Three-Point Barrage Not Enough as Ladyjacks Fall in Opening Round of WNIT, 82-75

Friday, March 16

Fairfax, Va.

6:00 PM

Stephen F. Austin

25-7

George Mason

24-9

Stephen F. Austin

George Mason

Three-Point Barrage Not Enough as Ladyjacks Fall in Opening Round of WNIT, 82-75

3/16/2018 9:46:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

SFA ends season with 25-7 record after 26th postseason appearance in program history

By: Kevin Meyer | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

FAIRFAX, Va. – The Stephen F. Austin women's basketball team showed grit and a relentless determination in Friday's WNIT opening round contest, but would be done in by a cold fourth quarter in the 82-75 loss. Overcoming a 10-0 deficit to start the contest, the Ladyjacks nonetheless persisted and would even take the lead briefly in the third quarter, before faltering in the fourth. The loss ends SFA's season at 25-7 overall, the 32^nd 20-win season in program history.

Forced to alter their offensive game plan due to the size of 6'5" center Natalie Butler from George Mason, the Ladyjacks would take a season-high 46 three-pointers, and would have some success from the arc to the tune of a season-best 17 trifectas (37 percent). Chanell Hayes sank six of those on her way to 24 points in the contest, while Imani Johnson knocked down four treys and finish with 14 points. The 'Jacks would make just nine two-point field goals in the contest, and shot 26-71 (36.6 percent) from the hardwood overall.

"Congrats to George Mason, it was a well played game," said SFA head coach Mark Kellogg. "They have two spectacular players, and some good players around those two. We've never seen a player like (Natalie) Butler, and (Nicole Cardano) Hillary already is and is going to be a very special player. I thought Butler got us in the first half, and Hillary got us in the second half, and we didn't really have an answer for either one of them. Wit that being said, we were up one with a minute and a half left in the third, felt good about where we were, but then they got us right back and we got down quick in the fourth and could never recover."

SFA's 26^th postseason tournament appearance got off to a less than ideal start inside EagleBank Arena, where the Patriots had accrued a program-record 16 home wins. The Ladyjacks misfired on their first five attempts in the game, and fell behind 10-0 in the opening three minutes of play. Undeterred, the 'Jacks started to see some shots fall from the arc, and would narrow the gap to just three, 19-16, with 1:21 left to go in the quarter, before Mason hit a jumper to take a five-point lead into the second stanza.

A high-scoring quarter for both teams meant little change in the overall score, although the Patriots would add a pair to their lead by eking out a 22-20 advantage in the frame. SFA would add 10 points off turnovers in the frame and hit four more trifectas to bring their first half total to seven, but allowed George Mason to go 8-15 from the field to extend the lead. As such, SFA would trail 43-36 heading into the halftime break, hanging around thanks to an 8-3 edge in three-pointer and 16 points off 14 George Mason turnovers.

After the Patriots struck first in the third quarter with a layup, back-to-back treys from Taylor Jackson and Johnson knocked the lead down to 45-42, and minutes later the 'Jacks would wittle it to three once again as Stevi Parker's layup and foul at 5:38 brought the score to 50-47. A Jackson layup then got the lead down to just one, briefly, and after a Patriot triple, Johnson would deliver again to tied the game up at 52-52 with 4:12 remaining. The teams traded layups to tie the game once more before the Patriots went ahead 57-56 on a layup by Tayler Dodson. Incredibly, Johnson had an answer once more, sinking a three-pointer to give SFA its first lead of the quarter, 57-56. Her eight points in the quarter looked to give SFA the lead heading into the final frame, but an answer from Nicole Cardano-Hillary, three of her game-high 28 points, reclaimed the lead for Mason entering the fourth.

"I'm proud of how our kids responded in those moments (the 10-0 run to start game and third quarter tie)," added Kellogg. "We wouldn't roll over, we showed some grit, and in tournaments like this you never know how your kids are going to respond coming off a loss, and we did well tonight as we have all year, just fell a little short."

Having secured a huge momentum shift and getting back into the game in the third, SFA was unable to take advantage in the fourth frame, as a crushing 14-1 run by the Patriots in the opening five minutes of play crushed the Ladyjacks. Now trailing by double-digits, the 'Jacks continued to fight, but would get no closer than nine points the rest of the way, thanks to the duo of Cardano-Hillary and Butler, who finished with 20 points and 22 rebounds in the contest.

Despite having to alter its offensive strategy and fighting an overall unremarkable shooting night, the 'Jacks did manage some positives on the night. The 'Jacks forced George Mason into 24 turnovers and scored 24 points off those mistakes, and accumulated 23 assists on 26 made baskets, a testament to the ability to make the extra pass. Six different Ladyjacks sank a trifecta along the way to a season-high 17 makes for the team, and SFA's bench outscored their counterparts 13-9.

-SFA-