Saturday, February 24
Nacogdoches, Texas
3:30 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin
vs
Lamar
Ladyjacks Close Out Home Schedule with Crucial Rematch Against Lamar on Saturday
2/23/2018 1:38:00 PM | Women's Basketball
SFA has won 16 straight games at William R. Johnson Coliseum dating back to last season
Saturday vs. Lamar
3:30 p.m | Nacogdoches, Texas | William R. Johnson Coliseum
Live stats | Audio | Video | SFA Notes | Lamar Notes
3:30 p.m | Nacogdoches, Texas | William R. Johnson Coliseum
Live stats | Audio | Video | SFA Notes | Lamar Notes
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – A battle for Southland Conference supremacy will rage inside William R. Johnson Coliseum on Saturday, when the league-leading Cardinals face the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks in Nacogdoches in a game with huge conference title implications. The opening stanza of a doubleheader with the men's programs form each institution, the game is also a rematch of a February 3 contest between the two, a 79-65 loss for SFA. At 22-4 overall and 14-1 in Southland Conference play, the Ladyjacks sit just a half game out of first place behind Lamar (20-6, 15-1 SLC). The game will also be SFA's Senior Day, where seniors Stevi Parker and Taylor Jackson will be recognized for their accomplishments as Ladyjacks.
The game will be shown on ESPN3 and broadcast on FM Q107.7, with Bobby Mauro providing the call for both. Fans are encouraged to attend the game as part of a "Cram the Coliseum" game, sponsored by Nacogodches Memorial Health. Those unable to attend the game can follow the team on twitter at @SFA_WBB for frequent updates on the game, as well as utilizing the live stats via the link above.
The prior matchup this season at the Montagne Center in Beaumont provided all the storylines needed to make this Saturday an impressively amped up game. At the time the teams met on February 3, the Ladyjacks were in sole possession of the Southland Conference lead with an undefeated 9-0 conference record, and riding an 11-game winning streak. The Ladyjacks played a great first half against the Cardinals, shutting down all-around threat Chastadie Barrs and taking a five-point lead into the halftime break.
Unfortunately for SFA, a superb defensive performance against Barrs and Cardinals leading scorer Moe Kinard meant opportunities for forward Kiandra Bowers (14 pts/17 rebs), point guard Jadyn Pimentel (17pts) and guard De'Angela Mathis (17pts) to hurt the Ladyjacks, and a 25-point third quarter helped turn the tide against the Ladyjacks in the contest. The final score would prove to be somewhat misleading at 79-65, thanks to a late scoring run by the Cardinals in the waning moments of play.
With that result still fresh in the minds of the 'Jacks, and riding a five-game win streak since, a chance to get revenge against the Cardinals on its home court, SFA should have little issue finding motivation for Saturday's contest. The home court advantage has been real this season for SFA, not just for the 14-0 at home Ladyjacks, but also resulting in a perfect 15-0 mark by the men as well. It is there where the Ladyjacks have dismantled other Southland leaders like Central Arkansas and Abilene Christian, and it is there where the 'Jacks carry a +28.1 scoring margin and have played in just one game at home with a margin of five points or fewer.
Fresh off a hard fought victory on the road at UCA on Wednesday, the 'Jacks earned a win at the Farris Center, where opponents have struggled mightily to beat UCA. That win came even as the 'Jacks struggled mightily from beyond the arc (2-20) and shot just 32.1 percent overall in the game. It was SFA's defense, not its offense, that carried the day in that affair, and with the win SFA gave itself further cushion in the push for a conference title, with Saturday's game rematch with Lamar standing as the next great hurdle.
When scouting Lamar, the Cardinal's main strength is the ability to generate turnovers and score off those turnovers. Lamar ranks first in the nation in turnovers forced per game (28.23), and uses those turnovers to turn close games into lopsided routs. Barrs is the orchestrator of much of the chaos, as she leads the nation in total steals (142) while also displaying a knack for distributing the ball, ranking 17th in the nation in assists with 173. Her varied skillset has led to four triple-doubles this season, including one against Houston Baptist in Lamar's win on Wednesday night. Moe Kinard is the primary scoring threat for Lamar, chipping in 16.1 points per game, but Mathis (12.8 ppg) and Bowers (9.9ppg) also get into the mix.
By virtue of their respective success this season, it's no wonder that Lamar and SFA rank at or near the top in both scoring offense and scoring defense this season. Lamar is the Southland's best scoring team at 76.1 points per game, while SFA is second at 70.1. Similarly, both teams take the backseat to UCA in scoring defense, while Lamar is second with 57.2 points allowed and SFA third, with 58.5.
In the first meeting of the team's SFA's offense was dominated from the onset by the efforts of Chanell Hayes and Taylor Jackson, who combined to score the first 24 points for SFA in the contest, and ended with 23 and 18 in the contest, respectively. The 'Jacks couldn't get anybody else going on the offensive end, however, and struggled to close out the game as a result. Hayes, Jackson and Stevi Parker have formed a potent trio on the offensive end for SFA this season, combining for an average of 36 points per game for SFA. The 'Jacks are second in the conference in three-point shooting percentage (33.2) and makes (122) even after Wednesday night's poor performance, and will look to take advantage of a Cardinals defense that allows the third best three-point percentage (32.3 percent) to opponents in Southland play.
Saturday's contest will put a handful of streaks to the test. First and foremost among them is the 12-game winning streak of Lamar being put to the test against SFA's 16-game home winning streak which dates back to last season. Furthermore, SFA has strung together five wins of its own since the loss at Lamar, and the Cardinals have won four straight road games after dropping a 51-39 contest to UCA back in January.
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