Ladyjacks Travel to #10 Auburn
12/31/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 31, 2008
The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack basketball team will look to bounce back from a tough trip to the Cancun Caribbean Classic that saw SFA drop its final two games of 2008. The Ladyjacks will step on the floor for the first time in two weeks to face No. 10 (ESPN/USA Today Women's Top 25 Poll) Auburn. The Lady Tigers are 13-0 on the season, and one of only six undefeated teams remaining in the top 25 poll. The Ladyjacks (5-6) are looking to reverse a trend that has seen them lose two straight, and five of their last six contests. The game against the Tigers is slated to begin at 2 p.m. from Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum in Auburn, Ala.
SFA vs. the Tigers: Saturday's contest will mark the fourth meeting between the two schools on the basketball court. Auburn currently leads the all-time series, 3-0, including a 61-49 victory over SFA in Nacogdoches last season. The inaugural meeting between the two schools came during the 1983-84 season when the Tigers recorded an 85-61 victory. The only other meeting was a 72-44 decision during the 2002-03 season.
The SFA-Fortner Connection: Auburn head coach Nell Fortner is very familiar with the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack basketball program, having spent four seasons in Nacogdoches from 1986 to 1990. Fortner started her career as a graduate assistant under former Ladyjack head coach Gary Blair during the 1986-87 season. She was promoted to full-time assistant coach during her final three seasons. During her time in Nacogdoches, SFA won no fewer than 25 games in a season, recorded three Southland Conference Championships, three top-20 finishes and one top-10 finish, made three NCAA Championship appearances and one WNIT appearance. SFA went 112-18 (.862) during Fortner's four seasons on campus.
SFA Gaines Offensive Spark: Senior Jessica Gaines came off the bench to provide SFA with a huge spark against Missouri State. Although she didn't enter the contest until the final eight minutes, she led all players with 14 points on 5-of-6 (.833) shooting, including a 4-of-5 (.800) mark from beyond the three-point line. She also pulled down four rebounds, and dished out one assist in the contest. Gaines was rewarded for her effort by receiving her first start of the season the following day against San Francisco.
Double-Double: Freshman Amina Sawyer recorded her first career double-double against San Francisco. The 6-2, Pflugerville, native scored a career-high 10 points and pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds in 24 minutes of action against the Dons.
Career High: Sophomore Antoinette Davis tied a career high with her 12 points against San Francisco. It marks the second time this season, and the third time in her career that Davis has scored 12 points in a game.
Seeing Double (Figures): The Ladyjacks had four players finish the night in double figures against Missouri State. It is the third time this season (at Prairie View A&M and vs. Houston Baptist) that the Ladyjacks have had four players score at least 10 points in the same game.
Arc Angels: The Ladyjacks are becoming a bigger threat from beyond the three-point arc. SFA followed up their season-best performance of 10 triples against New Orleans by hitting 12 three-pointers at the Cancun Classic. The Ladyjacks have recorded 22 threes in their last three contests, and are averaging more than seven per game during that stretch.
Becoming Offensive: It's not just from long range where SFA is seeing increased offensive production. The Ladyjacks shot better than 40 percent in each of its two games at the Cancun Caribbean Classic, and is shooting 73-of-174 (.420) in its last three contests. It is the fourth time this season that SFA has shot over 40 percent from the field.
Ford Tough: Sophomore Jordan Ford is showing signs of coming out of her early season scoring slump. Ford netted 11 points against Missouri State, which marks the first time since the season-opener that she has recorded double-figure points.
Converting Defense to Offense: The Ladyjacks have struggled during the early part of the season converting strong defense into easy points. SFA has forced its opponents into 214 turnovers this season, but has managed only 160 points from those turnovers.
Up Next ... The Ladyjacks will be back in action Saturday, Jan. 10, when they travel to Huntsville, Texas, to open Southland Conference play against Sam Houston State. The game against the Bearkats is slated to begin 2 p.m. from the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
