SFA Travels to Play No. 9 Baylor
12/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Game 9: Stephen F. Austin (5-3) at No. 9 Baylor (7-1)
Date/Time: Sunday, Dec. 14 • 2:00 p.m.
Site: The Ferrell Center | Waco, Texas
TV: FOX Sports Southwest
Live Stats | Live Stream
@SFA_WBB (#AxeEm/#ToughAndTogether)
Team Information
Stephen F. Austin
Head Coach: Brandon Schneider (Wayland Baptist, 1995)
Career Record: 383-133 (17th season) | Record at SFA: 77-61 (5th season)
Baylor
Head Coach: Kim Mulkey (LA Tech, 1984)
Career Record: 411-87 (15th season) | Record at Baylor: Same
WACO, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin women’s basketball team faces a tough road game on Sunday, Dec. 14 when they play the ninth-ranked Baylor Lady Bears inside the Ferrell Center at 2:00 p.m. It will be a homecoming of sorts for senior center Porsha Roberts. The veteran leader of the Ladyjacks is a native of Waco, Texas and played her high school ball at La Vega High School.
The matchup against No. 9 Baylor is just the second time the Ladyjacks have faced a ranked opponent in the last two seasons. Last year, SFA lost to No. 15 LSU 86-58 in the season opener. The game was played in Baton Rouge, La. on Nov. 8.
Sunday afternoon's game between SFA and Baylor will be the 21st meeting all-time between the two programs, with the Ladyjacks enjoying a 15-5 advantage in the series. The two teams haven’t played since Nov. 21, 2008 when Baylor thumped SFA 77-42 in Waco. The last win for SFA in the series came in 1996 on the road by way of a 96-73 decision. Of the Ladyjacks’ 15 wins in the series, 11 came before 1980.
SFA will have its hands full trying to stop a potent Baylor offensive attack. The Lady Bears rank second in the country in both scoring offense (91.2 ppg) and field goal percentage (.502) while leading the nation in scoring margin (+35.6). The squad also swarms the glass and ranks fourth nationally in rebound margin (+16.4). Baylor is led by sophomore forward Nina Davis who averages 22.1 ppg and 7.7 rpg through eight games this season. She scored 43 points on Dec. 7 at Ole Miss en route to Big 12 Player of the Week honors. Baylor’s only loss this season came on the road against No. 8 Kentucky on Nov. 17.
Despite the tough challenge that Baylor presents, SFA has also been playing good basketball as of late. The Ladyjacks are coming off a solid team victory in Houston against Rice on Dec. 6. The win marked the first true road win of the season for the Ladyjacks and the first win on the road against Rice for the SFA senior class. The Ladyjacks trailed by as many as 12 in the first half but a 14-point second half effort from Porsha Roberts and 21 total points from Taylor Ross helped propel SFA to the 70-59 victory.
For the first time this season, the Ladyjacks will appear on local television. The game will be televised on FOX Sports Southwest with John Morris on play by play and Jim Haller providing the color commentary.
NOTES
• Seeing Double – Senior center Porsha Roberts led the nation in double-doubles through four games, accomplishing the feat in all four contests for the Ladyjacks to start the year. She currently sits in a tie for 22nd in the category, averaging 16.3 points and 9.1 boards per game. Roberts also ranks among the nation's best in several other statistics, sitting 37th in blocks per game (2.3), 17th in field goal percentage (60.2) and 26th in offensive rebounds per contest (4.0).
• Helping Hand – Sophomore guard Taylor Ross dished out 14 assists during the University of New Mexico Thanksgiving Classic from Nov. 28-29, including a career-high nine assists in a loss against UC Riverside on Nov. 28 in ‘The Pit’. Ross currently ranks 34th in the nation with an average of 5.4 assists per game. She has handed out 43 assists compared to just 22 turnovers on the season for a 2.0 assist/turnover ratio.
• Protecting the Rim – In just seven games this season, SFA has put up 39 blocks as a team. The Ladyjacks rejected six shots in the opener against LA Tech and denied eight more against Prairie View A&M and ULM to begin a blazing pace. The squad’s mark of 4.9 blocks per game is the 49th best average in the country. SFA has 16 more blocks than the next closest team in the SLC and has outblocked all but one opponent overall this year.
• Efficient Attack – Thanks to their nearly 64 percent shooting effort against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Dec. 2, the Ladyjacks rank 31st in the NCAA as a team in field goal percentage (45.5) out of 343 programs. UConn holds the best value in the country with a 52.3 percent mark.
• What a Night – Porsha Roberts has the highest point total in a single game for the Ladyjacks this year. The senior had a 31-point outburst against Texas A&M-Kingsville at home on Dec. 2 to come one point shy of her career-high. Roberts went 14-for-18 from the floor during the game to lead SFA to a 90-50 victory.
• All-Tournament Team for Henderson – Forward Tierany Henderson poured in 19 points against Boston University in the second game of the University of New Mexico Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 29 in Albuquerque. She shot 7-for-14 from the field to give her a season-high total and help the Ladyjacks stay in the game until the final seconds. Henderson hit five three-pointers in the contest en route to All-Tournament Team recognition.
• Hot Streak – Taylor Ross started the 2014-15 season red hot. She scored at least 19 points in the first four games of the season and shot at an efficient 62.7 percent clip from the floor during the stretch. Ross also ranked 21st in the country at the Division I level in scoring average over the span (23.0 ppg). The Pflugerville, Texas native averaged 23.5 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and knocking down 19 of 21 free throws during the week of Nov. 17-23 to help SFA earn victories over Prairie View A&M and ULM. She was named the Southland Conference Player of the Week for her efforts during the span. Ross currently leads SFA with 18.8 points per game this year.
• 2014-15 Opening Night – In a battle between two of the top five winningest programs in NCAA women’s basketball history, Taylor Ross really shined on Nov. 15 against LA Tech. She poured in a career-high 26 points on 12-for-16 shooting while also dishing out a game-high five assists. Ross made her first seven shots from the floor and had 19 points on 9-for-11 shooting at the half, helping SFA take a 38-31 lead into the break. SFA couldn’t hold off LA Tech in the end as the Lady Techsters went on an 11-2 run to end the game and steal the victory in the season opener, 76-69.
• Preseason Favorites – The Ladyjacks were picked as the Southland Conference favorite in both the preseason coaches’ and sports information directors’ poll. SFA grabbed 11 first-place votes and 142 points in the coaches’ poll and nine first-place votes and 137 points in the SID poll en route to a consensus selection to win their 17th conference championship in program history. The Ladyjacks’ collection of 16 trophies is the largest in the SLC by 11.
• Roberts, Matthew Named Preseason All-SLC – SFA seniors Porsha Roberts and Brittney Matthew were each selected to the Preseason All-Southland Conference teams as announced by the league office on Oct. 28. Roberts makes the preseason team for the third consecutive season and is a first team pick for the second straight year, while Matthew earned second team recognition.
• Up Next – Following Sunday’s game in Waco, the Ladyjacks will return home for a game against Arizona on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 4:30 p.m. It will be the first men’s/women’s doubleheader of the year for SFA as the men take the court against Arkansas Tech at 2:00 p.m. in William R. Johnson Coliseum.
-SFA-
