Stephen F. Austin
14-3,7-1Southland
Northwestern State
5-12,2-6Southland
SFA Wins Turnover Battle and Takes Down Northwestern State, 89-40
1/22/2020 8:48:00 PM | Women's Basketball
NACOGDOCHES, TX -- The SFA women's basketball team jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter and never looked back, running roughshod over rival Northwestern State, 89-40. SFA's overall record moved to 14-3 and conference record improved to 7-1 with the victory, which also marked the lowest point total SFA has surrendered to a conference opponent since the 38 points scored by New Orleans last season.
The Ladyjacks had two players score in double figures, led by Stephanie Visscher, who had 19 points and three steals. Aiyana Johnson tacked on 18 points and two blocks and Riley Harvey added six points, six rebounds and three steals.
Coming into the contest, Northwestern State had been one of the nation's best at forcing turnovers, but the 'Jacks flipped the script early and often, forcing 23 Lady Demon turnovers which turned into 27 points for SFA. The Ladyjacks also built up a 23-2 advantage in fast break points thanks to breaking the NSU press and forcing turnovers.
Down low, the Lady Demons had no answer for sophomore Aiyana Johnson and the Ladyjacks, who bullied their way to 46 points in the paint. Johnson shot 6-9 from the field and converted well at the line (6-8) when the Lady Demons fouled her down low.
INSIDE THE BOX
» The Ladyjacks held the Demons to only 30.4% shooting from the field and 3-15 (20 percent) from beyond the arc.
» The Ladyjacks never trailed in the contest, taking the lead on a Marissa Banfield trey 34 seconds into the game and never relinquishing the lead.
» The Ladyjacks shared the ball well, recording an assist on 77% of made baskets. Banfield's ball movement was pristine, as she accounted for a career-high nine of SFA's assists while committing no turnovers.
» The SFA bench outscored their Lady Demon counterparts 33-10 in the contest.
» SFA had a 39-29 edge on the boards in the win, including 15 offensive rebounds.
» Stephanie Visscher led the Ladyjacks with a game-high 19 points on an ultra-efficient 8-9 performance from the field. As a team, the Ladyjacks shot 57.7 percent from the field (30-52) and 38.9 percent (7-18) from three-point land.
» SFA got six rebounds from both Riley Harvey and Zya Nugent.
GAME SUMMARY
After jumping out to an 8-4 advantage, SFA went on a 10-0 run with 4:26 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Johnson, to increase its lead to 18-4. The Ladyjacks then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 20-10 advantage. SFA relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 20 points.
SFA kept its first quarter lead intact before going on a 21-0 run starting at the 7:58 mark in the second period to increase its lead to 41-12, a score that would hold until halftime. SFA dominated in the paint, scoring 12 of its 21 points close to the basket.
Following intermission, SFA continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 49-17 before going on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Harvey, to expand its lead further to 55-17 with 6:04 to go in the third. Before the third period was over, the Ladyjacks added two points to that lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 66-26 edge. SFA played well near the basket, scoring 18 of its 25 points in the paint.
SFA kept widening that lead, expanding it to 84-39 before going on a 5-0 run to grow the lead to 89-39 with 27 seconds to go in the contest. The Demons narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Ladyjacks still cruised the rest of the way for the 89-40 win. SFA took advantage of four Northwestern State turnovers in the quarter, scoring six points off of those takeaways.
NEXT UP
The Ladyjacks are back in action on Saturday, when they'll take on Lamar in Beaumont at 2:00 p.m.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
