Tulane and Jackson State during the 2006-07 season. SFA dropped the regular-season opener 75-62 against the Green Wave, but recorded a thrilling 62-60 victory at Jackson State. Tulane will square off against Jackson State in the first round of the tournament.
Players of the Week: The Ladyjacks were honored by the league on three separate occasions with the SLC Player of the Week award. Senior Evelyn Edwards received her first-career honor Tuesday, Nov. 21st. Classmate Charity Egenti received the award on Monday, Dec. 11th and Tuesday, Jan. 9th.
SFA in Televised Games: The Southland Conference Championship game was televised on Fox Sports Southwest. It marked the 27th time overall, and the fourth time this season, that SFA has played in front of a televised audience. The Ladyjacks 16-11 (.593) all-time in televised games. SFA went 1-3 (.250) in televised games this season.
All-SLC: The Ladyjacks placed three players on the 2007 All-SLC team. Senior Charity Egenti earned first-team honors and was named 2007 SLC Player of the Year, while junior Nikki Carr received third-team honors. Egenti finished second in the league in scoring (16.9 ppg) and blocked shots (1.8 bpg) and led the SLC in rebounding (9.5 rpg) during the regular season. Carr was second on the team averaging 10.6 ppg. She finished seventh in the league averaging 3.8 assist per game, and was second in the SLC in steals (2.6 spg). Senior Evelyn Edwards earned honorable mention all-conference honors during her senior season.
Double-Doubles: The Ladyjacks recorded 21 double-doubles as a team in 2006-07. SFA was led by senior Charity Egenti who finished tops in the league with 12. Classmate Evelyn Edwards added four double-doubles, while junior Nikki Carr recorded three and seniors Natalie Kizzee and Jennifer Simpson each recorded one.
More on Double-Doubles: Senior Charity Egenti and junior Nikki Carr each recorded a double-double against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the SLC semifinals. Egenti finished the game with 23 points and 12 rebounds, while Carr added 14 points and 13 rebounds. It marked the second time this season that SFA had two players record a double-double in the same game.
Crashing the Boards: The Ladyjacks were the Southland Conference top rebounding team this season. SFA led the conference averaging 44.7 rebounds per game, and also led the league with a +6.7 rebounding margin. The Ladyjacks pulled down at least 50 rebounds in a game 11 times this season, including a season-high 63 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the SLC Championship semifinals.
Record-Breaking Performance: The Ladyjacks have been the Southland Conference's top rebounding team all season, but took that to all new level Friday against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. SFA pulled down 63 rebounds against the Islanders, to outrebound its opponents by 34. The 63 rebounds set a new SLC tournament record, which was set by Louisiana-Monroe during the 1998 tournament (60).
SLC Leaders: The Ladyjacks led the league in a few other statistical categories other than rebounds and rebound margin. SFA also led the league in defensive rebounds (27.3 rpg), field-goal percent defense (.367) and blocked shots (4.17) during the regular season as well.
20-Somethings: Seniors Charity Egenti and Evelyn Edwards led SFA with 23 points in the Ladyjacks SLC tournament victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. It marked the 11th this season that Egenti has scored at least 20 points in a game and the second time this year that Edwards has posted a 20-point game. It also marks the 18th time this season that a Ladyjack has scored at least 20 points in a game.
Seeing 20-20: Seniors Charity Egenti and Evelyn Edwards each scored 23 points in the teams SLC semifinal game. It marked the second time this season that SFA has had two players score at least 20 points in the same game (Texas State).
Nacogdoches Block Party: Senior Charity Egenti recorded eight blocks at the SLC tournament, which places her among the school's all-time top 10. Egenti is seventh all-time at SFA with 91 career swats. Teammate Evelyn Edwards is currently 10th all-time (71) at SFA.
Arc Angel: Nikki Carr is among the school's list of all-time three-point shooters and she is only a junior. She is currently seventh all-time with 96 career three-pointers.
Up Next ... If the Ladyjacks advance through the first two rounds of the tournament, they will face the winner of a three-team bracket that includes Utah, Montana and Illinois. Utah will square off against Montana in the opening round, with the winner traveling to Champaign, Ill., to face Illinois.
