Thursday, February 8
Edinburg, TX
6:30 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin
at
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Ladyjacks Look to Sweep Vaqueros
2/6/2024 5:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Stephen F. Austin vs. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Date: Thursday, February 8th
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
Live Stream: ESPN+
Stadium: UTRGV Fieldhouse
Series: SFA Leads 11-2
EDINBURG, Texas. - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks Basketball Team (15-7, 9-2) will meet the UTRGV Vaqueros (4-16, 3-8) for the second time this season looking to replicate the result from their first meeting when the Ladyjacks won 79-69 at home over the Vaqueros.
Ladyjacks at a Glance:
The Ladyjack offense appears to be in mid-season form as they have now shot over 40% from the field in back-to-back games which has resulted in consecutive wins for SFA. Pairing with the strong shooting from the field is the fact that the Ladyjacks have now shot over 70% from the foul line in seven straight games, and have made at least three three-pointers in those same seven games. The result of the strong shooting has seen the Ladyjacks go 6-1 in that stretch and have forced teams to decide how they want to play defense against SFA. Choosing to defend the mid-range to deep shots on SFA will leave two-time WAC Player of the Week Kurstyn Harden to dominate the paint and the free-throw line where she currently ranks first in the WAC in field goal percentage with an astounding 56.1% field goal percentage, and an 84% clip from the charity stripe, which ranks her second in the WAC. If teams decide to defend the paint to limit Harden, teams run the risk of letting the Ladyjacks three-point shooting take over the game where they currently rank fourth in the WAC in three-pointers made this season with 147 triples for an average 6.68 triples/game and has seen SFA make five or more three-pointers in six of their last seven games, and make double-digit three-pointers on three different occasions this season. Regardless of the defense they face, the Ladyjacks have no problem finding the open shooter as they rank first in the WAC in total assists this season with 363, and second in the WAC in assists/game with a healthy 16.50 assists/game average. Put all these factors together, and you get an SFA offense that ranks second in the WAC in points/game with 75.27 points per contest and an offense that has scored the most points in the WAC with 1,656 points on the season.
In their most recent game, the Ladyjacks pulled away late from the Tarleton Texans to claim their second straight win and improve both their home and conference record to 9-2 on the season. A pair of Ladyjacks experienced career milestones that helped push the Ladyjacks to a 72-63 win over the Texans. Destini Lombard shot a career-high 70% from the field against Tarleton in route to a remarkable performance that saw her record 16-points, six-rebounds, seven-assists, two steals, and one block as she terrorized Tarleton on both ends of the court on Saturday afternoon. The second Ladyjack to hit a career milestone was Tyler McCliment-Call who made her 100th career three-pointer in a game that also saw her record a team-leading three steals on defense. Kurstyn Harden teamed up with Lombard to lead the SFA offense as she recorded a team-high 22 points and has now recorded double-digit points in nine of her last 10 games. The Ladyjack starters all contributed on both ends as all five starters recorded at least three points, three rebounds, and an assist against Tarleton.
The Ladyjack defense cannot be overlooked despite all the successes the offense has experienced the last two games. While the Ladyjacks have shot a combined 45% from the field in their last two games, have made 10 three-pointers, and shot a combined 75% from the foul line, the Ladyjack defense has been just as successful as they have now recorded double-digit turnovers forced in six straight games. However, it is not just turnovers that makes the Ladyjack defense so dominating as they have been stingy against opposing offenses, allowing just one school to shoot over 38% from the field in their last seven games. On the season, the 'Jacks rank second in the WAC in total steals with 238, and steals per game at 10.50 steals/game. On top of that, SFA ranks second in the WAC in blocked shots with 79 on the season for a 3.59 blocks/game.
Kyla Deck and Destini Lombard have formed a two-headed monster on defense for SFA as they both currently rank in the top-50 in the nation for steals. Deck currently ranks tied for 34th in the nation with her 52 steals, while Lombard ranks just behind her tied for 40th in the nation with 51 steals on the season. Deck ranks 17th in the nation in steals per game as she averages 2.89 steals/game for SFA, while Lombard ranks 34th in the nation in assist to turnover ratio as she sits a 2.43 assist/turnover ratio on the season. Meanwhile, Kurstyn Harden has been just as dominant on offense as she ranks 31st in the nation in field goal percentage with her 56.13% for the season.
Vaqueros at a Glance:
The UTRGV Vaqueros will be looking to avenge a loss earlier this season to SFA and will look to do it on their home court. The Vaqueros will also look to simultaneously end a two-game losing skid and finish off their three-game home stand on a high note against SFA. In their most recent game, the Vaqueros lost an overtime heart breaker to Southern Utah 68-65 at home. The Vaqueros rallied from a four-point deficit with less than a minute left to help force overtime but were unable to complete the comeback with a win. Despite the loss, the Vaqueros continued their dominant three-point shooting as they have now made six or more triples in 11 of their last 12 games, while shooting over 70% from the foul line in four of their last five games.
Three Vaqueros finished in double-figures as Tierra Trotter led the scoring effort with 20 points, while providing just as much on defense with a team-high three steals. Kade Hackerott fell just short of a double-double for UTRGV as she finished second on the team with 15 points while pulling down a team-high nine rebounds, while adding two blocks and a steal on the defensive end. Arianna Sturdivant rounded off the top three scorers for the Vaqueros that saw her play a team-high 40 minutes and drop 11 points, three rebounds, and drain a pair of triples. Charlotte O'Keefe and Zariah Sango formed a dynamic duo for UTRGV that saw them combine for 13 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal.
Iyana Dorsey spearheads the UTRGV offense as she leads the team with 13.0 points/game while leading the team with 31 steals defensively and knocking down a team-high 86 free-throws on the season. Kade Hackerott has formed a nice compliment to Dorsey as she averages 10.9 points/game while leading the team with 163 rebounds for an average of 8.2 rebounds/game. Arianna Sturdivant has been the deep-threat for the Vaqueros as she has drained a team-high 36 triples, while Charlotte O'Keefe has been a nuisance for opposing shooters with her 23 blocks, which is tops on the team.
Series: This will mark the 14th time these two schools have squared off and the second time they have met this season. SFA has won the previous two match-ups between the two schools that has seen them score over 75 points in both wins and allow less than 69 points. In their most recent game, SFA defended their home court with a 79-69 win over the Vaqueros earlier this season.
Date: Thursday, February 8th
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
Live Stream: ESPN+
Stadium: UTRGV Fieldhouse
Series: SFA Leads 11-2
EDINBURG, Texas. - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks Basketball Team (15-7, 9-2) will meet the UTRGV Vaqueros (4-16, 3-8) for the second time this season looking to replicate the result from their first meeting when the Ladyjacks won 79-69 at home over the Vaqueros.
Ladyjacks at a Glance:
The Ladyjack offense appears to be in mid-season form as they have now shot over 40% from the field in back-to-back games which has resulted in consecutive wins for SFA. Pairing with the strong shooting from the field is the fact that the Ladyjacks have now shot over 70% from the foul line in seven straight games, and have made at least three three-pointers in those same seven games. The result of the strong shooting has seen the Ladyjacks go 6-1 in that stretch and have forced teams to decide how they want to play defense against SFA. Choosing to defend the mid-range to deep shots on SFA will leave two-time WAC Player of the Week Kurstyn Harden to dominate the paint and the free-throw line where she currently ranks first in the WAC in field goal percentage with an astounding 56.1% field goal percentage, and an 84% clip from the charity stripe, which ranks her second in the WAC. If teams decide to defend the paint to limit Harden, teams run the risk of letting the Ladyjacks three-point shooting take over the game where they currently rank fourth in the WAC in three-pointers made this season with 147 triples for an average 6.68 triples/game and has seen SFA make five or more three-pointers in six of their last seven games, and make double-digit three-pointers on three different occasions this season. Regardless of the defense they face, the Ladyjacks have no problem finding the open shooter as they rank first in the WAC in total assists this season with 363, and second in the WAC in assists/game with a healthy 16.50 assists/game average. Put all these factors together, and you get an SFA offense that ranks second in the WAC in points/game with 75.27 points per contest and an offense that has scored the most points in the WAC with 1,656 points on the season.
In their most recent game, the Ladyjacks pulled away late from the Tarleton Texans to claim their second straight win and improve both their home and conference record to 9-2 on the season. A pair of Ladyjacks experienced career milestones that helped push the Ladyjacks to a 72-63 win over the Texans. Destini Lombard shot a career-high 70% from the field against Tarleton in route to a remarkable performance that saw her record 16-points, six-rebounds, seven-assists, two steals, and one block as she terrorized Tarleton on both ends of the court on Saturday afternoon. The second Ladyjack to hit a career milestone was Tyler McCliment-Call who made her 100th career three-pointer in a game that also saw her record a team-leading three steals on defense. Kurstyn Harden teamed up with Lombard to lead the SFA offense as she recorded a team-high 22 points and has now recorded double-digit points in nine of her last 10 games. The Ladyjack starters all contributed on both ends as all five starters recorded at least three points, three rebounds, and an assist against Tarleton.
The Ladyjack defense cannot be overlooked despite all the successes the offense has experienced the last two games. While the Ladyjacks have shot a combined 45% from the field in their last two games, have made 10 three-pointers, and shot a combined 75% from the foul line, the Ladyjack defense has been just as successful as they have now recorded double-digit turnovers forced in six straight games. However, it is not just turnovers that makes the Ladyjack defense so dominating as they have been stingy against opposing offenses, allowing just one school to shoot over 38% from the field in their last seven games. On the season, the 'Jacks rank second in the WAC in total steals with 238, and steals per game at 10.50 steals/game. On top of that, SFA ranks second in the WAC in blocked shots with 79 on the season for a 3.59 blocks/game.
Kyla Deck and Destini Lombard have formed a two-headed monster on defense for SFA as they both currently rank in the top-50 in the nation for steals. Deck currently ranks tied for 34th in the nation with her 52 steals, while Lombard ranks just behind her tied for 40th in the nation with 51 steals on the season. Deck ranks 17th in the nation in steals per game as she averages 2.89 steals/game for SFA, while Lombard ranks 34th in the nation in assist to turnover ratio as she sits a 2.43 assist/turnover ratio on the season. Meanwhile, Kurstyn Harden has been just as dominant on offense as she ranks 31st in the nation in field goal percentage with her 56.13% for the season.
Vaqueros at a Glance:
The UTRGV Vaqueros will be looking to avenge a loss earlier this season to SFA and will look to do it on their home court. The Vaqueros will also look to simultaneously end a two-game losing skid and finish off their three-game home stand on a high note against SFA. In their most recent game, the Vaqueros lost an overtime heart breaker to Southern Utah 68-65 at home. The Vaqueros rallied from a four-point deficit with less than a minute left to help force overtime but were unable to complete the comeback with a win. Despite the loss, the Vaqueros continued their dominant three-point shooting as they have now made six or more triples in 11 of their last 12 games, while shooting over 70% from the foul line in four of their last five games.
Three Vaqueros finished in double-figures as Tierra Trotter led the scoring effort with 20 points, while providing just as much on defense with a team-high three steals. Kade Hackerott fell just short of a double-double for UTRGV as she finished second on the team with 15 points while pulling down a team-high nine rebounds, while adding two blocks and a steal on the defensive end. Arianna Sturdivant rounded off the top three scorers for the Vaqueros that saw her play a team-high 40 minutes and drop 11 points, three rebounds, and drain a pair of triples. Charlotte O'Keefe and Zariah Sango formed a dynamic duo for UTRGV that saw them combine for 13 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal.
Iyana Dorsey spearheads the UTRGV offense as she leads the team with 13.0 points/game while leading the team with 31 steals defensively and knocking down a team-high 86 free-throws on the season. Kade Hackerott has formed a nice compliment to Dorsey as she averages 10.9 points/game while leading the team with 163 rebounds for an average of 8.2 rebounds/game. Arianna Sturdivant has been the deep-threat for the Vaqueros as she has drained a team-high 36 triples, while Charlotte O'Keefe has been a nuisance for opposing shooters with her 23 blocks, which is tops on the team.
Series: This will mark the 14th time these two schools have squared off and the second time they have met this season. SFA has won the previous two match-ups between the two schools that has seen them score over 75 points in both wins and allow less than 69 points. In their most recent game, SFA defended their home court with a 79-69 win over the Vaqueros earlier this season.
Players Mentioned
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