SFA Seeks 11th Straight Win On Senior Night
3/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - While the 2014-15 Southland Conference Championship and the number one seed in the league tournament are in the bag, the Stephen F. Austin women's basketball team still has a lot to play for in the regular season finale on Saturday night inside William R. Johnson Coliseum. The game will begin at 4:00 p.m. and will be available on ESPN3.
So what's all at stake?
For starters, a chance to knock bitter rival Sam Houston State out of postseason contention. The Bearkats, the last team to beat the Ladyjacks, currently sit at 5-12 in SLC play tied with Houston Baptist and New Orleans. All three teams are battling for the eighth and final spot in the conference tournament held in Katy from March 12-15. A loss would eliminate Sam Houston from playoff contention and help SFA ensure it wouldn't see the `Kats for a third time in Katy.
Forty-two days and 10 straight wins ago, the Ladyjacks were upset by the Bearkats in Huntsville, 65-64. SFA controlled the game for most of the afternoon on Jan. 24, leading for 30:05, but SHSU rallied for the win. Porsha Roberts led the `Jacks with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting and had nine rebounds. Tierany Henderson and Brentney Branch each knocked down three triples to complement Roberts offensively.
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Lincoln Rose (play-by-play) and Van Chancellor (color) on the call. The Ladyjacks have played well under the media spotlight this season, beating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 74-62 on the road on Feb. 14 and Northwestern State on Thursday in Nacogdoches in the squad's previous two ESPN3 games.
The last bit of motivation for the Ladyjacks is simple enough to understand. The game will be the last time seniors Daylyn Harris, Destiny Bragman, Brittney Matthew, Tierany Henderson and Porsha Roberts go to battle inside William R. Johnson Coliseum. The five women, who have helped the Ladyjacks win 14 straight games at home, will be honored in a senior night presentation at halftime of the men's contest.
"Our fan support has been good all season long," said head coach Brandon Schneider. "I think that it's really key with one ballgame left that our fans come out and support a senior class that has accomplished a great deal during their time at SFA. All five of our seniors have played a big role in helping this this team win another conference championship this year and Saturday is going to be very special night in which we can honor their accomplishments."
QUICK NOTES
- With Thursday night's 56-45 win over Northwestern State, SFA clinched the 2014-15 Southland Conference regular season title. The championship is the second straight for the Ladyjacks and 17th overall - the most by any current league member by 14 (Northwestern State - 3). The back-to-back championship feat is the first for SFA since 2000-01/2001-02.
- SFA leads the overall series against Sam Houston State 63-11 heading into the 75th meeting between the two programs. The Ladyjacks won 29 straight games in the series from 1985-1999. The Bearkats have won three of the last five.
- Head coach Brandon Schneider secured his 400th career coaching win on Thursday night against NWLA. Now in his fifth season at SFA, Schneider is currently 94-64 and has the fifth most wins in program history. Prior to taking over the Ladyjack program, Schneider boasted a 306-72 record at Division II Emporia State. He guided the Hornets to 11 NCAA Tournaments in 12 seasons at the helm, capped by a Division II National Championship in 2009-10. With a .746 winning percentage between Emporia State and SFA, Schneider ranks 15th all-time among coaches with at least 10 years experience as a Division II coach. He has now guided the Ladyjacks to back-to-back SLC titles for the first time in 13 years.
- The Ladyjacks' 10-game winning streak is the 13th-longest active streak in the nation. The squad also owns a 14-game home winning streak dating back to Nov. 18, which is good enough for the 11th best home streak in the NCAA.
- SFA currently sits 129th in the latest RPI rankings released on March 4. It is the highest mark for the Ladyjacks this year. SFA is also receiving a season-most 21 votes in the Women's Mid-Major Top 25 poll released on March 3. Both rankings are the best for any team in the Southland. In Charlie Creme's NCAA Women's Basketball ESPNW Bracketology, the Ladyjacks are projected to earn a 15 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament and play second-seeded Florida State in Tallahassee, Florida for the first round of The Dance.
- The Ladyjacks' overall record of 22-6 is the best for the program through 28 games since the 2001-02 season. That year, SFA went 24-6 (19-1 SLC), won the SLC Championship and went to the NCAA Tournament. The Ladyjacks' 10-game winning streak this season is the longest since the 2001-02 club won 16 straight.
- One week after becoming just the second Ladyjack in history to make 200 career three-pointers, Tierany Henderson is closing in on another significant milestone. The senior has 973 career points - just 27 points shy of becoming the latest member of SFA's 1,000-point club.
- Porsha Roberts moved into sixth on the program's all-time leading scorers list with 1,846 career points, passing Tammy Mayo (1980-84) after scoring 15 points against the Lady Demons on Thursday night. Roberts is also 15 rebounds away from becoming the sixth member of SFA's 1,000-rebound club. She had a monster night on the glass the last time out, tying a career-high with 19 boards.
- The Ladyjacks are 17-2 since beating Arizona on Dec. 20, 2014. Their two losses over the span have come by six points against McNeese State on Jan. 3 and one point against Sam Houston State on Jan. 24.
- When Taylor Ross scores 15 points or more in a game this season, the Ladyjacks are 13-1 overall. The lone loss came in the first game of the season against LA Tech. It was a career night for Ross, who poured in a career-high 26 points on 12-for-16 shooting while dishing out five assists. SFA lost 76-69.
- The Ladyjacks are 19-2 this season when leading with 5:00 to play in regulation. Since taking over as head coach prior to the 2010-11 season, Brandon Schneider's SFA teams are an impressive 80-6 when holding a lead with five minutes left in games. Last season, his team went a perfect 20-0 in those circumstances.
- Senior center Porsha Roberts is off to a hot start to SLC play. She is nearly averaging a double-double in 17 league games (17.5 ppg, 9.8 rpg) while shooting 64.8 percent from the field, and has notched a double-double seven times in 2015 (11 overall). Roberts ranks among the nation's best in several statistics, sitting second in field goal percentage (62.5), sixth in offensive rebounds per contest (4.8) and 44th in blocks per game (2.3).
2014-15 LADYJACK SENIORS
Playing two seasons for the Ladyjacks after transferring from Trinidad State Junior College, Destiny Bragman has played in 32 games for SFA in her career, making nine appearances this season. She has averaged over four minutes a game, scoring 10 points and grabbing 25 rebounds. A native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Bragman is being escorted by her mother Melody Washington, her brothers Tyrone Finch and Toby Washington, sister-in-law Melisa Finch, niece Golden Finch and nephews Tyrone Finch Jr. and Franklin Finch.
Daylyn Harris played in 92 games, making 76 starts from 2011-14 and served as a student assistant during her senior season after experiencing a knee injury. A forward, Harris averaged over nine points and nearly five rebounds per game as a junior, scoring a career-high 23 points in a win over Grambling State on December 15, 2013. A native of Livingston, Texas, Harris is accompanied tonight by her father, Ronald Harris, her mother, Linda Harris, and her brother, Dustin Harris.
A four-year letterwinner for the Ladyjacks, Tierany Henderson has appeared in 127 games, making 103 starts. With 973 career points entering the weekend, Henderson has fewer than 30 points to go before becoming the next member of SFA's 1,000 point club. She ranks second in program history with 208 made three-pointers and sits in sixth with 142 career blocks. Averaging 10.3 points per game this season, Henderson made a career-high six three-pointers and scored 23 points against Northwestern State on February 5th. A native of Austin, Texas, Henderson is being escorted by her mother, Arlita Henderson, her grandfather, LB Henderson and her grandmother Charlene Henderson.
A four-year letterwinner, Brittney Matthew has averaged 7.1 points and 3.2 assists in 109 career games, including 75 starts. She posted a career-high 24 points against Henderson State on December 19, 2013 and has scored in double figures nine times this season. Matthew scored 12.2 points per game in 17 contests last year and was a Preseason All-Southland Conference Team selection prior to her senior campaign. A native of Houston, Texas, Matthew is being escorted by her mother, Giselle Turbe, her father Sheku Turbe Sr., her boyfriend, Lawrence Brown and her brother, Sheku Turbe.
A four-year letterwinner, Porsha Roberts has secured her place as one of the greatest players in the storied history of Ladyjack basketball. She started all 127 games for SFA over the last four seasons, averaging 14.5 points, nearly eight rebounds and two blocks per game. Roberts has scored 32 points in two games over her decorated career while also hauling in 19 rebounds twice. Her tremendous play has warranted numerous accolades and professional attention over the years as Roberts was named Southland Conference Freshman of the Year in 2012, SLC Defensive Player of the Year in 2014, as well as being selected to three All-Conference teams. She currently ranks sixth all-time in SFA history with 1,846 points and 985 rebounds, while ranking first with 245 blocks, second in free throws made and third in field goal percentage. A native of Waco, Texas, Roberts is accompanied tonight by her mother, Dondala Sutton, and her uncles Ernest Jones and Terry Sutton.
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