Ladyjacks Battle Wolverines for Second Time this Season
2/23/2024 5:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Stephen F. Austin vs. Utah Valley University
Date: Saturday, February 24th
Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Live Stream: ESPN+
Stadium: William R. Johnson Coliseum
Series: SFA Leads 4-0
NACOGDOCHES, Texas. - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks Basketball Team (17-9, 11-4) continues their four-game home stand when they face-off with the Utah Valley Wolverines (9-16, 4-12) for a Saturday matinee match-up.
Ladyjacks at a Glance:
The Ladyjacks get set for game two of their home stand looking to push their win streak to three games following their most recent 87-62 win over the Seattle Redhawks on Thursday evening at the Sawmill that saw SFA officially punch their ticket to Las Vegas to participate in the WAC Tournament. In the win over Seattle, the Ladyjacks led the Redhawks in a plethora of categories that included rebounds (38-31), assists (21-13), blocks (4-0), steals (12-7), field goals (31-25), field goal percentage (49.2-40.3), three-pointers (8-4), free-throws (17-8), free-throw percentage (85.0-80.0), points off turnovers (25-10), second chance points (24-11), fast break points (18-2), and bench points (27-13).
Avery VanSickle's dominant fourth quarter saw her explode for 12 points in the final quarter to squash any hope of a Seattle comeback thanks to four three-pointers, three of which were consecutive, and finished with a new career-high of 18 points to lead all Ladyjacks. Four other 'Jacks joined VanSickle in double figures as Kurstyn Harden 16 points, Mele Finau recorded 14 points for her first double-digit point game of the season, Destini Lombard with 11 points, and Tyler McCliment-Call with 10 points rounded out the top scorers for SFA. VanSickle, Harden, and Lombard tied for the team lead in rebounds with six apiece, while Lombard posted a strong complimentary game that saw her dish out a team-high seven assists, and record five steals defensively. Kyla Deck would not be outdone defensively by Lombard as she finished just behind Lombard in steals with her four steals, while posting nine points, two rebounds, and four assists to her well-rounded evening. All five Ladyjack starters recorded at least nine points, two rebounds, and one assist.
The Ladyjacks defense continues to be a dominating factor this season as they forced double-digit turnovers for the ninth time in their last 10 games, while recording double-digit steals for the second straight game. The stingy SFA defense was rewarded with 25 points off turnovers, while the 'Jacks crashed the offensive boards all game and posted 24 second chance points on 16 offensive rebounds, which was the third time in their last four games SFA has recorded double-digit offensive rebounds. Meanwhile, the Ladyjacks strong shooting from the field continued for a second straight game as they finished just short of shooting 50% from the field finishing with a 49.2% mark while recording their second straight game with a free-throw percentage over 80% as they shot 85% from the foul line.
Kyla Deck and Destini Lombard's incredible defensive efforts that saw them combine for nine steals saw both rise significantly in the national rankings as Lombard moved to 35th in the nation in steals with 63 on the season, while Deck is right on her heels as she ranks 38th with 62 steals. Deck and Lombard also rank in the top-50 for steals/game as Deck is 20th in the nation averaging a healthy 2.82 steals/game, while Lombard ranks 40th averaging 2.42 steals per contest. Lombard's seven assist day also saw her rise in assist/turnover ratio rankings in the nation as she now ranks 31st in the nation with a 2.39 assist/turnover ratio for the season. Kurstyn Harden's dominance in the paint has seen her become an effective and efficient scorer for SFA as she ranks 32nd in the nation as she shoots a remarkable 55.02% from the field for the season.
Wolverines at a Glance:
The Utah Valley Wolverines continue their three-game Texas road trip as they will travel to Nacogdoches on Saturday before wrapping up the trip with a date with the UTA Mavericks next Saturday. The Wolverines will look to flip the script on back-to-back heartbreaking losses that has seen them lose by a combined two points in both losses. Following an upset over the CBU Lancers, the Wolverines fell 67-66 in double overtime to Southern Utah, before recently falling 63-62 to the UTRGV Vaqueros on Thursday evening. Despite the loss, the Wolverines still lead the Vaqueros in a number of categories that includes rebounds (44-30), field goals (26-22), field goal percentage (46.4-36.7), and bench points (31-9).
Amanda Barcello posted a career-day against the Vaqueros as she set a new career-high finishing the contest with 17 points, thanks to four three-pointers, while posting five rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Tahlia White had a well-rounded performance against UTRGV as she finished the game second on the team in points with 13, while pulling down a team-high seven rebounds. Eleyana Tafisi rounded out the top three scorers for Utah Valley as she recorded 11 points, four rebounds, tied for the team lead in assists with two, and added a steal with two blocks defensively.
Kylee Mabry leads the Wolverines scoring charge as she averages 7.8 points/game while being an active defensive presence with her team-leading 54 steals. Tessa Chaney plays both ends of the court for Utah Valley as she averages 7.4 points/game while blocking a team-high 29 shots, leads the team in rebounds with 162, and has made a team-high 45 free-throws. Jenna Dick is the threat beyond the arc for the Wolverines as she has drained 43 triples on the season while Eleyana Tafisi has dished out 85 assists on the season.
Series: Saturday afternoon's match-up will feature the fifth time these two schools have faced off with each other as SFA has claimed the previous four games. All four wins have been by at least nine points with SFA scoring at least 68 points in all four games. These two schools met earlier this season, with SFA grabbing a 72-63 win over the Wolverines on the road.
Date: Saturday, February 24th
Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Live Stream: ESPN+
Stadium: William R. Johnson Coliseum
Series: SFA Leads 4-0
NACOGDOCHES, Texas. - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks Basketball Team (17-9, 11-4) continues their four-game home stand when they face-off with the Utah Valley Wolverines (9-16, 4-12) for a Saturday matinee match-up.
Ladyjacks at a Glance:
The Ladyjacks get set for game two of their home stand looking to push their win streak to three games following their most recent 87-62 win over the Seattle Redhawks on Thursday evening at the Sawmill that saw SFA officially punch their ticket to Las Vegas to participate in the WAC Tournament. In the win over Seattle, the Ladyjacks led the Redhawks in a plethora of categories that included rebounds (38-31), assists (21-13), blocks (4-0), steals (12-7), field goals (31-25), field goal percentage (49.2-40.3), three-pointers (8-4), free-throws (17-8), free-throw percentage (85.0-80.0), points off turnovers (25-10), second chance points (24-11), fast break points (18-2), and bench points (27-13).
Avery VanSickle's dominant fourth quarter saw her explode for 12 points in the final quarter to squash any hope of a Seattle comeback thanks to four three-pointers, three of which were consecutive, and finished with a new career-high of 18 points to lead all Ladyjacks. Four other 'Jacks joined VanSickle in double figures as Kurstyn Harden 16 points, Mele Finau recorded 14 points for her first double-digit point game of the season, Destini Lombard with 11 points, and Tyler McCliment-Call with 10 points rounded out the top scorers for SFA. VanSickle, Harden, and Lombard tied for the team lead in rebounds with six apiece, while Lombard posted a strong complimentary game that saw her dish out a team-high seven assists, and record five steals defensively. Kyla Deck would not be outdone defensively by Lombard as she finished just behind Lombard in steals with her four steals, while posting nine points, two rebounds, and four assists to her well-rounded evening. All five Ladyjack starters recorded at least nine points, two rebounds, and one assist.
The Ladyjacks defense continues to be a dominating factor this season as they forced double-digit turnovers for the ninth time in their last 10 games, while recording double-digit steals for the second straight game. The stingy SFA defense was rewarded with 25 points off turnovers, while the 'Jacks crashed the offensive boards all game and posted 24 second chance points on 16 offensive rebounds, which was the third time in their last four games SFA has recorded double-digit offensive rebounds. Meanwhile, the Ladyjacks strong shooting from the field continued for a second straight game as they finished just short of shooting 50% from the field finishing with a 49.2% mark while recording their second straight game with a free-throw percentage over 80% as they shot 85% from the foul line.
Kyla Deck and Destini Lombard's incredible defensive efforts that saw them combine for nine steals saw both rise significantly in the national rankings as Lombard moved to 35th in the nation in steals with 63 on the season, while Deck is right on her heels as she ranks 38th with 62 steals. Deck and Lombard also rank in the top-50 for steals/game as Deck is 20th in the nation averaging a healthy 2.82 steals/game, while Lombard ranks 40th averaging 2.42 steals per contest. Lombard's seven assist day also saw her rise in assist/turnover ratio rankings in the nation as she now ranks 31st in the nation with a 2.39 assist/turnover ratio for the season. Kurstyn Harden's dominance in the paint has seen her become an effective and efficient scorer for SFA as she ranks 32nd in the nation as she shoots a remarkable 55.02% from the field for the season.
Wolverines at a Glance:
The Utah Valley Wolverines continue their three-game Texas road trip as they will travel to Nacogdoches on Saturday before wrapping up the trip with a date with the UTA Mavericks next Saturday. The Wolverines will look to flip the script on back-to-back heartbreaking losses that has seen them lose by a combined two points in both losses. Following an upset over the CBU Lancers, the Wolverines fell 67-66 in double overtime to Southern Utah, before recently falling 63-62 to the UTRGV Vaqueros on Thursday evening. Despite the loss, the Wolverines still lead the Vaqueros in a number of categories that includes rebounds (44-30), field goals (26-22), field goal percentage (46.4-36.7), and bench points (31-9).
Amanda Barcello posted a career-day against the Vaqueros as she set a new career-high finishing the contest with 17 points, thanks to four three-pointers, while posting five rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Tahlia White had a well-rounded performance against UTRGV as she finished the game second on the team in points with 13, while pulling down a team-high seven rebounds. Eleyana Tafisi rounded out the top three scorers for Utah Valley as she recorded 11 points, four rebounds, tied for the team lead in assists with two, and added a steal with two blocks defensively.
Kylee Mabry leads the Wolverines scoring charge as she averages 7.8 points/game while being an active defensive presence with her team-leading 54 steals. Tessa Chaney plays both ends of the court for Utah Valley as she averages 7.4 points/game while blocking a team-high 29 shots, leads the team in rebounds with 162, and has made a team-high 45 free-throws. Jenna Dick is the threat beyond the arc for the Wolverines as she has drained 43 triples on the season while Eleyana Tafisi has dished out 85 assists on the season.
Series: Saturday afternoon's match-up will feature the fifth time these two schools have faced off with each other as SFA has claimed the previous four games. All four wins have been by at least nine points with SFA scoring at least 68 points in all four games. These two schools met earlier this season, with SFA grabbing a 72-63 win over the Wolverines on the road.
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