Saturday Rematch With Islanders Looms For Ladyjacks
2/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Stephen F. Austin (12-10, 6-5 SLC) vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (8-15, 5-7 SLC)
Saturday, February 13 • 3:30 p.m.
William R. Johnson Coliseum • Nacogdoches, Texas
Watch (ESPN3) • Live Stats • Radio (Q107.7 FM)
In-Game Twitter Updates: @SFA_WBB
Complete Game Notes 
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- Saturday's annual Cram the Coliseum doubleheader against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has all the makings to be an historic event for the Stephen F. Austin women's basketball team. Junior guard Taylor Ross needs just 15 points to join the highly sought-after 1,000-point club while a win would help the Ladyjacks join an elite group of just six women's basketball programs with 1,000 victories at the NCAA Division I level. A Saturday triumph would also be SFA's sixth straight for the season and 18th consecutive over the Islanders. Beginning at 3:30 p.m., Saturday's game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and Q107.7 FM.
QUICK HITS
• With a season best five-game winning streak dating back to January 23rd, SFA is the hottest team in the Southland Conference heading into Saturday afternoon's rematch with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Ladyjacks have beaten rivals Sam Houston State and Northwestern State at home during the stretch while picking up quality road wins against the Islanders and Houston Baptist over the last two weeks. No other league foe has won more than its last two games.
• SFA currently has 999 wins in program history -- the sixth most all-time in NCAA Division I women's basketball. The Ladyjacks will be looking to take care of business at home to build the total to 1,000 on Saturday. Only five programs -- Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion, James Madison and Texas -- have reached the 1,000-win milestone. At 999-433 overall, SFA is just ahead of Stanford as the sixth winningest team all-time.
• With the 1,000 plateau fast approaching, note the highlights of the rich tradition that is SFA women's basketball. In their program history, the Ladyjacks have appeared in 18 NCAA Tournaments, advanced to five Sweet Sixteens, won 17 conference championships, produced 66 All-Conference performers and six All-Americans. SFA has been ranked in the top 20 nationally following 13 different seasons, climbing into the top ten in four final polls.
• Another milestone that has the potential to be reached on Saturday in front of the home fans involves standout guard Taylor Ross. The junior currently has 985 career points as a Ladyjack -- just 15 shy of joining the coveted 1,000-point club. Already averaging 16.1 points per game for the year, Ross would just need a typical output to accomplish the feat against the Islanders.
• For the ninth time during the season, SFA placed at least four players in double figures in Thursday night's home win against Incarnate Word. In total, five Ladyjacks reached the 10-point hump for just the second time on the year. Taylor Ross and Taylor Schippers led the way with 15 points apiece, Brentney Branch added 14 points, Adrienne Lewis put in 12 and Paulletta Powell rounded things out with 11 points. Ross also dished out seven assists and grabbed four steals while Lewis registered a career-high four blocks to guide SFA to its fifth straight win.
• The Ladyjacks, the top shooting team in the Southland Conference this season at 42.8%, shot a season-best 56.6 percent from the field in Thursday night's win over the Cardinals. Included in that percentage was a 66.7 percent clip (16-for-24) in the second half. SFA has shot over 50 percent in three games this year, with two of those instances coming over the team's last four contests.
A LOOK AT TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI
• The Ladyjacks are 17-2 all-time against the Islanders heading into the 20th meeting between the two programs. After a 71-66 victory in Corpus Christi this year on Jan. 30, SFA has won 17 straight in the series dating back to the 2004-05 season. Two weeks ago, the `Jacks shot 76.5 percent (13-for-17) from beyond the arc to derail the Islanders. The three-point clinch proved to be the best single game performance in the NCAA this season. SFA's 76.5 percent mark from distance surpassed Cal State-Northridge's 75.0 percent effort to top the list.
• Freshman Chanell Hayes and junior Brentney Branch exploded off the bench last time out against AMCC to spark the three-point barrage, each going 4-of-5 behind the arc on the afternoon. Branch finished with 17 points and a game-high five assists while Hayes chipped in 12 points and a team-best six rebounds. Taylor Ross led the way offensively with 19 points on an efficient 7-for-12 showing from the floor.
• After starting the conference slate with five straight losses, the Islanders have won five of their last seven to improve to 5-7 in SLC play. Most recently, Corpus has beaten Sam Houston State 81-71 at home on Feb. 6 and New Orleans 75-64 on the road on Feb. 11. AMCC was picked to finish fifth in the league in both SLC preseason coaches and SID polls.
UP NEXT
• Following Saturday's game inside William R. Johnson Coliseum, the Ladyjacks will close the 2015-16 season on the road for five of their final six games. Next week, SFA will travel to Lamar on Thursday and Nicholls on Saturday.
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