Wednesday, March 8
Las Vegas, Nev.
2:00 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin
vs
Sam Houston
#1 Stephen F. Austin to Face #9 Sam Houston in WAC Women's Basketball Tournament
3/6/2023 7:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Stephen F. Austin vs. Sam Houston
Date: Wednesday, March 8th
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Live Stream: ESPN+
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Stadium: Orleans Arena
Series: 93rd Meeting (SFA leads 79-13)
LAS VEGAS, NV - The Stephen F. Austin women's basketball team will take on Sam Houston, who defeated #8 Abilene Christian in the opening round, in the quarterfinals of the WAC women's basketball tournament.
A Look at the Ladyjacks
At the end of the regular season, the Ladyjacks were number one in the WAC in: assists per game, field goal percentage (9th in the nation), field goal percentage defense, scoring defense, scoring margin, scoring offense, three-point percentage, and winning percentage.
All-WAC Team nominees of Aiyana Johnson, Avery Brittingham, and Jordan Harrison look to lead the Ladyjacks to the next round and beyond as these three stars averaged more than 10 points per game this year.
Since the start of conference, no Ladyjack has been better at the three-point line than Tyler McCliment-Call. In the 18 conference games, McCliment-Call is 31-for-81 (38.3%) from beyond the arc. She is one of six Ladyjacks to have a three-point percentage of 30% or better, showing the depth of sharp shooters on this SFA team.
The return of Kurstyn Harden will be a huge power-up for the Ladyjacks. In the 23 games she has appeared in, Harden has been very effective when she goes for a shot as she has a 62.5% field goal percentage (85-for-136). Even after missing seven games, she still has the fourth most points on the team. Harden will play a big role on defense as she will team up with Brittingham to recover the rebounds and block shots in the paint.
A Look at the Bearkats
Sam Houston is coming off a nail-bitter 82-81 win against Abilene Christian where the Bearkats came back from a ten-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The Bearkats shot 41.7% from the field and 37.5% from deep. Their players had no room for error at the end of the game, as three of their starters had four fouls to their name. The team seemed to struggle on the three-point defense as they allowed the Wildcats to make ten shots from deep on 19 attempts. One notable statistic to point out in the game is that Sam Houston outscored ACU 27-9 on second chance points.
The Ladyjacks will have to stay sharp on defense as the Bearkats are the best in the conference and fourth-best in the nation in offensive rebounds per game. Their 16.9 offensive rebounds per game is a big reason for why they stay in contention late in close-game situations. In order to keep the ball out of the Bearkat's hands, the Ladyjacks will have to get those defensive rebounds.
The Bearkats aren't afraid to take a shot when they have the chance, the problem for them is having the shots go in the basket. Sam Houston has six players that have taken 180 or more shots from the field and only two of those players have a field goal percentage of 40% or better. Madelyn Batista has the best field goal percentage of 46.4% (124-for-267) and will be the one to watch as she averages 11.5 points per game and leads the team with 233 total rebounds.
Date: Wednesday, March 8th
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Live Stream: ESPN+
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Stadium: Orleans Arena
Series: 93rd Meeting (SFA leads 79-13)
LAS VEGAS, NV - The Stephen F. Austin women's basketball team will take on Sam Houston, who defeated #8 Abilene Christian in the opening round, in the quarterfinals of the WAC women's basketball tournament.
A Look at the Ladyjacks
At the end of the regular season, the Ladyjacks were number one in the WAC in: assists per game, field goal percentage (9th in the nation), field goal percentage defense, scoring defense, scoring margin, scoring offense, three-point percentage, and winning percentage.
All-WAC Team nominees of Aiyana Johnson, Avery Brittingham, and Jordan Harrison look to lead the Ladyjacks to the next round and beyond as these three stars averaged more than 10 points per game this year.
Since the start of conference, no Ladyjack has been better at the three-point line than Tyler McCliment-Call. In the 18 conference games, McCliment-Call is 31-for-81 (38.3%) from beyond the arc. She is one of six Ladyjacks to have a three-point percentage of 30% or better, showing the depth of sharp shooters on this SFA team.
The return of Kurstyn Harden will be a huge power-up for the Ladyjacks. In the 23 games she has appeared in, Harden has been very effective when she goes for a shot as she has a 62.5% field goal percentage (85-for-136). Even after missing seven games, she still has the fourth most points on the team. Harden will play a big role on defense as she will team up with Brittingham to recover the rebounds and block shots in the paint.
A Look at the Bearkats
Sam Houston is coming off a nail-bitter 82-81 win against Abilene Christian where the Bearkats came back from a ten-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The Bearkats shot 41.7% from the field and 37.5% from deep. Their players had no room for error at the end of the game, as three of their starters had four fouls to their name. The team seemed to struggle on the three-point defense as they allowed the Wildcats to make ten shots from deep on 19 attempts. One notable statistic to point out in the game is that Sam Houston outscored ACU 27-9 on second chance points.
The Ladyjacks will have to stay sharp on defense as the Bearkats are the best in the conference and fourth-best in the nation in offensive rebounds per game. Their 16.9 offensive rebounds per game is a big reason for why they stay in contention late in close-game situations. In order to keep the ball out of the Bearkat's hands, the Ladyjacks will have to get those defensive rebounds.
The Bearkats aren't afraid to take a shot when they have the chance, the problem for them is having the shots go in the basket. Sam Houston has six players that have taken 180 or more shots from the field and only two of those players have a field goal percentage of 40% or better. Madelyn Batista has the best field goal percentage of 46.4% (124-for-267) and will be the one to watch as she averages 11.5 points per game and leads the team with 233 total rebounds.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F/C
/ Women's Basketball
G
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