SFA Goes After Eighth Straight Win Saturday at Nicholls
2/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Stephen F. Austin (14-10, 8-5 SLC) at Nicholls (8-15, 6-7 SLC)
Saturday, February 20 • 1:00 p.m.
Stopher Gym • Thibodaux, Louisiana
Watch Live • Live Stats • Radio (Q1077.com)
Complete Game Notes 
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- The Stephen F. Austin women's basketball team continues its road trip this Saturday afternoon in Thibodaux, Louisiana, where the Ladyjacks will play Nicholls State in Stopher Gym for the only meeting between the programs this season. First tip is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and will be broadcast live on GeauxColonels.com while Rob Meyers will also have the call on Q107.7 FM.
QUICK HITS
• Using its current seven-game winning streak, SFA has vaulted all the way to fourth place in the Southland Conference standings with five games to go. The Ladyjacks haven't lost since Jan. 23 and are the hottest team in the league as no other team has won more than its last three games. An SFA win and a Northwestern State loss on Saturday would put the `Jacks in sole possession of third.
• The Ladyjacks are coming off a thrilling come-from-behind victory at Lamar on Thursday night inside the Montagne Center. Junior guard Brentney Branch went off for 14 points in the fourth quarter to help SFA erase a late 16-point deficit and rally to knock off Lamar, 79-77, in dramatic fashion. Trailing by 16 points, 64-48, with less than a minute to play in the third, the `Jacks mounted an impressive 23-4 run to take its first lead since the opening seconds of the game and then held on for the win.
• Brentney Branch sparked the late surge on Thursday night, hitting three triples and capitalizing on a three-point play all in the first 4:31 of the fourth quarter at Lamar. She finished the game with a team-high 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including a 4-of-9 mark from distance. She has made at least four threes in eight games this season, including each of the last two.
• With her four long-balls on Thursday night, Brentney Branch has now made 140 career three-pointers for the Ladyjacks. The total bumps her to seventh in program history in made threes, passing SFA's all-time leading scorer Katrina Price (1994-98). She is three away from tying Stephanie Whitmore (1996-00) for sixth on that list.
• SFA's post play was solid in Thursday night's win as well. The Ladyjacks outscored the Cardinals 38-28 in the paint led by a 16-point effort from junior center Adrienne Lewis and 10 points from sophomore forward Danielle Rogers. The duo combined to go 12-for-17 from the field with 11 rebounds.
A LOOK AT NICHOLLS
• The Ladyjacks own a commanding 42-5 lead in the all-time series against Nicholls entering the 48th meeting on Saturday. From 1984-2010, SFA held a 39-1 advantage in the set, while the Colonels are 4-3 against the `Jacks in the last seven matchups. Four of the Ladyjacks' five losses in the series have come by just one point, including each of the last three.
• Last season, SFA surged past Nicholls late, 68-59, on Feb. 21 inside William R. Johnson Coliseum. The Ladyjacks used a double-double from Porsha Roberts and a 46-point second half to earn their 12th straight victory at home and seventh straight overall. Roberts posted 17 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
• The Colonels have had a back-and-forth Southland Conference season, starting the year 4-2 in league play before dropping five of their last seven. Nicholls has lost to Southeastern Louisiana 78-68 and Northwestern State 66-62 on the road its last two times out to fall to 6-7 in SLC play. LiAnn McCarthy (13.5 ppg), Cassidy Barrios (11.1 ppg) and Tia Charles (10.0 ppg) have led NICH offensively this year.
UP NEXT
• The Ladyjacks will next be in action on Wednesday evening in San Antonio for a rematch with Incarnate Word. First tip is set for 6:00 p.m.
-SFA-
