Saturday, February 17
San Antonio, Texas
1:00 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin
at
Incarnate Word
Ladyjacks Travel to San Antonio to Wrap Up Season Series with Cardinals
2/16/2018 10:36:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SFA plays four of final five games on the road
Saturday at The University of the Incarnate Word
1:00 p.m | San Antonio, Texas | McDermott Convention Center
Live stats | Audio | Video | SFA Game Notes | UIW Notes
1:00 p.m | San Antonio, Texas | McDermott Convention Center
Live stats | Audio | Video | SFA Game Notes | UIW Notes
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Playing at home this season has predictably been a tremendous boon to the success of the Stephen F. Austin women's basketball team, in that there is no debate. To win in the postseason, however, the Ladyjacks must continue to learn how to win away from the friendly confines of William R. Johnson Coliseum, beginning with a Saturday matinee against the University of the Incarnate Word (3-21, 2-11 SLC).
With a tight win over a pesky fourth-place Texas A&M-Corpus Christi squad at WRJ Coliseum on Saturday, the Ladyjacks (20-4, 12-1 SLC) became the lone 20-win team in the Southland Conference, but weren't able to close the half-game gap in the league standings owned by first-place Lamar, who blasted Incarnate Word 71-47 in an all-Cardinal clash. The 'Jacks did well to hold serve at home and keep the 16-game winning streak there alive ahead of the final home contest on the 24th, but now head to the road, where they own a 4-4 record this season.
Saturday's contest is the first game of a doubleheader with the men's teams from each institution, and thus will be aired on FM Q107.7, with Bobby Mauro calling all the action for the Ladyjacks. The game will be streamed off the Cardinals website by UIWtv, and live stats are available at uiwathletics.com. Fans are also encouraged to follow @sfa_wbb on Twitter and view the game notes linked above for added information on each team.
A matchup between two teams trending in entirely different directions, Saturday's bout is a rematch of a January 13th matchup between the two, a 60-49 SFA victory in Nacogdoches. The matchup came at a time when the Cardinals were "peaking", having won two of three and owning a 2-2 record in conference play. In that contest, UIW hung tough for the majority of the game, but in the fourth quarter SFA was able to create distance and send the Cardinals packing with a defeat, contributing to a losing streak that now spans ten games. UIW hasn't won since a 56-49 victory in Huntsville over Sam Houston State on January 6, and a cursory look at the season statistics show good cause why.
UIW's season average of 52.4 points per game ranks dead last in the Southland Conference, and is in the bottom five in the nation among Division I programs. A Southland-worst 34.6 percent shooting from the field and a 27.1 percent clip from beyond the arc are likely causes, as are the lack of a clear second option on offense behind guard Imani Robinson, who tallies a team-high 11.8 points and is the team's leading rebounder (4.8 per game) in the absence of forward Sydnee Wynn, who gave the Ladyjacks some problems in the matchup earlier this season.
It remains to be seen how the absence of Wynn affects the Cardinals performance in the rebounding battle, especially on the offensive glass, where UIW was able to hurt SFA in the first matchup. A season-high 21 offensive boards were surrendered by the 'Jacks in that contest, signaling a clear need for an adjustment in the second installation of the season series.
UIW has been a tough nut to crack on the defensive end this season, something the 'Jacks found out firsthand in the earlier trip to Nacogdoches. The Cardinals rank fourth in the conference at 62.2 points allowed per game, close behind SFA in scoring defense in SLC contests. Opponents shoot just a touch under 40 percent against the red birds this season, and that mark shrinks to a conference-low 26.4 percent from beyond the arc, setting up a pivotal X-factor in the game in regards to SFA's three-point shooting.
On the offensive end, the Ladyjacks will bring an array of shooters to bear, as the team ranks first in the Southland in shooting percentage (43.6 percent), second in scoring offense (71.4ppg) and are third in three-point shooting (33.3 percent). The starting five features a trio of double-digit scorers in Stevi Parker (12.4ppg), Chanell Hayes (12.2 ppg) and Taylor Jackson (11.0ppg), as well as Imani Johnson (7.3ppg) and Kennedy Harris (6.0ppg). A small but capable bench unit features shooters Marissa Banfield (36 percent) and Lovisa Brunnberg with 31 and 21 made three-pointers, respectively. Also off the bench are backup forwards Riley Harvey and Kia Fisker, who do well in spelling Parker and Johnson and can score the ball, and freshmen Aaliyah Johnson and Brioenne Burns have both seen increased play as of late and made the most of the opportunities.
The Ladyjacks have benefited greatly from a high-scoring offense without a doubt, but have also made a strong case that they belong in the discussion of the Southland's top defenses. Not only do the 'Jacks rank fourth in the conference in scoring defense at 59.7 points per game (32nd nationally), but they have held conference opponents under 40 percent from the field (30.6 from 3-pt) and are one of the more disruptive defenses in Division I. At just under 23 per game, the Ladyjacks rank eighth in the nation in turnovers forced per game, and have excelled at forcing their opponents into double-digit turnovers in every game this season. On Wednesday, SFA caused Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, a team that was one of the Souhtland's best at protecting the ball, into 22 turnovers and scored 20 points off those turnovers. While far from being the only way SFA can score, active hands on the defensive end and an aggressive mindset have generated plenty of baskets for the Ladyjacks this season.
Playing inside the 2,000 seat McDermott Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, SFA has built up a 3-0 record in the road portion of an all-time series that is the youngest of any between SFA and a Southland opponent. Stephen F. Austin has dominated the matchup to the tune of a perfect 7-0 clip, and has won every matchup by double digits.
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