Stephen F. Austin
St. Edward's
Ladyjacks Fend Off Hilltoppers, 65-56
11/25/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Despite struggling offensively in the first half, the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack basketball team took care of business on Tuesday night in William R. Johnson Coliseum, beating St. Edward’s 65-56.
Sophomore guard Taylor Ross had another big night for the Ladyjacks (3-1). The reigning SLC Player of the Week scored a game-high 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting. Senior Porsha Roberts also had an efficient night, notching 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting. She grabbed 10 rebounds to secure her fourth double-double of the year in as many games.
The Ladyjacks shot 33.3 percent from the field in the first half and went 0-for-11 from three-point range. Despite the offensive struggles, SFA held St. Edward’s (3-1) to a 25 percent clip from the floor in the frame to stay in the contest. Roberts recorded 10 points in the half as the Ladyjacks went into the break trailing 26-24.
“I didn’t like our focus, particularly in the first half tonight,” said head coach Brandon Schneider. “Give St. Edward’s a lot of credit for how hard they competed on the backboards. They really whipped us in rebounding tonight and that’s an area we take a lot of pride in. In the second half, I thought we did a better job, forcing some turnovers and getting out in transition.”
SFA came out of the locker room a different team in the second half. A Ross three-pointer at the 15:57 mark gave the Ladyjacks a 35-34 lead and started a 24-6 run over the next 10 minutes. Roberts converted a layup with 6:19 to play to cap the spurt and give SFA its largest lead at 56-40.
The Ladyjacks were able to fend off a pesky St. Edward’s team the rest of the way to a 65-56 victory.
SFA was able to score 27 points off turnovers on the night compared to SEU’s 13. The Ladyjacks also enjoyed a 36-20 advantage in the paint.
Up next, the women's basketball team will head on their longest road trip of the year when they fly to Albuquerque, N.M. for the University of New Mexico Thanksgiving Classic from Nov. 28-29. The Ladyjacks will play UC Riverside on Friday, Nov. 28 at 6:00 p.m. CT and then face either Boston University or New Mexico on Saturday, Nov. 29.
-SFA-
