Johnson’s Season-High 18 Points Leads Ladyjacks Past Lady Hornets in Thanksgiving Classic, 77-50

Friday, November 24

Hattiesburg, Mississippi

8:00 p.m

Stephen F. Austin

3-1 (0-0)

Alabama State

1-4 (0-0)

Alabama State

Stephen F. Austin

Johnson’s Season-High 18 Points Leads Ladyjacks Past Lady Hornets in Thanksgiving Classic, 77-50

11/25/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

SFA out-rebounds ASU 43-33 and 25-12 on offensive glass

By: Kevin Meyer | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Over the course of a full season of play, taking control of a close game and earning a win on the road is the type of win that can change the momentum of the season. In Friday night's Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic opener, the 'Jacks (3-1) rallied from a back-and-forth first quarter, pulling away in the second half and turning a close contest into a rout.

Imani Johnson was still in the Thanksgiving spirit on Friday, as she stuffed the stat sheet with a season-high 18 points to go along with four boards, a trio of assists and three steals. Marissa Banfield added 11 points off the bench, while Stevi Parker and Taylor Jackson each chipped in nine points.

"We just didn't settle in very well in the first half, and Stevi (Parker) getting two quick fouls and only playing five minutes was a factor there, because she's kind of the glue", said SFA head coach Mark Kellogg. "I just thought we didn't play very smart early on, we weren't making very good decisions in transition and weren't shooting it too well either. I thought we did a much better job in the third quarter, even if the score didn't dictate that early on, but we were just a much better looking team at that point."

In a game that featured eight lead changes and six ties, many of which came in the first quarter, it was the sloppy ball-handling of Alabama State that proved to be a difference maker in the contest, as 25 Lady Hornet turnovers led to 31 SFA points. SFA also held a noticeable advantage in three-point shooting in the game, finishing 10-30 from beyond the arc while the Lady Hornets converted just two such attempts.

A slow start to the game for the Ladyjacks kept them on par with their opponent through the first quarter, as the 'Jacks led by just two points at the end of the first quarter of play. That lead grew slightly to seven points at the halftime break, as an Alabama State scoreless drought spanned five minutes and cast them into a 27-19 deficit. After the Lady Hornets trimmed a point off the deficit, the halftime margin would stand at 32-25 in SFA's favor.

In the third quarter, the Ladyjacks would extend the lead out to a then game-high 13 points with just under six minutes left to play in the stanza, but an inopportune scoring drought spanning the next three minutes saw ASU go on a 7-0 run and trim the lead to just 44-38 with 2:50 left to play. Rather than panic, however, the Ladyjacks turned the tables on Alabama State and held them scoreless to close out the quarter while scoring 10 straight points of their own, including a pair of triples by Banfield.

"We turned them over, which led to some offense for us", explained Kellogg. "We got out in transition, which is when we feel like we're at our best. Another thing I loved to see was the 25 offensive rebounds, which is what you need to do if you're not shooting it very well. That led to 25 more shots for us than them, so that's all hustle plays and effort, and you loved your team for doing that. I was also thrilled to see us take seven charges tonight, that's just players laying it out for their team and making big plays."

The deficit would grow for Alabama State in the final quarter, as frustration and sloppiness came to a head in a quarter in which the 'Jacks would nearly double them up in points for the period. After a Johnson steal to open the fourth, Alyssa Mayfield sank a triple, followed by a free throw by Johnson moments later. The teams would trade a few baskets leading up to the six minute mark, when the 'Jacks got a layup from Parker, a Banfield triple and a Parker triple on consecutive possessions and with each basket following a Lady Hornet turnover. That swelled the lead to 26 points (70-44), which would reach a game-high 28 points just two minutes later on a layup by Lovisa Brunnberg.

Early foul trouble and other struggles in the early going gave the opportunity for the Ladyjacks to tap into the bench unit early on in this game, and the results were stellar on the night, with the SFA bench outscoring their counterparts at Alabama State 29-10. It was a continuation of a trend for SFA this season, as the bench scoring for SFA continues to provide the team a lift while the starters take a rest. Banfield was a crucial contributor to widening the gap in the second half, as she finished the game 4-8 from the field and hit a trio of three-pointers. Riley Harvey came off the bench to score five important points in the second quarter, while Alyssa Mayfield chipped in eight points on an efficient 3-5 performance.

"We were able to get a lot of different people minutes tonight, which is really big on these back-to-backs", said Kellogg. "Balance and depth need to be keys for us throughout this year, and we scored 77 points tonight and only two kids in double figures, so that says a lot about our variety and depth. We also shot the three pretty well, had a season-high in those. Imani was really good, she's had a great week in practice and we felt like we had an edge with her and were able to get her going in the game, so that's big for her."

SFA faces a very quick turnaround, as the team has mere hours to rest before waking up to prepare for a 2:00 p.m. tip-off against Alcorn State on Saturday, losers of a 72-67 decision to host Southern Miss on Saturday evening. That game will be streamed on Facebook Live, with live updates of the game also available on Twitter @sfa_wbb.

-SFA-