Stephen F. Austin
Louisiana Tech
Second-Half Rally Comes Up Short
12/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2009
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Two of the all-time winningest programs in women's basketball met Tuesday evening at the Convocation Center in San Antonio, Texas, and the game was exactly what you would expect from the two storied programs. Unfortunately for Stephen F. Austin, missed opportunities were the deciding factor as Louisiana Tech held on for a 65-61 victory. The heartbreaking loss drops SFA to 5-4 on the season, while Louisiana Tech improves to 7-3 overall.
"I was really unhappy with the final two minutes of the first half," said head coach Lee Ann Riley. "We battled so hard to get back in the game, and then surrendered three uncontested layups to end the half. That was unacceptable, and I let the team know it half time.
"I made some changes at half, and went with a different lineup. I wanted to put some people in the game that I felt would give us better effort. We fought hard, and had our chances down the stretch but couldn't convert. We have a very unhappy locker room," added Riley.
Despite a 4-of-21 start, senior Whitney Cormier missing her first seven attempts and falling behind 8-2 to open the game, SFA managed to battle back and hang close to Louisiana Tech. A Cormier bucket in the paint, followed by a Decreasha Goodner three-pointer ended a 14-4 run by the Lady Techsters and cut a 12-point lead down to seven.
The Lady Techsters recorded a flurry of layups in the final minute of the half to push their lead to 14 points, before sophomore Schera Sampson hit a 15-footer to end the Louisiana Tech run, and the half. The Ladyjacks went into the locker room down 12, 38-26, after recording an 11-for-43 (.256) shooting performance. SFA forced Louisiana Tech into 13 first-half turnovers, but were unable to capitalize on the mistakes. The Ladyjacks managed only six points from Tech's first-half miscues.
The Lady Techsters struggled from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes connecting on only 1-of-7 (.143) three-pointers, but utilized their height in the low post to their advantage. Louisiana Tech outscored SFA, 24-10, in the paint in the opening half, and shot 15-of-31 (.484) for the half.
The Ladyjacks continued to fight in the second half, cutting the Tech lead down to four points, 51-47, with 11:04 remaining. After trading baskets over the course of the next 2:30 of the game SFA pulled even with 7:54 remaining. The Ladyjacks took their first lead of the game, 61-60, when junior Ebony Alexander hit a floater in the lane with 1:47 remaining. Tech responded with a quick bucket on the other end to quickly reclaim the lead.
SFA had the ball with only 43 seconds remaining, trailing by only a point but the Louisiana Tech managed to force a turnover and draw a foul. Tech's Shanavia Dowdell converted both free throw attempts to give the Lady Techsters a three-point advantage. SFA was unable to convert on its final two opportunities, and Louisiana Tech added one more free throw for the final score.
The Ladyjacks turned up the defense in the second half limiting Louisiana Tech to an 8-of-26 (.308) performance in the final 20 minutes. The Lady Techsters finished the game 23-of-57 (.404), while SFA was held to a 23-of-83 (.277) outing. SFA forced Louisiana Tech into 27 turnovers, but converted the miscues into only 13 points.
SFA was led by Alexander who finished the game with 13 points, six rebounds and six assists. Sophomore Courtney Conwright added nine points, while classmate Schera Sampson came off the bench to score seven points, pull down a career-high 10 rebounds and block 2 shots. Cormier was unable to find the range, finishing only 3-of-19 from the floor.
The Lady Techsters were led by Adrienne Johnson's 20 points and eight rebounds. Dowdell added 14 points and 16 rebounds.
The Ladyjacks return to action Wednesday when they close out the 2009 UTSA New Year's Classic against Maine. The game against the Black Bears is slated to begin at 5 p.m. from the Convocation Center.
-SFA-
