Stephen F. Austin
Houston Baptist
Ladyjacks Grind Out Win Over HBU, 72-67
2/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – For the second game in a row, a trio of seniors made big plays down the stretch to help the Stephen F. Austin women’s basketball team earn a big Southland Conference victory over Houston Baptist, 72-67, on Saturday evening inside William R. Johnson Coliseum.
After a long battle all afternoon, the Ladyjacks (15-6, 8-2 SLC) and the Huskies (9-13, 3-8 SLC) were all square at 65-65 with 2:16 left in the game. The SFA four-year seniors, Porsha Roberts, Brittney Matthew and Tierany Henderson all knocked down key shots in the closing minutes to help SFA claim its third straight victory.
Roberts broke the tie with a slick layup off a pass from Taylor Ross to make it 67-65. With 39 seconds to play, Henderson drilled a three-pointer from the right wing to make it a five point game. Matthew iced the game after a pair of free throws with 17 ticks on the clock to put the finishing touches on a hard-fought affair.
Roberts led the Ladyjacks offensively with 24 points on 11-for-15 shooting. She hauled in 10 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season to go along with two blocks and two steals.
Henderson finished the game with 16 points on a 6-for-11 mark from the floor, including a 2-for-4 effort from beyond the arc. She added three blocks to lead SFA around the rim.
Ross distributed the attack with a game-high nine assists. She also was a terror inside the paint, tallying 18 points with several buckets coming on excellent dribble penetration. She made 6 of 9 shots and hit 6 of 8 free throw attempts in the game.
As a team, SFA had one of its best shooting performances of the year, hitting 52.8 percent of its shots (28-for-53). The Ladyjacks enjoyed a plus 13 rebounding margin (38-25) thanks in part to Roberts’ 10 boards and a new career-high from freshman Charisma Alexander. Alexander rounded up nine rebounds on the night and also chipped in seven points off the bench.
The Huskies started red hot from the field and shot the ball at a 59.4 percent rate in the opening half. The Ladyjacks’ defense would stiffen in the second period, limiting HBU to a 37 percent clip.
HBU posted its biggest lead with 4:05 to play in the first half, 38-29. Henderson would lead an 8-2 charge to close out the period and make it a 40-37 HBU lead at the break. The senior scored six of her 16 points during the stretch.
The Ladyjacks kept the momentum with them to start the second half by opening play with 9-0 run, capped by an Alexander jumper in the paint. The 46-40 lead was SFA’s biggest advantage of the game as neither team could establish much separation over the duration of Saturday’s matchup.
The Ladyjacks will make two long trips next week when they face Incarnate Word in San Antonio on Thursday night at 6:00 p.m. and then head to Corpus Christi for a date with the Islanders on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
-SFA-
