Collins Blasts Jaguars for 29 Points in Trojan Win
LITTLE ROCK – Sharde' Collins had the best offensive night of her career, scoring 29 points to lead the Little Rock women's basketball team to a 71-54 win over South Alabama at the Jack Stephens Center on Saturday evening.
Collins ripped off 16 points in the first half and tied her previous career high of 24 points at the end of the third quarter. As Little Rock continued to pull away from the Jaguars later in the fourth, Collins hit another jumper and a 3-pointer to reach 29 points.
The Trojans (13-6, 7-0 Sun Belt Conference) remained undefeated in league play with the victory over the Jaguars (7-11, 2-5) and maintained their sole possession of first place in the conference. Little Rock has now won all seven games lifetime against South Alabama at the Jack Stephens Center, five straight in the series and 14 straight Sun Belt games at the Jack Stephens Center.
Collins – already leading the Sun Belt with 18.8 points per league game before Saturday – added three assists, two rebounds and a steal to her career night as she shot 12 of 21 from the field and 3 of 7 from behind the arc. Collins is now averaging 20.3 points per game against Sun Belt competition.
Classmate Kaitlyn Pratt scored 17 points for the Trojans, all in the second half after playing just nine minutes in the first half due to foul trouble. Despite scoring just 3 points, freshman Kyra Collier loaded up the stat sheet in other categories, leading Little Rock with eight rebounds and three steals and finishing second on the team with six assists. Monique Townson had 4 points, six rebounds and a team-high seven assists in 38 minutes.
Freshman Anna Hurlburt scored 8 first-half points on 4-of-5 shooting, setting a new career scoring high. The freshman tied her career high with four rebounds and had a block in 14 minutes off the bench.
Little Rock was also able to maintain its current streak of 70-point games, reaching six consecutive games with at least 70 points to extend the program record.
Neither team was able to get going offensively in the first quarter, with the teams combining to shoot 6 of 21 from the floor. The Trojans committed six turnovers while the Jaguars committed four, and the teams were tied at 10-10 after 10 minutes.
Late in the second quarter, though, Little Rock opened up the scoring as Collins continued to nail jump shots. The senior had 16 points at the end of the half, the Trojans scored 21 points in the quarter and held their largest lead of the game to that point at 31-23 at the break.
The third quarter belonged to Pratt. After sitting much of the first half with foul trouble and not getting a single point, Pratt made her presence felt in the third quarter when she scored 13 points on 6 of 9 shooting. A Collins 3-pointer with 1:18 left in the period capped an 8-0 Little Rock run, tied Collins' career high at 24 points and forced a South Alabama timeout with the Trojans ahead 56-40.
Little Rock scored 27 points in the third quarter, the most the team had managed in a quarter all season.
Little Rock has not had a 30-point scorer in a game since Taylor Gault tallied 31 in November 2012.
The Trojans are hitting the road next week, traveling to Louisiana for rematches against the Warhawks of ULM and the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana. Tipoff Thursday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum against ULM is set for 6 p.m.
Troy Ties Record in Win at Arkansas State
JONESBORO, Arkansas – Troy tied a program record with 69 rebounds as the Trojans knocked off Arkansas State, 83-75, at the Convocation Center on Saturday.
The Trojans (13-5, 6-1 SBC) 69 rebounds is tied for the fifth-highest total in an NCAA Division I game this season, is a Troy Division I record and ties the school's all-time record set in a game against LeMoyne-Owen in 1992. It is also a Convocation Center record by an opponent and a record for a Sun Belt Conference in-league game. Troy entered the game second in the nation averaging 48.8 rebounds per game.
Caitlyn Ramirez and ArJae' Saunders each posted double-doubles in the game. Ramirez was two rebounds shy of the Troy Division I record of 20 that she posted in the season opener against Auburn on Nov. 11, she also scored a game-high 19 points. Saunders scored in double-figures for the second straight game turning in 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Troy jumped out front early with a 9-0 run to start the game, but the Red Wolves responded by going 7-for-11 from the field to end the quarter with an 18-17 lead. The Trojans came roaring back to outscore ASU 24-12 in the second period. Troy's defense was solid all game holding Arkansas State (4-15, 2-5) to just 29 percent shooting.
31 of Troy's 69 rebounds came on the offensive side leading to 32 second chance points. The Trojans outrebound ASU by 26, the most since posting a +24 rebounding margin against Belhaven in 2009.
The Trojans led by as many as 25 in the third quarter but saw that advantage dwindle after the Red Wolves converted 16-of-21 free throws in the third period alone.
UP NEXT
Troy returns home to face Georgia Southern on Jan. 26 and Georgia State on Jan. 28.
UTA Scores Season-High 93 In Win Over ULM
ARLINGTON, Texas - UTA women's basketball claimed its sixth win in a row at College Park Center with its highest point total of the season in a 93-59 decision over ULM Saturday afternoon.
The victory helped the Lady Mavericks (13-4, 6-1 SBC) clinch a winning record in each of the first three months of the season, a feat last accomplished in 1977-78. UTA is 8-1 in games in Arlington this season.
The squad has earned three consecutive wins over the Warhawks (4-14, 1-5) in the all-time series after sweeping the season series in 2015-16. ULM, who sits last in conference play, has dropped six of its last seven games.
Rebekah VanDijk led the way in scoring with a game-high 21 points, followed by Shelby Richards, who tabbed a career 14. Crystal Allen chipped in with a career-high six rebounds and three assists. Ericka Mattingly bested her career assists with nine, which tied for 11th in UTA single-game history. Breck Clark reached a career-high six rebounds and Greta Kairyte tallied five points, besting her personal record.
UTA out-performed ULM offensively on all parts of the court. The Lady Mavs shot 50 percent from 3-point range (9-18), besting ULM's 48.9 from the field. Defensively, the Lady Mavericks out-rebounded 32-29 and forced 27 turnovers, the 12th in 13 games UTA has forced 20 or more. The squad also registered 15 steals.
The Lady Mavericks quickly opened fire on the Warhawks in the first quarter with an 11-5 run on 50 percent shooting. UTA was eventually able to pad its lead to 11 with the help of nine points off six ULM turnovers to close the frame. The Lady Mavs' aggressive defense held the Warhawks to three baskets in the first.
It was a closer matchup in the next frame as UTA outscored ULM 21-17, though the Lady Mavs were still able to maintain a comfortable lead. The team stretched its lead to 17 four minutes in and a trey from Mattingly with less than two minutes to play kept the teams 14 points apart. The Lady Mavs powered through in the final 30 seconds as Richards converted a quick layup on a steal from Mattingly to send UTA into the break with the 39-24 advantage.
UTA couldn't be stopped in the third quarter and had the hot hand, especially around the arc. The Lady Mavs were 10-for-16 from the floor, and an even more efficient 5-for-6 from 3-point range. The Lady Mavericks complied a 20-point lead midway through the third quarter after Aysia Evans connected on a pair of long-range shots and Allen followed up with one of her own into a media timeout. The Lady Mavericks' lead would continue to grow in the last quarter, capping out at 36 with seconds left.
KEY RUNS
First Half
The Warhawks were held to just three shots in the first quarter as UTA forced six turnovers to strengthen its lead to 11. The Lady Mavs' hit a groove and the advantage reached 15 by halftime.
Second Half
The Lady Mavs were perfect from 3-point range to open the second half, hitting all five attempted shots going into the final two minutes. At that point, UTA has registered a 23-point lead with a 62.5 percent shooting performance in the frame.
KEY STATS
The Lady Mavericks were sound offensively, allowing the team to continuously build its lead. UTA saw an efficient 62.5 percent (10-16) from the floor in the third half, and was nearly perfect around the perimeter on 5-for-6. UTA inked 10 turnovers to ULM's 27, which led to 34 points to add to the Lady Mavs' total.
UPCOMING GAME
The Lady Mavs hit the road for a pair of games in the Carolinas. UTA travels to Conway, S.C. to face Coastal Carolina 6 p.m. Thursday before turning to Appalachian State 12 p.m. in Boone, N.C. The Lady Mavs are back at CPC for a three-game homestand Feb. 4-11.
Deer and May Lead Bobcats Past Louisiana
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Taeler Deer scored a game-high 22 points and Ericka May pulled down a career-high 16 points in leading Texas State to a 62-40 win over Louisiana Saturday afternoon in Sun Belt women's basketball action.
Deer, who registered her second 20-plus point performance of the season, finished the game 9 of 19 form the floor, while also dishing out a game-high six assists. Toshua Leavitt also finished in double-figures with 11 points, going 4 of 8 overall and 3 of 7 from three. Texas State (9-9, 4-3 Sun Belt) shot 38.1 percent (24 of 63) for the game, scored 30 points in the paint and forced 12 Ragin' Cajun turnovers.
Louisiana (10-6, 4-3 Sun Belt) was led by Simone Fields' 13-point, 10-rebound double-double. Jaylyn Gordon, who entered the game averaging 19.1 points per outing, scored 12 points on 24 field goal attempts, including 2 of 11 from three. The Ragin' Cajuns Shot 26.2 percent (16 of 61) for the game after making five of its first 10 shot attempts.
Louisiana built a 13-5 advantage through the first quarter as the Bobcats struggled to knock down shots. Deer opened the game's scoring, but the Bobcats would not make another field goal throughout the remainder of the quarter as the Ragin' Cajuns connected on six shots, including a 3-pointer.
Nekia Jones scored in the opening minute of the second quarter, extending the Louisiana lead to double-digits. However, the Bobcats responded with the game's next 14 points to take a 19-15 lead. Deer scored eight of the Bobcats' points during the run, including a fast-break layup and a fade-away jumper. Ti'Aira Pitts and Kaitlin Walla each added 3-pointers during the scoring streak. Louisiana would receive only two points at the free-throw line through the rest of the quarter, leaving the Bobcats ahead 19-17 at the intermission.
Texas State pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring the Ragin' Cajuns 26-12 in the period to establish a 45-29 lead. Six different Bobcats scored in the stanza as Amber Jones lead the way with eight points on two and-ones and a shot off the glass. TXST shot 57.9 percent in the period (11 of 19), while limiting Louisiana to 31.3 percent (5 of 16).
Leavitt and Deer each hit 3-pointers to score the Bobcats' first two buckets of the fourth quarter and push the lead to 51-32. Louisiana outscored TXST 8-6 over the next five minutes, but the Bobcats scored the game's final five points to secure their largest margin of victory over a conference opponent this season.
Coastal Escapes Georgia State, 73-67
ATLANTA, Ga. - The Coastal Carolina women's basketball team took a second-quarter lead and held off several late surges from Georgia State to take a 73-67 victory Saturday afternoon inside GSU Sports Arena.
Coastal (8-9, 3-4) was led by Jas Adams, who matched her career high in scoring with 23 points on 8-of-12 from the field, including five 3-pointers, and a pair of free throws. Kennedy Archer - who had a personal best of 19 points at Georgia Southern on Thursday night - added 18 points against the Panthers, including seven in the fourth quarter as Coastal worked to protect its lead.
Coastal shot 45.8 percent from the field, its highest team field goal shooting percentage against a Sun Belt opponent this season. The Chanticleer defense forced 26 Georgia State turnovers with 13 steals, resulting in 26 points off turnovers.
Georgia State's leading scorer was Kierra Henry with 14 points, followed by Makeba Ponder with 12 points. Tiffany Holston led all players with 17 rebounds.
The game featured eight ties and 10 lead changes, with the last coming at the 5:39 mark of the fourth quarter.
A 7-0 Coastal run during the final minute of the first quarter allowed the Chants to carry a 20-18 lead into the second. The Panthers took an early lead after shooting 4-of-5 from 3-point range, but the Chanticleer defense forced nine turnovers that resulted in 12 CCU points.
Another late-quarter run for Coastal gave the Chants a 44-36 lead at the half. CCU outscored Georgia State 10-4 over the final three-and-a-half minutes of the second quarter, with five of those points coming from Adams. Adams had 13 points in the second quarter alone, and hit a 3-pointer in the first quarter to lead all players with 16 points at halftime.
Georgia State went on a 9-2 run over the first five minutes of the second half, and just a minute later tied the game for the first time since early in the second quarter. Adams broke the tie with a 3-pointer, and added a pair of free throws to account for five of Coastal's 11 third-quarter points.
Coastal led 55-52 entering the fourth quarter, but Georgia State got a quick layup and free throw to even the game for the final time with 6:57 remaining. DJ Williams broke the tie with a layup, and Adams and Ced Gibson hit back-to-back jumpers to give the Chants a three-point cushion. Another GSU free throw brought the margin back to two points, but Archer's 3-pointer made it a two-possession game. Archer then hit four straight free throws in the game's final minute to seal the win.
Coastal returns to friendly confines of the HTC Center for a pair of Sun Belt contests on Thursday and Saturday against UT Arlington and Texas State, respectively. The Chants fell to both teams to start their conference schedule in late December.
Georgia Southern Downs Appalachian State 53-50
STATESBORO, Ga. – The Georgia Southern women's basketball team (7-11, 3-4 SBC) trailed by two with only 20 seconds remaining on the clock when Nakol Franks nailed a three-pointer to give Georgia Southern the lead over Appalachian State (8-10, 3-4 SBC). The Eagles and Mountaineers tangled until the final seconds inside Hanner Fieldhouse, but the timely shooting by GS gave them the advantage, improving to 3-4 in Sun Belt play.
Angel McGowan recorded 19 points, four rebounds and two steals, and Georgia Southern shot 36.5% (19-52) from the field in Sun Belt women's basketball action Saturday afternoon. Patrice Butler collected 16 points and six rebounds for Georgia Southern, and the standout freshman Nakol Franks chipped in 10 points and two assists.
Madi Story posted 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead Appalachian State, and Amber Driver scored nine. Bria Carter added seven points and eight rebounds, and Bailey Plummer finished with four points and nine rebounds.
THE STORY
App State gained early momentum over the Eagles at the start of the game, coming out of the first quarter with a 9-17 lead. Nakol Franks came off the bench for the Eagles in outstanding fashion in the second quarter, sinking a three-pointer and putting the Eagles within two points of the Apps. The back-and-forth battle continued throughout the second quarter, and the Eagles headed into the half with the lead, 23-20. Neither team ended the first half with a great percentage from the field, but the Eagles 34.8% (8-23) topped the Mountaineers 26.9% (7-26).
GS opened the third quarter with an eight point streak to push their lead to 10 points. McGowan and Patrice Butler led the charge coming out of halftime, but a streak of fouls and turnovers allowed the Mountaineers to come back heading into the fourth quarter, leading 35-32. The battle continued into the fourth quarter, where the Eagles opened up with timely three-pointers from Angel McGowan and Alexis Sams,
The Eagles kept it interesting until the final minutes, a timely jumper by Angel McGowan with 52 seconds left on the clock tied the score at 48, and seconds later, freshman Nakol Franks hit a phenomenal three-pointer to give the Eagles the lead with 20 seconds remaining. The Eagles ended the game shooting 36.5% (17-56) with a 31.6% (7-23) three point percentage.