Ladyjacks Fly Past Owls at Home

Saturday, November 25

Nacogdoches, TX

2:00 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

3-2,0-0WAC

Rice University

3-3,0-0AAC

Rice

SFA

Ladyjacks Fly Past Owls at Home

11/25/2023 4:41:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Peter Trainor, Student Assistant for Strategic Communications

NACOGDOCHES, Texas. - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks basketball team returned home and won their second straight game as they nabbed a 67-56 win over the Owls on Saturday afternoon.

The Ladyjacks returned home after a short one-game road trip that saw the 'Jacks handily defeat the Texas Southern Tigers by a score of 73-58. This game started with the Ladyjacks picking up right where they left off in Houston as the Ladyjacks pounced early and often as they jumped out to a commanding 15-2 lead halfway through the first quarter. The Ladyjacks outscored the Owls 18-8 in the first quarter and were led by Kurstyn Harden who had 10 of the first 18 points for SFA. The second quarter saw the 'Jacks lead by as much as 13 points on two different occassions, however the Owls would not go down without a fight and clawed their way back to cut the SFA lead down to 28-21. However, Avery VanSickle would hit a buzzer beater jumper right before the half ended to retain SFA's double-digit lead at halftime as they went into the locker rooms with a 34-23 lead. The Owls came out of the halftime break with some newfound energy as they quicky went on a 14-4 scoring spree to pull within a point of SFA at 38-37. The remainder of the third quarter saw both teams remain neck and neck as neither team held more than a four-point lead, however SFA was able to maintain their lead over Rice as Zoe Nelson and Kyla Deck combined to score the final seven points of the quarter for SFA and keep them ahead 45-43 at the end of the third. The fourth quarter began with both teams furiously exchanging baskets as both teams scored a pair of buckets within the first two minutes of the quarter. With SFA leading 50-47, Kurstyn Harden found her groove once again for SFA as she helped lead a 10-3 run by the Ladyjacks by scoring six of the ten points and gave SFA a double-digit lead once again as they led 60-50. With a comfortable lead late in the fourth, the 'Jacks were able to pull away late from Rice as Mimi Gatewood scored five points in a row for SFA to help seal a 67-56 win over Rice.

Three Ladyjacks scored in double-digits and a pair of 'Jacks finished with double-doubles, as they were once again led by another dominating performance by Kurstyn Harden. Harden finished with a double-double for SFA as she finished with a whopping team-leading 23 points and 15 rebounds, which was tied for most on the team. Zoe Nelson also posted a double-double for the Ladyjacks as she dropped 11 points, good for second most on the team, and pulled down 15 rebounds. Mimi Gatewood scored 11 in just 19 minutes of playtime as she was vital down the final stretch of the game for SFA. Kyla Deck played a well-rounded game for SFA as she finished with seven points, three assists, and two steals. Meanwhile, Tyler McCliment-Call was effective and efficient shooting for the 'Jacks as she hit 50% of her shots on the day and finished with nine points and five rebounds.

In total, SFA shot 40.4% from the field which included making five shots from beyond the arc. In addition, the 'Jacks shot over 75% from the charity stripe led by Kurstyn Harden who shot a perfect nine for nine from the line. SFA consistently crashed the boards against Rice as they outrebounded the Owls 46-37 as they finished with 14 offensive and 32 defensive boards, which led to 15 second chance points. Another strong game for the Ladyjacks down low resulted in 30 points in the paint and helped play a key role in SFA keeping their lead for over 96% of the game, as Rice only held a lead over SFA for a mere 19 seconds.

The Ladyjacks will be on the road once again next week as they travel to Stephenville to square off against conference rival Tarleton State on Wednesday, November 29^th at 7:00 p.m. CST.