Stephen F. Austin
Louisiana Tech
SFA Drops Road Contest at LA Tech
11/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
LA Tech 76, Stephen F. Austin 44
Thomas Assembly Center • Ruston, Louisiana
Records: SFA (1-1); LA Tech (2-1)
Up Next: LSU-Shreveport • Tuesday, Nov. 24 • 7:00 p.m.
LA Tech 76, SFA 44 
RUSTON, La. – After a tightly contested first half, the Stephen F. Austin women’s basketball team couldn’t keep the pace at Louisiana Tech on Saturday night, falling 76-44 in the Ladyjacks’ first road game of the year inside Thomas Assembly Center.
Just a one-point game at the intermission, the Lady Techsters opened things up with a 32-4 third quarter and never looked back.
Freshman guard Chanell Hayes led the Ladyjacks offensively with 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting. Senior guard Taylor Schippers and sophomore forward Stevi Parker each provided eight points while junior guard Brentney Branch chipped in seven.
SFA was relentless on the defensive side of the ball in the first half and ended the game with 22 forced turnovers. The Ladyjacks turned it over 24 times on the other end, however, as they struggled to find flow in the attack through stretches of the game. LA Tech held SFA to 30.8 percent shooting from the floor and outrebounded the Ladyjacks 49-23.
The Lady Techsters controlled most of the first quarter, jumping out to leads of 10-3 and 18-10, but the Ladyjacks would find a much-needed spark at the end of the period. With time winding down, Schippers drilled a three-pointer from well beyond the arc that rattled in before the buzzer. The triple cut Tech’s lead to 18-13 at the end of the first quarter.
SFA kept the momentum going in the second, building on Schippers’ three to mount a 9-0 run and take its first lead at 19-18. Parker and Branch hit jumpers in the spurt and Hayes converted a fast break layup after a no-look pass by Branch.
Like in the first, Schippers had the final say in second quarter with a three-pointer from distance in the waning seconds. The Ladyjacks outscored the Lady Techsters 15-11 in the second frame overall and went into the half trailing 29-28 after Schippers’ second three of the evening.
The third quarter was the turning point as the Lady Techsters outscored the ‘Jacks 32-4 to create a 61-32 lead heading into the fourth. Tech shot .692 (9-for-13) from the field in the third compared to SFA’s .133 (2-for-15) shooting clip.
Tech’s advantage at the end of three proved too much to overcome as the Lady Techsters held on for the 76-44 victory.
SFA will return home on Tuesday, Nov. 24 to play LSU-Shreveport inside William R. Johnson Coliseum. The game, which is set to start at 7:00 p.m., will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
-SFA-
