Stephen F. Austin
Houston Baptist
Ladyjacks Outlast Houston Baptist
11/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 17, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack basketball team overcame a sluggish start to record an 82-72 victory over Houston Baptist Monday evening in the William R. Johnson Coliseum, giving SFA consecutive victories to start the season. It marks the first 2-0 start by a Ladyjack team since the 2000-01 season.
It wasn't all smiles for head coach Lee Ann Riley's troops who were coming off an impressive 69-58 win at Prairie View A&M just three nights earlier. The Ladyjacks started the game shooting less than 30 percent from the floor, while the Huskies jumped out to a five-point lead, and led by four with 11 minutes remaining in the opening half.
"I was very unhappy with how slow we started," said Riley. "We came out of the gates with no intensity. Give credit to Houston Baptist, they walked on the floor and really took it to us early."
All that changed with when the Ladyjacks dialed up the defensive pressure. Down by four, sophomore Jordan Ford sparked a 14-2 run by hitting a layup with 10:40 on the clock. She would finish the game with six points. The Ladyjacks took the lead and never looked back shooting 50 percent from the floor in the opening half, while holding their opponents to 13-of-34 (.382).
"I thought the defense did a great job of slowing them down and giving us the momentum," said Riley. "We were able to get some easy buckets due to our pressure. We did a good job at the free throw line as well."
Even though SFA never surrendered the lead, the second half came with tense moments. The Huskies went on a 13-0 run midway through the second half to trim a 16-point lead down to three, 61-58. HBU's Jelela Simpson led the charge with 18 points and 13 rebounds, but the Ladyjacks found an answer. And that answer came in the form of teamwork.
After Lee Ann Riley called a timeout, the Ladyjacks broke the huddle and responded with a 10-0 run to build the lead back to 13 points. SFA maintained the advantage by spreading out the scoring. All but one player who entered the game scored, led by four players in double figures. Sophomore Ebony Alexander led the way with 15, while sophomore Whitney Cormier added 14 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Chantol Drennan finished the game with 13 points and seven rebounds, while classmate Toni Davis scored 12 points and pulled down four boards despite fouling out in 17 minutes.
SFA again was clutch from the free throw line connecting on 19-of-25 (.760) free throws, while forcing the Huskies into 23 turnovers. The Ladyjacks converted the HBU miscues into 25 points. SFA also outrebounded their guest by eight, 45-37.
SFA will now turn its attention to No. 10 Baylor who is coming off an upset of second-ranked Stanford. The game against the Lady Bears is slated to begin at 7 p.m. from the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas.
-SFA-
