Ladyjacks Set to Face Central Arkansas in Southland Tournament Rematch on Saturday

Saturday, March 10

Katy, Texas (Merrell Center)

3:30 P.M

Stephen F. Austin

#3 Central Arkansas

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Ladyjacks Set to Face Central Arkansas in Southland Tournament Rematch on Saturday

3/9/2018 6:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball

SFA faces Central Arkansas for third time in making 30th SLC tournament appearance

By: Kevin Meyer | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

KATY, Texas – In the history of the Southland Conference women's basketball tournament, no team has made more of a mark than the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks since its inception in 1983. In Saturday's semifinal against Central Arkansas, the Ladyjacks will be making their 30^th Southland Tournament appearance, and will look to advance to Sunday's title game and the chance at a Southland-best 16^th tournament title.

The game will be shown on ESPN3, with play-by-play provided by the duo of Lincoln Rose and Jordy Hultberg. A full call of the game can be heard on Q107.7 for those scouring the airwaves, with Bobby Mauro on the call. Fans are also encouraged to follow the Ladyjacks on Twitter (@sfa_wbb) for in-game updates, as well as the live stats linked above.

Standing in the way of a trip to the title game is a matchup with third-seeded Central Arkansas, a defensive juggernaut that struck a decisive blow to the Ladyjacks in last year's championship and is fresh off a 54-41 quarterfinal win over Abilene Christian on Friday. Sitting at 22-8 on the season, the Sugar Bears finished third in the Southland standings by virtue of a pair of regular season losses to the Ladyjacks. The Sugar Bears roll into the matchup on a four-game winning streak, with their last loss coming at home on February 21^st to SFA, 55-50.

The Ladyjacks head into the matchup as winner of their last two, both road affairs, and sit at 24-5 on the season. By guiding the program to 20+ wins, SFA head coach Mark Kellogg secured the 32^nd 20-win season in program history, and at 16-2 tied the 2014-15 squad in marking the best conference record for the team since the 2001-02 season. The Ladyjacks also wrapped up the second seed for the tournament and earned a double bye, leading to a walkover into the tournament semifinal game on Saturday. Kellogg's .779 winning percentage is the seventh best mark among active Division I coaches, and his penchant for guiding the Ladyjacks into winning streaks has been on display in each of his three seasons at the helm.

On the court, SFA relies on a trio of All-Conference performers in Stevi Parker (First Team/All-Defensive Team), Chanell Hayes and Taylor Jackson (both Honorable Mentions) to lead the way. Led by Parker's 12.8 points, the trio combined to score 35 of SFA's 70.4 points per game, an offense that ranks second in the Southland Conference. The Ladyjacks have taken what their opponents have given them this season, leading the conference with 500 made free throws as well as making the second most (217) three-pointers of any SLC team.

An added strength for the Ladyjacks has been the team's depth. Forward Imani Johnson was named the Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year after posting averages of 7.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in her first season as a Ladyjack, and wing Kennedy Harris is the 'Jacks defensive stopper in the second guard position. A pair of veritable deep threats have emerged off the bench in Marissa Banfield and Lovisa Brunnberg, with the latter leading the Southland Conference in 3-point field goal percentage (44.8).

Further proving SFA's depth is the fact that while the Ladyjacks lead the Southland in assists, the team boasts no players within the top fifteen in the conference in assists per game. SFA has sliced open opposing defenses with players willing and able to make the extra pass and lead to open buckets, and have posted six games with 20 or more assists as a team. Jackson and Harris lead the 'Jacks with 73 and 72 assists, respectively, while Parker (65) and Hayes (53) each play a big part in SFA's 'sharing is caring' philosophy.

Much credit can be and has been given to SFA's offense this season, but the team has also put together one of the Southland most stalwart defensive units, allowing 58.5 points per game and holding 18 teams under 60 points this season. Simply put, the 'Jacks keep opponents out of rhythm with a combination of strong shot defense and pressure which leads to turnovers. Although the 'Jacks have slipped in the ranks of the nation's top turnover-forcing defenses as the season progressed into the conference slate, SFA still ranks 12^th in the nation in turnovers forced at just under 22 per contest. It is in tis area that the Sugar Bears have been resolute in not surrendering a heavy advantage to SFA, committing just 13 turnovers in the team's last matchup in Conway on the 21^st, becoming the first team to commit less than 17 turnovers against SFA on the season.

UCA runs their offense through the Southland's fourth-leading scorer and All-Conference Second Team honoree in Taylor Baudoin (16.8 ppg), along with the strong inside presence of fellow Second Team selection Kierra Jordan (12.1 ppg). Third Team choice Kamry Orr has also poured in some high scoring games this season, and currently averages 12.9 points per game. Aside from that big three, however, UCA's next highest scorer sits at just five points a game, and scoring depth is the primary factor that contributes to a relatively low-scoring offense. The Sugar Bears average 60 points a game, which ranks in the bottom half among conference institutions, but have still come out ahead more often than not due to one of the nation's most ruthless defenses.

Few teams can hold a candle to the effort of the Sugar Bears on the defensive end of the ball, where they rank second in the nation in points allowed, with 50.1. UCA's defense is disruptive, not so much in the amount of turnovers forced like SFA, but in the way the Sugar Bears disrupt offensive rhythm, clog passing lanes and contest shots. In the Ladyjacks two meetings with UCA this season, SFA shot a combined 37-107 (34.5 percent) from the field and 10-44 (22.7 percent) from beyond the arc, scoring 59 points in the win at home and 55 in the victory at the Farris Center in Conway. UCA placed just one player, guard Taylor Sells, on the All-Defensive Team released last week, but boast the conference's top defense thanks in large part to the starting five, and its not even close.

For two teams with a deep familiarity with each other, and a berth to the title on the line, Saturday's semifinal promises to be far more competitive than the last meeting between the two in the Southland Tournament.

-SFA-