Ladyjacks Outlast Bearkats on Senior Day, Win in Overtime 83-75

Saturday, March 9

Nacogdoches, Texas

2:00 PM

Stephen F. Austin

24-5

Sam Houston State

16-12

OT 1

Sam Houston St.

SFA

Photo by: SFA Athletics

Ladyjacks Outlast Bearkats on Senior Day, Win in Overtime 83-75

3/9/2019 4:24:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

SFA completes undefeated regular season home slate

By: Kevin Meyer | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin women's basketball tem won an emotional affair inside William R. Johnson Coliseum on Saturday, sending its seniors out with a victory in overtime over Sam Houston State, 81-75. The victory improves SFA's record to 25-5 on the season and 16-2 in Southland Conference play.

In a redemption story that was perfectly set for Senior Day, forward Imani Johnson was able to help seal an overtime victory for SFA over rival Sam Houston State on Saturday after uncharacteristic free throw misses in the regulation period. The senior assisted on a go-ahead layup, sank a free throw to make the game a two-possession affair, and blocked a Bearkat shot late in the overtime period to help stave off the 'Kats.

TOP SFA PERFORMERS
• Alyssa Mayfield tallied 17 points and six rebounds to lead the 'Jacks, converting on 7-12 shots from the field.
• Chanell Hayes added 16 points and six rebounds on Senior Day, also chipping in three steals.
• Imani Johnson tallied 15 points, five assists and four rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Ladyjacks would jump out to a quick 8-3 lead in the contest thanks to a pair of steals and resulting layups. After Sam cut the lead to 8-5, the Ladyjacks went on an 8-0 run over the next 3:30 minutes to lead 16-5 and force a Bearkat timeout. SHSU would pick up their play out of the timeout, cutting the lead down to 20-15 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the teams would trade baskets for the opening few minutes of the quarter, but the Bearkats would trim the lead to just a pair, 25-23, at the media timeout. A 7-1 SFA run extended the lead out to 36-26 with just over a minute left to play, and the 'Jacks would take a 40-30 lead into the halftime break after a pair of free throws by Heaven Hamling. At the halftime break, the Ladyjacks had already racked up 24 points in the paint and 13 off of turnovers.

Any comfort the Ladyjacks had in their lead at the break was quickly evaporated by a 10-0 Bearkat run that stretched the opening three and a half minutes of play in the third quarter and evened the game at 40-40. The 'Jacks would gradually work out to a 52-46 advantage with three minutes remaining in the quarter, but were unable to keep the Bearkats at bay, as they wittled it down to two points at the end of the quarter.

The fourth quarter was every bit as close as the three before it, as SHSU and SFA exchanged leads back and forth with neither able to create a sizeable advantage. The Bearkats would take a 70-69 lead with 2:30 remaining on a steal and layup, but the Ladyjacks would earn a stop on the ensuing possession and tied the game at 70-apiece on a free throw by Alyssa Mayfield.

Sam Houston State's basket with 1:07 remaining gave the visitors a 72-70 lead, and they would take a 73-71 edge on the front end of Jaylonn Walker's free throws with 13 seconds remaining. Walker missed the second attempt, however, and Bri Mitchell's layup out of an SFA timeout would tie the game up at 73-73 and send the contest into an overtime period.

Once in the overtime period, the Ladyjacks ramped up the intensity and ran the visitors off the floor, outscoring them 10-2 in the period thanks to a 6-8 effort from the charity stripe. SHSU would fail to score for the final 2:05 of game action, allowing SFA to pull out the overtime victory.

OF NOTE
• SFA finishes the regular season with a 17-0 home record, the first undefeated home season for the team since 2005-06.

• The win was the 25^thof the season for SFA, marking the third straight season with 25 wins for the Ladyjacks.

• Chanell Hayes, Imani Johnson and Kia Fisker were recognized, along with senior managers Kassie Ruzicka and Aaron Beadle, in a postgame Senior Day celebration.

• The Ladyjacks have now won their regular season finale in each of the four seasons under coach Mark Kellogg.

• The Ladyjacks completed the regular season series sweep of the Bearkats and their fifth season sweep overall.

UP NEXT
SFA will enter the upcoming Southland Conference Tournament as the second seed, following Lamar's victory over McNeese on Saturday afternoon to clinch the top seed. As such, SFA will receive a double bye into the semifinal round and play its first game of the tournament on Saturday, March 16.

-SFA-