Saturday, February 16
Natchitoches, La.
1:00 PM
Stephen F. Austin
at
Northwestern State
Ladyjacks Prepare for Rivalry Rematch in Natchitoches on Saturday
2/15/2019 11:28:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SFA seeks season sweep in rivalry matchup on Saturday
Ladyjacks at Northwestern State
Prather Coliseum | Natchitoches, La.
Saturday, February 16 | 1:00 p.m.
2018-19 Media Guide | Watch | Listen | Live stats | Notes (PDF)
Prather Coliseum | Natchitoches, La.
Saturday, February 16 | 1:00 p.m.
2018-19 Media Guide | Watch | Listen | Live stats | Notes (PDF)
NATCHITOCHES, La. – More than halfway through the Southland Conference basketball schedule, the current position of the Ladyjacks can be summed up in a few words.
So far, so good.
Fighting through all manner of challenges, defensive schemes and cold shooting nights, the SFA women's basketball team has managed to stay unblemished in league play, but will put that record to the test once again tomorrow in a rematch with Northwestern State in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The game finds the two teams in vastly different positions, as the Ladyjacks sit at 20-3 overall and 11-0 in conference play and the Lady Demons at 8-15 overall (3-9 SLC). Even still, Northwestern State will be looking to steal one at home against the Ladyjacks as they try to Pack Prather (Coliseum) for the contest.
The game will be a full production by the Southland Conference and will be shown on ESPN+, with Sean Kelly and Jordy Hultberg calling all the action. SFA can also be found on the airwaves via Q107.7 in the Nacogdoches area and nationwide via the TuneIn App, where the "Voice of the Ladyjacks" Bobby Mauro will provide in-depth play-by-play and analysis.
Having met twice in the regular season in each of the past six seasons, this matchup will be the second in the season series between the teams, after an 84-56 SFA triumph inside William R. Johnson Coliseum back on January 12. That victory gave SFA its fourth straight at the time, and came on the back of an incredible shooting performance by the Ladyjacks, in which they came just one trifecta short of tying the program record in a single game (17). SFA jumped out to a ten-point lead after one quarter of play, led by 15 at the half and outscored the Lady Demons 42-29 in the second half to seal the lopsided victory.
In Saturday's rematch, the Ladyjacks will face the Lady Demons inside Prather Coliseum, a site where they own an 18-14 record against NSU. While owning a 1-11 record on the road this season, the Lady Demons have been more formidable at home, where they have gone 7-4. That includes a lopsided loss to second-place Lamar on Wednesday night, wherein the Lady Demons gave up 39 first-quarter points en route to a 94-70 final tally. Ranking as one of the top teams in the country in forcing turnovers this season, the Lady Demons instead turned the ball over themselves a total of 31 times, and will look to return to their defensive identity against SFA.
Third-year coach Jordan Dupuy leads a capable and talented roster that includes freshman guard RaVon Nero, who leads the team with 12.5 points, as well as tertiary scorers Kira Bonner (10.0 ppg) and Nautica Grant (42 percent 3Pt). NSU's strength relies in its pesky defense that will look to turn teams over, and they rank second behind SFA in three-point percentage this season (34.4 percent), helping to turn opponent mishaps into points.
SFA's full offensive strength was on display in Wednesday's thrashing of McNeese, as the Cowgirls simply could not contain a potent mix of length, size and outside shooting that SFA brings to the table. The Ladyjacks victimized McNeese down low (46 paint points) and beyond the arc (15-27 3-Pt), pulling away quickly thanks to highly accurate shooting. SFA's total mark of 69.6 percent from the floor in the contest was the second-highest single game mark in NCAA D1 WBB this season, and only served to increase their league-high 51.7 percent clip from the field.
A total of seven players scored in double figures for the Ladyjacks against McNeese, as starters Chanell Hayes, Stephanie Visscher and Alyssa Mayfield each totaled 14 points to tie for the team lead. Hayes leads the 'Jacks with 14.9 points per game this season, while classmate Imani Johnson ranks second with 12.2 points.
TIP-OFF TIDBITS
• SFA has now crossed the 20-win threshold in three straight seasons under head coach Mark Kellogg. Kellogg is also nearing another milestone, needing just eight more victories to pass Brandon Schneider (2010-15) to move into fifth on SFA's all-time wins as a head coach in Nacogdoches.
• With seven conference games still yet to play, SFA has already clinched a spot in the conference tournament held in Katy, Texas. This will mark the 32ndconsecutive berth for SFA in the Southland Conference Tournament.
• The Ladyjacks have held 16 opponents below 50 points this season, and as such boast the second best scoring defense overall among SLC teams (57.1 ppg) and best in conference play (54.4 ppg) this season. SFA ranks 36thnationally in scoring defense entering Saturday's contest.
• In the all-time program history for SFA, the Ladyjacks have posted 60 victories over Northwestern State, second only to the 68 wins posted against fellow rival Sam Houston State.
• Senior Chanell Hayes stands poised to hit two important milestones on the current three-game road swing for the 'Jacks. She currently sits just five three-pointers out of eighth place on SFA's Top Ten list in made threes, and is just 24 points away from breaking into the 1000-point club as SFA for her career.
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