Late Saturday Night Showdown Pits SFA Against Rice
12/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Stephen F. Austin (4-5) vs. Rice (1-7)
Saturday, December 19 • 9:00 p.m.
William R. Johnson Coliseum • Nacogdoches, Texas
Watch Live (ESPN3) • Live Stats
In-Game Twitter Updates: @SFA_WBB
Complete Game Notes 
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - After getting 10 days off from game action, the Stephen F. Austin women's basketball team returns to the hardwood on Saturday night inside William R. Johnson Coliseum to host the Rice Owls. The Ladyjacks will be looking to halt a four-game losing skid that starting with their last home game on Dec. 1 against UT Arlington. Due to graduation ceremonies on Saturday, first tip isn't scheduled until 9:00 p.m. The non-conference contest will be streamed live on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
STORYLINES
• The Ladyjacks should be well rested for Saturday's game after enjoying their longest stretch between games of the season (10 days). On the other end, the Owls played just two days ago on Thursday night. After the late night affair, SFA will get another long break between games for the Christmas break. A Dec. 30 matchup with Texas A&M-Commerce will close out 2015 as well as the non-conference portion of the schedule.
• The Owls hold a slim 4-3 edge over the Ladyjacks in the all-time series but SFA has had the upper hand as of late. Last year on Dec. 6 in Houston, the `Jacks beat the Owls 70-59 in Tudor Fieldhouse. Taylor Ross posted a game-high 21 points on 8-for-16 shooting to spark her team to victory.
• On Thursday night at Sam Houston State, Rice snapped a seven-game losing streak to start the year with a 58-46 win over the Bearkats. Prior to their first win, the Owls had lost four games by eight points or less. Outside of SHSU, Rice has played Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and McNeese out of the Southland Conference. The Owls lost to the Islanders 60-55 on Nov. 18 and also fell to the Cowgirls on Nov. 25 by a final margin of 61-53.
• The Owls have been led by Shani Rainey (10.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg), Maya Hawkins (10.5 ppg, 2.6 apg) and Jasmine Goodwine (9.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg) so far this year. As a team, Rice has struggled offensively, averaging just 51.2 points per game. The squad has only scored more than 60 points one time this year, coming in a 67-61 loss against Harvard. SFA, on the other hand, is averaging 66.8 points per game while scoring more than 60 points in five of nine contests.
GAME NOTES
• LAST TIME OUT: In a rematch of the first round of the 2015 WNIT, the Ladyjacks lost to TCU in Fort Worth last Wednesday (Dec. 9) by a final score of 88-55. SFA trailed by as many as 37 after getting out to a slow start in the first half, but turned things around in the final 20 minutes. TCU was only able to outscore SFA 39-37 in the second half. Sophomore forward Stevi Parker led the Ladyjacks with 11 points on a perfect 4-for-4 night from the field and also collected a team-high six rebounds. Taylor Ross added 10 points and six assists.
• FAST START FOR ROSS: Junior guard Taylor Ross got off to a fast start to the 2015-16 season, scoring at least 19 points in each of her first four games, including a career-high 28 points against SIUE in her first game of the year at UMKC. In her last three games, Ross is scoring at a slighly lower rate (10.7 ppg) but has still tallied at least 10 points in all seven games played. She is averaging 17.3 points per game overall on the season - the third best mark in the Southland Conference.
• STEADY SCHIPP: Senior guard Taylor Schippers has been consistent for the Ladyjacks all year in her first season in the purple and white. She has scored in double figures in five of nine games and recorded an assist in every game. She is averaging a steady 10.0 ppg on the year and leads the team with 32 assists in nine games.
• STEVI IN CHARGE: Sophomore forward Stevi Parker leads the team with 20 charges taken so far in 2015-16. She had a big week at the UNT Tournament from Dec. 4-5, taking five charges on Friday night against IUPUI and adding three more on Saturday against Weber State. She is chasing 36 for the season - a total she set at Tulsa her freshman year.
• HOT SHOOTERS: SFA has shot the ball well over the first nine games of the year. The `Jacks' 42.1 field goal percentage is tops in the SLC and their three-point field goal percentage of 37.7 percent is the best in the league and 24th-best in the country. Junior guard Brentney Branch leads the team from distance with a 50.0 percent make rate (10th in the nation). It is the best mark in the SLC as well.
• TOURNAMENT CHAMPS: The Ladyjacks had a successful trip to the midwest over the Thanksgiving break, claiming the UMKC Plaza Lights Classic tournament title in Kansas City with a 2-0 record. SFA first beat SIUE, 82-74, behind 28 second half points from Taylor Ross and a monster 20-point, 11-rebound double-double from Stevi Parker. The next day on Nov. 28, the `Jacks secured the perfect week with a 71-62 win over Indiana State. Ross once again had a big game with 20 points and Brentney Branch added 19 points with a 5-for-7 shooting night from three-point range.
• ALL-TOURNAMENT: After averaging 24.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in two victories in Kansas City, Taylor Ross was named the UMKC Plaza Lights Classic MVP. Her 28-point performance in the second half of Friday's win was a new career-high. Stevi Parker was also recognized for her outstanding play over the weekend by being selected to the All-Tournament Team.
• NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Junior guard Taylor Ross was SFA's star during the week of Nov. 23, scoring at least 20 points in all three contests for the team. She averaged 23.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals during the stint and picked up several prestigious awards as a result. She was tabbed the National Mid-Major Player of the Week by College Sports Madness and secured Southland Conference Player of the Week honors on Nov. 30 for her recent success on the hardwood.
• HISTORIC BLOWOUT: The Ladyjacks pulled off one of the most lopsided wins in program history after routing LSU-Shreveport 94-39 on Nov. 24 inside William R. Johnson Coliseum. The 55-point victory is the largest margin in an SFA win since 1999 when the Ladyjacks beat Centenary, 99-40.
• 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 the beginning of last year, SFA is 17-2 at home. With a narrow loss against UTA on Dec. 1, SFA's 17-game home winning streak was snapped. It was the seventh-longest active home winning streak in the nation before the game. Nacogdoches is currently the 16th toughest city to play in, in all of division one women's college basketball. The Ladyjacks boast a 436-118 record at home since beginning play in 1972.
-SFA-
