Thursday, December 6
Nacogdoches, Texas
11:00 AM
Stephen F. Austin
vs
Montana State University
SFA to Face Montana State in Thursday Matinee at Home
12/5/2018 11:33:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SFA to host Montana State on Education Day matinee
Ladyjacks vs. Montana State
William R. Johnson Coliseum
Thursday, December 6 | 11:00 a.m.
2018-19 Media Guide | Game Notes (PDF) | Watch | Listen | Live stats
William R. Johnson Coliseum
Thursday, December 6 | 11:00 a.m.
2018-19 Media Guide | Game Notes (PDF) | Watch | Listen | Live stats
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – SFA women's basketball continues its three-game homestand with a Thursday midday matchup with the Montana State Bobcats inside William R. Johnson Coliseum. The Ladyjacks are 5-2 on the season after a dismantling of Wiley College on Saturday, a win in which they led wire-to-wire and held a second straight opponent under 40 points at home.
Fans can view the game via ESPN+ and the ESPN App, with Bobby Mauro calling the action for the 'Jacks as always. Mauro's call of the game can also be heard on the airwaves via FM Q107.7 in the Nacogdoches area and the TuneIn App nationwide. An active crowd of 1200+ schoolchildren will be present in William R. Johnson Coliseum for the game as part of SFA's Education Day.
Montana State comes into the matchup at 4-2 on the season after defeating historic program Long Beach State in Bozeman on Friday. With head coach Tricia Brinford at the helm in her 14thseason, the Bobcats are looking to improve on a 16-15 finish last season, a campaign in which Montana State and SFA met for the first time in program history. That matchup, a 59-54 overtime victory for Montana State, spoiled SFA's attempt to cut short a 28-game home winning streak for MSU. Returning just two starters from last season's squad, Montana State has instead relied on a pair of Seton Hall transfers to carry the squad this season. 6-1 senior forward Claire Lundberg leads the Bobcats with 19.0 points per game on 54 percent shooting from the field and 44 percent from deep, while Martha Kuderer chips in 11.2 points and 5.5 rebounds on a 49 percent clip from the field.
Montana State enters the game in a unique situation, being one of just two teams in NCAA Division I women's basketball with a scoring margin of exactly zero. The Bobcats have both scored and given up the same number of points this season (395), owing to averages of 65.8 points in scoring offense and defense. Montana State has struggled to find their shooting stroke from deep, converting on just 28.5 percent of three-pointers, but they average around 24 attempts per game from beyond the arc.
Conversely, SFA has found success in several areas this season, including shooting from beyond the arc. The Ladyjacks are hitting 35 percent of such attempts, and knocking down an average of 9.3 treys per game. SFA has also moved the ball exceptionally well, averaging 18.6 assists per contest. Chanell Hayes leads SFA with 17 points per game on a slash line of .563/.541/.794 (FG/3PT/FT) to go along with four boards, three assists and two steals a game. Imani Johnson and Riley Harvey have both taken big strides this season in forming a potent post duo, and chip in 11.9 and 9.9 points per game, respectively. Marissa Banfield has run the offense at the point, averaging three assists a game while chipping in around eight points per contest. SFA is averaging 75 points per game while allowing just 58, leading to a scoring margin of 17.8
At home, SFA has turned the defensive intensity up a notch, leading to some truly jaw-dropping numbers in the last two home games. In home victories over Tulsa and Wiley College, the Ladyjacks allowed a combined six first-quarter points en route to lopsided results, and for the season are allowing just 47 points per game at home. Opponents are converting on just 30 percent of their shots inside "the Sawmill" this season, cementing William R. Johnson Coliseum's legacy as a tough place for opponents to play.
TIP-OFF TIDBITS
• The Ladyjacks are 11-2 in the month of December in the past two seasons, including a perfect 9-0 record at home during the month.
• SFA ranks within the top-40 nationally in several categories, including assist:turnover ratio (34th), assists per game (21st), steals (29th), made three-pointers per game (21st) and turnovers forced (33rd).
• Montana State and SFA share a personal connection in the form of SFA head coach Mark Kellogg and associate head coach Rebecca Alvidrez. Kellogg served as an assistant coach for the Bobcats from 2001-05, while Alvidrez played her final two collegiate seasons for Montana State and will be inducted into their Hall of Fame later this year.
• SFA's 19 steals and 50 first-half points in Saturday's victory over Wiley were both season-high marks for the Ladyjacks.
-SFA-
Fans can view the game via ESPN+ and the ESPN App, with Bobby Mauro calling the action for the 'Jacks as always. Mauro's call of the game can also be heard on the airwaves via FM Q107.7 in the Nacogdoches area and the TuneIn App nationwide. An active crowd of 1200+ schoolchildren will be present in William R. Johnson Coliseum for the game as part of SFA's Education Day.
Montana State comes into the matchup at 4-2 on the season after defeating historic program Long Beach State in Bozeman on Friday. With head coach Tricia Brinford at the helm in her 14thseason, the Bobcats are looking to improve on a 16-15 finish last season, a campaign in which Montana State and SFA met for the first time in program history. That matchup, a 59-54 overtime victory for Montana State, spoiled SFA's attempt to cut short a 28-game home winning streak for MSU. Returning just two starters from last season's squad, Montana State has instead relied on a pair of Seton Hall transfers to carry the squad this season. 6-1 senior forward Claire Lundberg leads the Bobcats with 19.0 points per game on 54 percent shooting from the field and 44 percent from deep, while Martha Kuderer chips in 11.2 points and 5.5 rebounds on a 49 percent clip from the field.
Montana State enters the game in a unique situation, being one of just two teams in NCAA Division I women's basketball with a scoring margin of exactly zero. The Bobcats have both scored and given up the same number of points this season (395), owing to averages of 65.8 points in scoring offense and defense. Montana State has struggled to find their shooting stroke from deep, converting on just 28.5 percent of three-pointers, but they average around 24 attempts per game from beyond the arc.
Conversely, SFA has found success in several areas this season, including shooting from beyond the arc. The Ladyjacks are hitting 35 percent of such attempts, and knocking down an average of 9.3 treys per game. SFA has also moved the ball exceptionally well, averaging 18.6 assists per contest. Chanell Hayes leads SFA with 17 points per game on a slash line of .563/.541/.794 (FG/3PT/FT) to go along with four boards, three assists and two steals a game. Imani Johnson and Riley Harvey have both taken big strides this season in forming a potent post duo, and chip in 11.9 and 9.9 points per game, respectively. Marissa Banfield has run the offense at the point, averaging three assists a game while chipping in around eight points per contest. SFA is averaging 75 points per game while allowing just 58, leading to a scoring margin of 17.8
At home, SFA has turned the defensive intensity up a notch, leading to some truly jaw-dropping numbers in the last two home games. In home victories over Tulsa and Wiley College, the Ladyjacks allowed a combined six first-quarter points en route to lopsided results, and for the season are allowing just 47 points per game at home. Opponents are converting on just 30 percent of their shots inside "the Sawmill" this season, cementing William R. Johnson Coliseum's legacy as a tough place for opponents to play.
TIP-OFF TIDBITS
• The Ladyjacks are 11-2 in the month of December in the past two seasons, including a perfect 9-0 record at home during the month.
• SFA ranks within the top-40 nationally in several categories, including assist:turnover ratio (34th), assists per game (21st), steals (29th), made three-pointers per game (21st) and turnovers forced (33rd).
• Montana State and SFA share a personal connection in the form of SFA head coach Mark Kellogg and associate head coach Rebecca Alvidrez. Kellogg served as an assistant coach for the Bobcats from 2001-05, while Alvidrez played her final two collegiate seasons for Montana State and will be inducted into their Hall of Fame later this year.
• SFA's 19 steals and 50 first-half points in Saturday's victory over Wiley were both season-high marks for the Ladyjacks.
-SFA-
Players Mentioned
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