Stephen F. Austin
Southern Illinois - Edwardsville
Ladyjacks Overcome Struggles for Win
11/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 28, 2009
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack basketball team was able to overcome a 29-percent shooting performance to record their third victory of the season. The Ladyjacks recorded a 68-66 victory to defeat SIU-Edwardsville in the final round of the Aggie Hotel Encanto Thanksgiving Classic Saturday evening at the Pan American Center.
"We came out very flat tonight, but somehow found a way to win," said head coach Lee Ann Riley. "We will always celebrate a win, but we didn't have our best stuff tonight. I wasn't really pleased with our intensity until the final minute of the game."
The Ladyjacks (3-1) jumped out to an early eight-point lead before SIU-Edwardsville rattled off a 21-8 run behind Raven Berry's nine first-half points. She would finish the game with 19 points and 15 rebounds. The Cougars would hold the advantage and take a seven-point lead, 34-27, into the locker room.
"I give credit to (SIU) Edwardsville," said Riley. "They are a very scrappy team who battles for a full 40 minutes. We knew coming into this game that it was going to be tough, but I'm proud of my girls for gutting out a win."
The Cougars would lead by as many as 12 in the second half, and would own a 10-point lead with less than nine minutes remaining before SFA mounted a rally. Sparked by junior Jordan Ford's game-high 20 points and nine rebounds, the Ladyjacks went on a 16-6 run to cut the lead to four points, 56-52, with just over six minutes remaining.
The Ladyjacks would hang close until Ford hit a layup with 29 seconds remaining to take their first lead (67-66) since the 3:12 mark of the first half. Sophomore Amina Sawyer would tack on a free throw 25 seconds later to ice the come-from-behind victory.
Junior Toni Davis recorded her second career double-double, and her first since her freshman season, with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Sophomore Courtney Conwright added 11 points and pulled down five rebounds.
The Ladyjacks finished the game 21-of-72 (.292) from the floor, but really made the Cougars pay with their defense. SFA recorded 17 steals, and forced SIU-Edwardsville into 35 turnovers, which the Ladyjacks converted into 32 points.
The Ladyjacks return to action Wednesday when they travel to College Station, Texas to take on No. 7 Texas A&M. The game against the Aggies is slated to begin at 6 p.m. from Reed Arena.
-SFA-
