Saturday, February 10
Nacogdoches, Texas
3:30 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin
vs
Northwestern State
Ladyjacks Host Northwestern State in Rivalry Game on Saturday
2/9/2018 2:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Ladyjacks and Lady Demons meet for 81st matchup all-time
Saturday vs. Northwestern State
3:30 p.m | Nacogdoches, Texas | William R. Johnson Coliseum
Live stats | Audio | Video | SFA Game Notes | NSU Game Notes
3:30 p.m | Nacogdoches, Texas | William R. Johnson Coliseum
Live stats | Audio | Video | SFA Game Notes | NSU Game Notes
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Dating back to the start of last season, the Stephen F. Austin women's basketball team has made a habit of not dropping back-to-back games, and that trend continued on Wednesday, as the Ladyjacks took down McNeese to improve to 9-2 in games following a loss over that span. Now back into the win column, the 'Jacks will look to continue to build momentum for the final stretch of conference play with a win over rival Northwestern State at William R. Johnson Coliseum on Saturday.
The game will be part of a home doubleheader with the Lumberjacks, as the men's teams will tip-off at 6:00 p.m. following the conclusion of the women's games. Both games are sponsored by Tipton Ford and Lincoln. Saturday's game will feature Staff and Faculty Night as well as the Ladyjack Basketball Reunion, where all former Ladyjack basketball players will be recognized for their service to the program.
The game will be shown on ESPN3, with a play-by-play call of all the action available on the video stream as well as on FM Q107.7, with Bobby Mauro on the call for SFA. Fans are also encouraged to follow the Ladyjacks on Twitter (@sfa_wbb) and the live stats link above.
Rebounding from an uninspired performance in the first half versus McNeese, the Ladyjacks used several runs in the second half to pull away in a big way in the contest. A total of 50 second half points, as well as a second straight 20-point game from Taylor Jackson, proved to be too much for the Cowgirls to handle and boosted the Ladyjacks to 18 wins on the season. Additionally, despite SFA's struggles on the offensive end, the defense still came through, as McNeese was held below 60 points in the game.
Dating back to the end of last season, the Ladyjacks have now won 14 straight at home, posing a daunting matchup for the Lady Demons. Northwestern State has gone just 2-6 since the earlier matchup against SFA on January 6, a 70-62 SFA victory. The Lady Demons are led in scoring by guard Nautica Grant at 10.5 points per game, and are tied for second to last in scoring offense among Southland Conference teams. At 7-16 (2-10) on the season, NSU is also firmly mired near the bottom of the conference standings, with only Sam Houston State behind them.
Compounding the Lady Demons struggles is a rash of injuries, which may leave them without top rebounder and second leading scorer Libba Gilliam and leading scorer Grant for the contest on Saturday. That leaves the Lady Demons with a depleted lineup offensively, as no other Lady Demons player beside Gilliam, Grant and injured Cheyenne Brown is averaging double-digits this season. That factor, combined with a Ladyjacks defense that is allowing 50.3 points at home this season, presents a steep advantage for the Ladyjacks in the second game of the season series, and 81st in the all-time series.
The Ladyjacks have held a dominating edge at William R. Johnson Coliseum in the all-time series to the tune of a 32-5 edge there. To get a win on Saturday, SFA will have to find ways to score on the Southland's fourth-ranked scoring defense, as Northwestern State limits conference opponents to 63.3 points per game. The Lady Demons perimeter defense is what sets them apart, as they lead the Southland in 3-pt percentage defense (28.4 percent) on the season and were able to make deep shooting a complete non-factor for the Ladyjacks back in January. In that matchup, SFA took advantage of a foul-prone NSU lineup and was nearly perfect from the line in 31 attempts, knocking down 28 and pulling away late on the strength of those free throws.
On the offensive end for the Ladyjacks, a trio of players has consistently stepped up to lead the team each night. Chanell Hayes, Stevi Parker and Taylor Jackson each finished in double figures against McNeese, with Jackson turning in the seventh 20-point game of the season for SFA, and third of her own. Of course, a team that was relying on balanced scoring approach through the first half of the season has continued to get meaningful contributions from its bench. Marissa Banfield and Lovisa Brunnberg have provided three-point shooting off the bench, while Riley Harvey and Kia Fisker have each put in strong minutes and at two forward positions while spelling Parker and Imani Johnson. Freshmen Brioenne Burns and Aaliyah Johnson each saw the court in the McNeese victory and did some good things in those minutes.
The Ladyjacks still sit a half game behind Lamar entering Saturday's slate of games, but have a substantial cushion over third place Central Arkansas and fourth place Abilene Christian.
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