Stephen F. Austin
ASU Mid-Winter Classic
Bowling Picks Up Big Wins At ASU Mid-Winter Classic
1/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Bowling
Jan. 18, 2010
CABOT, Ark. - The Ladyjack bowling team returned to action and opened up the new year well, going notching wins over nationally-ranked Nebraska and Arkansas State in another successful weekend at the ASU Mid-Winter Classic.
SFA finished the three-day event with an 8-6 record, but it went out with a bang in going 4-0 on the tournament's final day that included convincing wins over the Huskers and Red Wolves.
"I thought we started off the weekend a little slow, but the way that we closed things out on Sunday was a real boost of confidence," head coach Laura Cramer. "After a long layoff for the Christmas break it was kind of understandable that we came out a little flat, but we started to turn it around midway through Saturday and it really carried over into a successful Sunday."
Sunday saw SFA open up with a solid win over No. 3 Nebraska - 777-698 - in total-pin Baker format, marking the second time this season that the Ladyjacks have managed to get past the Huskers. Just one match later SFA remained on fire, moving to 3-0 on the year against the nation's No. 4 team, Arkansas State, with a 735-677 win over the tournament host. Then after posting a 752-703 win over Alabama A&M - it's third straight win over a nationally-ranked opponent - the Ladyjacks put together its best score of the tournament with a 819-538 over Alabama State. That score was only the 10th time in 96 tries at the event where a team managed to eclipse the 800-pin mark.
"It was great to see the way our team closed things out on Sunday," Cramer said. "I really thought that Dusti (Hammond) was a real key for us because when she started to get hot on Saturday we started to really play well as a team and then managed to keep that momentum."
SFA came out on the winning end of things on the tournament's first day with three wins in five tries, taking wins over Winston-Salem, Mississippi Valley State and Prairie View A&M while falling to both Central Missouri and Morgan State. The highlight of the day that was played in a total-pin Baker format was a season-best for the Ladyjacks when they rolled a 242 Baker game in a win over Prairie View A&M.
The teams changed formats to total team pins on Saturday and it did not turn out well for the Ladyjacks who dropped four of five decisions, although to some stout competition. Losses to Valparaiso, Minnesota State-Makato and Maryland-Eastern Shore opened up the day before a loss to Delaware State - despite a 232 from Hammond and a 207 from Brandy Hensley in her debut weekend. Hensley followed that up with a 206 one match later as the Ladyjacks managed to close out the day with a win over Alabama State.
"Overall I am certainly pleased with the weekend," Cramer said. "I thought Brandy played well in her debut and Sierra (Gibbons) was consistent once again. We have just seemed to continually improve and that is definitely the direction we are trying to go."
Hensley and Gibbons each finished in the top 30 among all players in average, with Hensley averaging a 190 and Gibbons a 189 for the weekend. The Ladyjacks now get a little time off before embarking on their longest road trip of the year at the Kutztown Tournament in Reading, Penn., on January 30-31.
-SFA-
