SFA Closes Out Non-Conference Schedule With Mid-week Clash at Home
12/18/2017 11:09:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Ladyjacks look to remain undefeated at home
Tuesday vs. Central Christian College
11:00 a.m | Nacogdoches,Texas | William R. Johnson Coliseum
Live stats | Audio | ESPN3
11:00 a.m | Nacogdoches,Texas | William R. Johnson Coliseum
Live stats | Audio | ESPN3
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – One last non-conference game separates the Stephen F. Austin women's basketball team from the start of the Southland Conference slate, and the Tuesday mid-day contest has the makings of a lopsided result. Central Christian College is 1-11 this season out of McPherson, Kansas, and will find no easy matchup against the 7-3 Ladyjacks in a game on SFA's home court.
Tip-off is set for 11:00 a.m on Tuesday inside William R. Johnson Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3, while a radio call will be available on Q107.7, with the golden delivery of Bobby Mauro providing the call of all the action.
The Tigers are coached by Marc Golden, who is in his first season at the helm after spending the past three seasons coaching at the high school level. Central Christian has won just one game this season, a 98-66 decision on November 21st, but has been otherwise out gunned, outmanned and outpaced in every other game this season. Owners of a -29.7 scoring margin this season, each loss has come by double-digits, with the lion's share coming by 20+ points. Opponents are shooting and scoring at a high rate against CCC, averaging 93.3 points per game, and the Tigers have yet to face an opponent that is as capable an offense as Stephen F. Austin.
Fresh off a win over Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday, the Ladyjacks used a strong fourth quarter to pull away from the upstart Lions in a game that was neck and neck for the first three frames. Chanell Hayes poured in a career-high 24 points in the victory, while Stevi Parker added 18 points and nine boards. SFA shot 48 percent from the field in that contest, an effort considerably higher than the 'Jacks season average of 41 percent. The win was a milestone in the career of head coach Mark Kellogg, who reached the 300-win plateau with the result, and secured his 50th win at the helm of the 'Jacks.
Defense has been an area of mixed results this season for the 'Jacks. The positives have been noticeable, namely the scoring defense that has allowed opponents to score just 56.6 points per game, and held them to 37.5 percent shooting. Combined with the 'Jacks nationally ranked ability to turn over their opponents (fifth in Division I in turnovers forced, with 24.90 per game), that forms a potent dual threat to inhibit their opponents. SFA's other NAIA foe this season, Central Baptist College, managed just 34 points at William R. Johnson Coliseum on November 28th, and committed 31 turnovers in the loss.
Offensively, the Tigers feature a pair of double-digit scorers in Holly Golden (15.0 ppg) and Abbie Banks (14.9 ppg). Golden, a transfer from Oral Roberts University, is also the team's leading rebounder at 6.1 rebounds per game, and leads the team with 70 made field goals while converting at a 31.1 percent clip. Banks is the leads premier deep threat, as she has 41 makes on a team-high 127 attempts this season, good for 32.3 percent. Banks is one of five Tigers with double-digit three-pointers made this season, as the team makes just over eight three-pointers per game. Aside from that scoring tandem, the Tigers are largely unimposing on the offensive end, averaging about 63 points per game while turning the ball over 22 times per game.
For SFA, the game represents the final game of the non-conference schedule, and a chance to work out some final kinks before the holiday break and a looming conference opener with Southeastern Louisiana on December 28.
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