Ladyjacks Venture to Mississippi For Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic Hosted by Southern Miss

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – With the season of giving underway, the Stephen F. Austin women's basketball team will enter the week looking for two good reasons to celebrate the holiday in style, as they are set to take part in the Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic tournament. The two-day event hosted by the University of Southern Miss will pit the Ladyjacks against two SWAC opponents in Alabama State on Friday and a Saturday afternoon matinee against Alcorn State.

A radio call for both games will be available on Q107.7, with Bobby Mauro providing the call. Live stat links will be available for the matchup prior to game time.

If the Ladyjacks can take care of business in those contests, they'll have plenty to be thankful for, but don't expect the Hornets (1-3) and Lady Braves (3-1) to display the lethargy that usually follows the Thanksgiving meal. SFA is 2-1 on the season following a pair of wins at home versus Coppin State (72-59) and Howard Payne (105-35), and heads into the weekend games riding a wave of confidence after Saturday's historic win over HPU.

In reaching the 100-point plateau for the first time under head coach Mark Kellogg, the Ladyjacks showed the potential of their offense, albeit to a lower level opponent. The game's pace and energy allowed every healthy Ladyjack to see the floor and score, with four players reaching double digits. It was also the highest scoring game for SFA since the 1996-97 season, when the team plastered Lamar 115-57. The 'Jacks set new season highs in field goal percentage (55.9), three-point shooting (50.0) and free throw shooting (70.4), and posted a season-high 25 assists on 38 made baskets.

In posting a team-high eight assists, the most of her career, point guard Taylor Jackson ran the offense to perfection in Saturday's victory, and benefited from a Ladyjacks lineup that features a cornucopia of shooters. Jackson stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of nine points, eight assists, three rebounds, one three-pointer and one steal. In Saturday's victory, the Ladyjacks skipped the fanfare and went straight to the main course, running out to a 14-0 lead in the opening minutes and leading 33-6 after the first quarter of play. Good looks and makeable shots were on the menu, and the Ladyjacks got their fill to the tune of a season-high 38 made shots. Forward Stevi Parker posted her second straight double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and has been the consistent scoring and rebounding presence the Ladyjacks expected her to be in the early going. The major key for SFA moving forward is consistency on offense, and being able to come out ahead in a close game if its opponent doesn't quit cold turkey.

A welcome surprise through the opening three games of the season has been the freshmen class of 'Jacks, who are making the transition from high school to the college game look as easy as pie. Guards Alyssa Mayfield and Marissa Banfield have been quality scoring options off the bench in the early going, ranking third and tied for fourth on the team in scoring at 9.0 and 6.7 points per game, respectively. Brioenne Burns has played in two of the first three games as she works her way back from injury, and forward Aaliyah Johnson has averaged 5.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists a game in just 15 minutes, while also posting a team-high four blocks.

SFA's first opponent of the weekend, Alabama State, finds itself in the unenviable position of returning just 28 percent of its offense from last season's squad, and is 1-3 in the early going after being outscored by an average of 24 points a game by opponents. The Hornets have a veteran coach at the helm in Freda Freeman-Jackson, a 20-year vet of the position who is looking to lead the Hornets to their second non-conference win. Without the services of 2016 SWAC Player of the Year Britney Wright, the Hornets do not have a single player in double-digits this season, while 5-2 guard Shamyiah Smith leads the squad in both points (8.3) and assists (3.8). Alabama State's lone win of the season came to Savannah State, while losses to South Carolina, Troy and Samford all came via double-digits. SWAC First Team Preseason All-Conference selection Tatyana Calhoun is a strong player for the Hornets down low, standing 6'3", and will have a notable size advantage over most of the 'Jacks team.

Friday night's contest will tip off at 8:00 p.m, which ties the December 18^th tilt against Texas A&M Commerce for the latest start time of any SFA contest this season. Just 14 hours after the end of that contest, the 'Jacks will face a quick turnaround with a Saturday afternoon matchup with Alcorn State. The Lady Braves had been whipping the cream out opponents this season until running into a Central Arkansas squad on Monday evening that turned the tables on them with a 75-52 defeat.

Alcorn State and SFA have a bit of history, unlike Alabama State and SFA, who meet for the first time in program history on Friday. The Lady Braves and the Ladyjacks have met a total of 10 times since 1983, with the 'Jacks owning a 9-1 edge in the all-time series and a nine-game winning streak over Alcorn State. Guard Tia Sanders (19.5) leads the team in scoring, while Alexus Freeman (16.3) has carved out a role as the second scorer on the offensive end. A year removed form posting a 9-21 overall record that included zero non-conference wins, coach Courtney G. Pruitt has led the team to three non-conference wins already in the 2017-18 campaign.

With a win against Alabama State, the 'Jacks would start the season 3-1 for the second time under Kellogg, and the third time in five seasons. In other action during the weekend, host Southern Miss will face Alcorn State at 6:00 p.m. Friday, and will square off against Alabama State immediately following SFA's contest against Alcorn State on Sunday.

-SFA-

Schedule

Ladyjacks Venture to Mississippi For Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic Hosted by Southern Miss

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Players Mentioned

Taylor Jackson

Stevi Parker

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Stephen F Austin

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Nelson University (TX) on Nov. 3, 2025 at 11:00 a.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Texas A&M - Texarkana on Nov. 8, 2025 at 2:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Abilene Christian University on Nov. 14, 2025 at 5:30 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus University of Houston on Nov. 17, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball at Louisiana Tech on Nov. 23, 2025

Ladyjacks Venture to Mississippi For Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic Hosted by Southern Miss

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Taylor Jackson

Stevi Parker

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