Ladyjacks Open Season at Home on Friday Night
11/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Stephen F. Austin (0-0) vs. UT-Tyler (0-0)
Friday, November 13 • 7:00 p.m.
William R. Johnson Coliseum • Nacogdoches, Texas
Watch Live (ESPN3) • Live Stats
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin women’s basketball team opens its 44th season of competition on Friday night, Nov. 13, inside William R. Johnson Coliseum against UT-Tyler. Opening tip is set for 7:00 p.m.
A lot has changed within the program since the Ladyjacks last took to the hardwood. Despite losing one of the most talented senior classes in school history, SFA brought in highly touted head coach Mark Kellogg from West Texas A&M, welcomed five new student-athletes to the roster during the offseason and revealed a brand new home court in August.
With the shift in leadership and sharp new playing surface, fans will also be treated to a heavy dose of familiarity with the 2015-16 squad. Junior Taylor Ross, a Second Team All-Southland Conference selection a year ago, will highlight SFA’s list of returning players. Transfers Taylor Schippers and Stevi Parker will be able to showcase their talents for the first time in purple and white after sitting out the 2014-15 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Five newcomers found their way to Nacogdoches in the offseason as well and will make their SFA debuts on Friday.
The Ladyjacks open the year against a team that’s experienced its fair share of success as of late. UT-Tyler enters the year ranked No. 16 in the USA Today Sports Division III Poll and No. 21 by D3hoops.com. Picked to win a third straight American Southwest Conference regular season title in 2015-16, the Patriots have compiled a 54-7 record over the past two seasons.
While winning the opener is the first priority on Friday night, Kellogg notes that his team will be looking to make improvements in several areas in the first official game of the season.
“Our first two priorities on Friday night are going to be to win and get better,” said head coach Mark Kellogg. “It’s a lot more fun to get better by winning than it is by losing obviously, but we want to take a positive step with our season opener. I also want to see us compete a little bit harder. I want toughness offensively and defensively, while working on shot selection. We want to take a great shot every possession. Then hopefully the girls rally around each other and play together as a group.”
After partnering with ESPN during the offseason, Friday night’s contest – along with every home game during the upcoming season – will be available for fans to watch live on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. Season tickets are also still available and can be purchased by calling the SFA ticket office at (936) 468-JACK (5225).
GAME NOTES
SFA vs. UT-Tyler: Friday night’s clash of the Ladyjacks and Patriots will be the first meeting between the two programs.
Scouting UT-Tyler: The Patriots lost several key pieces from a 2014-15 team that won an American Southwest Conference regular season title, but do get back junior guard Michelle Obach. The Tyler native is the team’s leading returning scorer (10.6 ppg) from a year ago and also had the most assists (4.1 apg) and steals (2.4 spg) in 2014-15 of those still currently on the Patriot roster. UT-Tyler enters the year ranked No. 16 in the USA Today Sports Division III Poll and No. 21 by D3hoops.com. They were tabbed the preseason favorites to win another ASC championship this season.
SFA Tabbed 2nd/3rd in SLC Preseason Polls: Coming off a 2014-15 campaign that ended with the Ladyjacks hoisting the program’s 17th regular season Southland Conference title, SFA will once against have high expectations entering the season. In preseason polls conducted by the league’s sports information directors and coaches, SFA was tabbed second and third, respectfully. Lamar was voted as the favorite by each group.
Ross Named Preseason All-SLC: Junior guard Taylor Ross was selected to the Preseason All-Southland Conference Second Team on Oct. 27. Ross had a breakout year as a sophomore, averaging 14.0 points, 4.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals over 31 games. The versatile guard also shot the ball at an efficient rate (.479) from the floor and ended the season ranked third on the team in blocks (14). A 2015 All-SLC Second Team pick, Ross is the top returning scorer for the Ladyjacks.
Season Openers: The Ladyjacks are 26-17 all-time in season opening games, but have lost each of the past two openers. Last year, SFA narrowly fell to Louisiana Tech 76-69 inside William R. Johnson Coliseum on Nov. 15 to begin the 2014-15 schedule. Taylor Ross posted a career-high 26 points in the loss.
No Place Like Home: The Ladyjacks have proven that William R. Johnson Coliseum is one of the toughest women’s basketball venues to play in for visitors. Dating back to Nov. 18 of last year, SFA has won 15 straight games at home. The last loss in Nacogdoches came in the 2014-15 season opener against LA Tech, 76-69. Nacogdoches is currently the 16th toughest city to play in, in all of division one women’s college basketball. The Ladyjacks boast a 434-117 record (78.77 winning percentage) at home since beginning play in 1972.
Rich Tradition: SFA enters the season as the fifth winningest women’s college basketball program in the nation with 987 victories all-time. The Ladyjacks are 987-423 (.700) in their history and are the winningest team in all of Texas. Only Tennessee (1,277), Louisiana Tech (1,059), James Madison (1,018) and Old Dominion (997) have more program wins.
Southland Dominance: The Ladyjacks will go for a third consecutive Southland Conference regular season title in 2016 after winning the league championship each of the last two seasons. Already with a league-best 17 regular season crowns, a third straight title in 2016 would make SFA the first team in the league to three-peat since the Ladyjacks accomplished the feat from 2000-02. After losing in the first round of the WNIT to TCU last March, SFA will look to take the next step this season by making its first NCAA Tournament since 2006.
New Man in Charge: The Ladyjacks will have a new look during the 2015-16 season after bringing in Mark Kellogg from West Texas A&M as the ninth head coach in program history. Kellogg replaces Brandon Schneider – who left after five seasons to coach the women’s basketball program at Kansas. In 10 seasons as a head coach, Kellogg owns a 250-65 (.794) record, including a 154-35 (.815) record in conference games and a 16-7 (.700) mark in NCAA tournament games.
Top Returners: Despite losing three of the team’s top four scorers from a year ago, including SLC Player of the Year Porsha Roberts (17.8 ppg, 9.3 rpg), SFA boasts a talented group on the 2015-16 roster. The Ladyjacks will be led by junior guard Taylor Ross – a Second Team All-SLC selection in 2015 – who was SFA’s second leading scorer last year with 14.0 ppg and the team leader with 4.7 apg. Junior guard Brentney Branch will represent SFA’s biggest threat from beyond the arc in the absence of SFA’s second leading career three-point shooter Tierany Henderson. Branch (7.1 ppg), senior guard Paulletta Powell (4.8 ppg) and sophomore guard Charisma Alexander (4.2 ppg) will be expected to play bigger roles as SFA’s other top returning scorers from 2014-15.
New Faces: Senior guard Taylor Schippers and redshirt sophomore forward Stevi Parker will be eligible to contribute on the court after sitting out the 2015-16 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Schippers, a highly touted guard from Houston, started her collegiate career at Oklahoma State and most recently played at Butler. Parker comes to SFA from Tulsa, where she saw significant playing time. Other new faces for the Ladyjacks include junior college transfer Taylor Birchfield (6-2 forward) and freshmen Kennedy Harris (5-8 guard), KJ Stastny (5-9 guard), Madison Davis (5-11 guard) and Chanell Hayes (5-11 guard).
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