Ross Eclipses 1,000 Career Points as SFA Picks Up 1,000th Program Win Over AMCC

Saturday, February 13

William R. Johnson Coliseum

3:30 PM

Stephen F. Austin

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Junior Taylor Ross scored 25 points on Saturday to join SFA's 1,000-point club

Ross Eclipses 1,000 Career Points as SFA Picks Up 1,000th Program Win Over AMCC

2/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Feb. 13, 2016

Final Stats

Stephen F. Austin 72, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 59
William R. Johnson Coliseum  Nacogdoches, Texas
Records: SFA (13-10, 7-5 SLC); AMCC (8-16, 5-8 SLC)
Up Next: at Lamar (10-14, 6-7 SLC)  Thursday, Feb. 18  7:00 p.m.
Box Score 

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The magic number was 1,000 for the Stephen F. Austin women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon inside William R. Johnson Coliseum. Junior guard Taylor Ross joined SFA's 1,000-point club after dropping a game-high 25 points, and the Ladyjacks became just the sixth program in NCAA Division I women's basketball history to reach 1,000 wins in a 72-59 thumping of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

The Ladyjacks (13-10, 7-5 SLC) join an elite list by reaching the 1,000-win benchmark alongside Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, James Madison, Old Dominion and Texas. SFA boasts an impressive 1,000-433 record all-time.

Ross couldn't have picked a better game to make history herself. Needing just 15 points to get to the 1K mark entering Saturday's game, she reached the milestone with ease using her eighth 20-point game of the season. She went 10-of-18 from the field with one triple and four free throws to tally 25 points while also handing out six assists.

After scoring six points in the first quarter, Ross waited until the second half to register her other 19. She banged in a jumper off the glass with 1:20 to play in the third quarter to get to the 1,000 plateau.

Junior guard Brentney Branch lit it up from the outside all afternoon long, splashing in four three-pointers and going 7-of-13 from the floor to notch 21 points. She also hit four triples against the Islanders in a 71-66 win this year in Corpus Christi.

Branch got the `Jacks going in the first half, leading all scorers at the break with 12. SFA led 32-28 heading into halftime.

The Ladyjacks tore the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Islanders 21-7 in the period to go into the fourth up 53-35. Branch drilled a three from the corner as time expired in the frame to build the 18-point cushion.

Another triple by Branch with 5:49 to play gave SFA its largest lead of the game at 61-40 and the `Jacks were able to coast from there.

Led by four steals apiece from Ross and senior guard Taylor Schippers, the Ladyjacks swiped 17 takeaways and forced 27 Islander turnovers. The swarming defensive pressure helped SFA claim a 25-15 advantage in points off turnovers.

Schippers added seven points and five assists to the winning effort on Saturday evening. Freshman Kennedy Harris chipped in eight points and junior center Adrienne Lewis was a vacuum around the glass, collecting a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Ladyjacks have now won six straight games since Jan. 23. The victory also extends SFA's winning streak over the Islanders to 18 dating back to the 2004-05 season.

SFA will close the 2015-16 slate on the road for five of their final six regular season games. Next week, SFA will travel to Lamar on Thursday for a 7:00 p.m. tip before facing Nicholls on Saturday.

-SFA-