Stephen F. Austin
Louisiana Tech
SFA Edged by LA Tech in Season Opener
11/15/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Sophomore Taylor Ross had a breakout night and senior Porsha Roberts was solid on the blocks but the Stephen F. Austin women’s basketball team couldn’t finish off Louisiana Tech on Saturday night in William R. Johnson Coliseum, falling 76-69. The Ladyjacks drop to 26-17 all-time in season openers.
Ross started red hot from the floor for the Ladyjacks (0-1), connecting on her first seven shots in the game. She helped her team jump out to an early 10-5 lead with two layups in the early going and finished the half with 19 points on 9-for-11 shooting. The 5-6 guard poured in a career-high 26 points overall on the night, connecting on 12 of 16 field goal attempts. Ross also chipped in a team-high five assists and four rebounds to pace the offensive attack.
“Taylor was really aggressive,” said head coach Brandon Schneider. “She did a lot of really good things. She got the ball in the paint and finished some big plays for us. I think when she looks at the film she’s going to want a couple possessions back there in the last two minutes but overall she was a real bright spot for us, especially in terms of production tonight.”
Roberts also had a good night on both ends of the court. She turned in a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards while blocking two shots and swiping three steals. The forward hit seven of nine shots from the floor to help the Ladyjacks shoot 52.6 percent (30-for-57) as a team in the contest.
Senior Tierany Henderson also scored in double digits with 13 points on 6-for-12 shooting while rejecting a game-high three shots.
After the Ladyjacks built their early 10-5 lead, the Lady Techsters (1-0) went on an 11-0 run to pull ahead 16-10. SFA battled right back over the next nine minutes, going on a 24-8 spurt to mount its largest lead of the game at 34-24. Sophomore Brentney Branch hit a three-pointer with 4:25 remaining in the first frame to cap the run.
The Ladyjacks went into halftime up 38-31 and didn’t relinquish their lead until midway through the second half.
The two programs, both of which are ranked as the top five winningest women’s basketball programs in NCAA history, fought back and forth the rest of the way. Roberts banked home a mid-range jumper to give her team a 67-65 lead with 2:52 to play but LA Tech went on an 11-2 run to close the game and secure the win.
“I’m obviously really disappointed that we lost because I thought we did a lot of really good things to position ourselves with an opportunity to win the game,” Schneider said. “Statistically, the real difference was made threes – they made six more threes than we did – and they made seven more free throws. We talked a great deal about the difference in the ball game and one of the key stats was at the free throw line. When we got there we just didn’t convert them.”
Tyler Summitt, son of coaching legend Pat Summitt, recorded his first head coaching win in his first season with LA Tech.
The Ladyjacks next take the court on Tuesday, Nov. 18 against Prairie View A&M. Tip is set for 7:00 p.m.
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