Ladyjacks Win Two At Mid-Winter Classic
1/14/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Bowling
Jan. 14, 2011
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack bowling squad went 2-3 Friday on the opening day of the ASU Mid-Winter Classic. SFA picked up wins over Prairie View A&M and Louisiana Tech with losses to host Arkansas State, Nebraska and Sam Houston State sandwiched between.
The opening day action consisted of five-game Baker matches determined by total pin count. The No. 15 Ladyjacks' victories came against teams ranked below them in the National Tenpin Coaches Association's December poll, while all three losses were against higher-ranked squads.
"We bowled well in the first and last matches of the day," SFA head coach Laura Cramer said. "We just have to find a way to beat those top 10 teams to get to where we want to be as a program."
In the opener, SFA knocked off a Prairie View team that was just out of the top 20 in December's NTCA voting. The Ladyjacks broke 160 three times with a high score of 236 in Game 3 to cruise to an 886-755 verdict.
SFA followed with an 885-836 loss against No. 6 Arkansas State. The Ladyjacks opened strong with a 178 and a 212 in the first two games. But SFA didn't break 160 in the final three contests.
The Ladyjacks scuffled in the third match against No. 3 Nebraska, rolling a 168, 167 and 180 to open. SFA finished with a 140 and 132 to lose, 936-787.
Against No. 5 Sam Houston in Match 4, SFA suffered a 904-875 defeat, but the Ladyjacks finished strong with a 190 and 182 in their final two games.
SFA found its stride in the final match of the day to take a 947-738 win over No. 20 Louisiana Tech. The Ladyjacks' scores went 198, 190, 150, 222 and 187.
"We battled and struggled mid-day but finally pulled it all together for the last match," Cramer said. "On an individual level, Nicole Parkhurst really stepped up today and put up some big numbers in key spots for us."
The Ladyjacks will bowl five more matches on Saturday. SFA goes into the Day 2 action ranked eighth out of 14 teams in total pinfall. The totals from the first two days will determine seeding for Sunday's final bracket.
-- SFA --
