Stephen F. Austin
Abilene Christian
SFA Outlasts ACU in Overtime Thriller
1/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
ABILENE, Texas – Porsha Roberts tied the game with a late free throw and scored six of her game-high 25 points in the overtime period to help the Stephen F. Austin women’s basketball team edge Abilene Christian 71-69 on Saturday afternoon in Moody Coliseum. The OT victory is the second for the Ladyjacks in Southland Conference play already this year. SFA beat Southeastern Louisiana 78-71 in William R. Johnson Coliseum two weeks prior to Saturday’s game.
Trailing 64-63 with three seconds left in regulation, Roberts hauled in an offensive rebound and drew a foul to get to the free throw line. She was able to connect on the second shot to force overtime – finishing a late rally by the Ladyjacks (11-5, 4-1 SLC). In overtime, Roberts went 3-for-4 from the field, scored six of SFA’s seven points and brought in four rebounds.
The Ladyjack defense did the rest, limiting the Wildcats (8-7, 1-4 SLC) to 1-for-7 shooting from the floor in the extra period as SFA outscored ACU 7-5 to create separation for the 71-69 win.
Roberts ended the game with 25 points on 10-for-11 shooting. She grabbed 13 rebounds to complete her eighth double-double of the season and rejected three shots. The senior center did a lot of damage despite only playing nine minutes in the first half due to foul trouble.
Taylor Ross tallied 18 points while firing at a 6-for-15 clip and getting five of seven free throw attempts to go on the afternoon. She played a huge role defensively, especially down the stretch, swiping seven steals with many coming in key possessions late in the game.
The Ladyjacks went on a 12-3 spurt midway through the first half to build their largest lead of the game, 19-13, with 7:25 before the intermission. The two squads battled within a small window over the final minutes before ACU converted a late layup to take a 30-27 advantage into the locker rooms.
Sophomore guard Brentney Branch led all Ladyjacks with nine points at halftime. She hit a pair of three-pointers on seven attempts and would finish the game with the same point total.
In a game which saw 13 lead changes and nine ties, the scoring margin stayed within seven points in the second half. The Wildcats built their largest lead of the game with 8:01 to play at 53-46, but thanks to great defense led by Ross and efficient offense headed by Roberts, the Ladyjacks were able to chip away at the lead.
Senior Brittney Matthew and junior Paulletta Powell each chipped in seven points for SFA in the contest. Both Ladyjacks also did a great job on the defensive end, helping SFA limit ACU to a 32.8 field goal percentage as a team.
The Ladyjacks will continue on their current road stretch with games at Lamar and Sam Houston State next week. SFA plays Lamar on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. before facing the Bearkats on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.
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