Bobcats Grind Out Fourth Straight Win; Defeat App. State 53-37
BOONE, N.C. – Texas State University women’s basketball picked up its fourth straight win with its 53-37 defeat of Appalachian State Thursday evening in Sun Belt Conference action.
The Bobcats, who improved to 10-9 on the season and 5-3 in Sun Belt play, relied heavily on its league-leading defense to limit the Mountaineers to 37 points on 56 shot attempts (11 of 56 FG, 1 of 17 3FG).
Texas State’s balanced offensive output was led by McKinley Bostad with nine points, while Amber Jones, Taeler Deer and Kaitlin Walla each finished with eight. The Bobcats finished the game shooting 34.5 percent (19 of 55) and outscored the Mountaineers 30-10 in the paint and 33-8 off the bench.
Appalachian State (8-11, 3-5 Sun Belt) was paced by Madi Story’s 10-point, 10-rebound double-double. Joi Jones also scored 10 points and Bayley Plummer equaled Story with 10 rebounds. The Mountaineers outrebounded Texas State 50-38, but converted only 14 second-chance points on 19 offensive boards.
Texas State led 9-6 after the first 10 minutes of play. Neither team was able to establish an offensive rhythm as both teams went on extended scoreless streaks. The Mountaineers led 4-2 on a bucket by Story at the 6:51 mark, but were held scoreless over the next 6:47 as the Bobcats built their first-quarter lead.
Both teams shooting woes continued into the second quarter as the teams combined for nine field goals in the period. Appalachian State scored its three buckets in the first 3:40, taking a 14-13 lead. However, Texas State would limit the Mountaineers to only two free throw the rest of the first half, while scoring 10 points of its own for a 23-16 halftime lead. The Bobcats’ 10-2 run was ignited with a 3-point play by Jones and continued as Bostad scored on a fastbreak layup, then a mid-range jumper. Zandra Emanuel capped the run with a 3-point play of her own after an offensive rebound.
Appalachian State outscored Texas State 12-11 in the third quarter, trimming the Bobcats’ lead to six at 34-28 entering the fourth. Eight of the Mountaineers’ points in the period came at the free-throw line, while Texas State scored eight of its points on field goals.
Bostad staked Texas State its then-largest lead of the game at 39-30 as the redshirt sophomore converted an and-1 off an assist by Deer, following a defensive rebound by May. App. State’s Story answered with a score inside, but neither team would score over the next two minutes until Walla broke the game open with back-to-back 3-pointers, pushing the Bobcats ahead 45-32 with 3:36 to go.
The Mountaineers got no closer than 12 the rest of the way as Texas State secured its fourth road win of the season.
Little Rock Women's Basketball Scores 92 in Win at ULM
MONROE, La. – The Little Rock women's basketball team had one of the greatest offensive games in program history on its way to a 92-47 victory over ULM at Fant-Ewing Coliseum on Thursday evening.
The Trojans (14-6, 8-0 Sun Belt Conference) trailed ULM (4-15, 1-7) by 2 points at the start of the second period, but then proceeded to go 11 for 11 from the field in the second quarter and 13 of 15 in the third on its way to an overall 67.9 shooting percentage in the game. That total is the best field goal percentage since the team became a Division I program in 1999.
Little Rock had not scored 80 points since the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals in 2015 against Texas State. Little Rock last reached 90 points on Jan. 23, 2007 against Harding University with 96. Little Rock had never scored 90 points against a Division I team before Thursday.
Little Rock's streak of scoring at least 70 points improved to seven games on Friday, extending the program record this group already holds.
Senior Sharde' Collins finished the game with 27 points including 17 in the first half on 7 of 11 shooting. Ronjanae DeGray and Monique Townson each had 11 points, and Carolee Dillard tied a career high with 10 while that same number set a new career high for Anna Hurlburt.
Kyra Collier led the way in rebounding with seven and scored 9 points, and Raeyana DeGray tied a career high with 7 points.
After a slow first quarter where the team went 4 of 15 from the field and trailed 13-11, Little Rock came out hot in the second. Two straight baskets by Sharde' Collins preceded three consecutive jumpers from Anna Hurlburt, and Little Rock never trailed again.
All told in the second quarter, Collins went 5 of 5 from the field, Hurlburt went 3 of 3 and Kyra Collier went 3 of 3 to give Little Rock a 13-point lead at halftime.
Little Rock's third quarter may have been even more impressive offensively, as the team set a new program record with 34 points in the period. The Trojans went 13 of 15 from the field and made all four of its free-throw attempts to extend its lead over the Warhawks to 70-37 through 30 minutes.
Little Rock is back in action on Saturday at Louisiana. Tipoff at the Cajundome is set for 5 p.m. The Trojan men's game against the Ragin' Cajuns will follow at 7 p.m.
Maverick Defense Shines As Four Score In Double Figures
CONWAY, S.C. – UTA put together one of its best defensive performances under coach Krista Gerlich, downing Coastal Carolina 70-41 on Thursday night at HTC Center.
UTA, winners of the last three, improved its record to 14-4 and 7-1 in Sun Belt play in sweeping the season series with the Chanticleers (8-11, 3-5 SBC). The 41 points scored by CCU were the second fewest scored by a UTA opponent this season and a season low by the Chants.
Crystal Allen led 11 different UTA scorers as the junior finished with a game-high 12 points on 5-12 shooting. Christina Devers, Cierra Johnson and Rebekah VanDijk joined her in double figures. Devers finished with 11 while Johnson and VanDijk had 10 apiece. The 10 points from VanDijk continued her streak of being in double figures in all 18 games this year.
Ericka Mattingly helped lead the UTA defense as the freshman finished with six steals. UTA forced CCU into 28 turnovers, the second most by an opponent this season.
The defense shined in the opening half to help spark the Lady Mavs into a big lead early on. Clamping down, UTA forced the Chanticleers into 11 first-quarter turnovers on the way to 16 in the half. The defense turned into a productive offense with a 17-4 advantage in points off turnovers.
The lead went to 20 points early in the second quarter as UTA sparked a 7-0 run between periods, while holding the Chants scoreless for more than four minutes.
Devers joined VanDijk with pacing the offense in the half, each had a team-high eight points at the break. Mattingly had five steals to go with seven points, including knocking down a 3-pointer in the second quarter that snapped a 0-of-17 skid against CCU from beyond the arc dating back to the Dec. 31 meeting. Despite only shooting 35.5 percent, UTA led 35-20 heading into the third.
The UTA defense continued to confuse the Coastal Carolina offensive abilities, holding the Chants without a point in the second half until a 3-pointer fell with under four minutes left in the period. UTA's offense took advantage and pushed the lead beyond 20 points once again.
Miranda LeJune put together a 4-0 run of her own, knocking down a tear-drop jumper from 10-feet out to give the Lady Mavs their largest lead of the game at 31 points.
PANTHERS FINISH STRONG TO DEFEAT THE JAGUARS
MOBILE, Ala. - Led by three players in double figures, Georgia State pulled out a 55-45 victory at South Alabama Thursday in Mobile. Tiffany Holston and Jada Lewis each scored 12 points to lead the team and K.K. Williams hit several big free throws down the stretch to finish with 10 points.
Georgia State held South Alabama to only one point in the second quarter. It was the least points allowed by GSU in a quarter since the NCAA switched from halves to quarters before last season. The Jaguars rallied in the second half to retake the lead, but Georgia State responded with a flurry of defensive stops and went back in front with 4:48 remaining in the game. The Panthers would go 10-for-12 from the free throw line in the final 1:31 to seal the victory and snap a six-game losing streak.
“We played with a lot of energy today and with a lot of heart,” head coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener said. “This was the best our defense has played all year. It was a loud environment and we held our composure and came up with rebounds and steals down the stretch to win the game.”
The Panthers trailed 12-8 after the first period, but held the Jags to just a free throw in the second period to hold a 20-13 lead at halftime. All game, Georgia State pounded the interior and it showed in the box score. GSU outscored USA 32-14 in the paint and outrebound the Jaguars 45-30. The Panthers held an 18-9 advantage on the offensive boards.
Holston finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds to earn her fifth double-double of the season. Lewis and Williams were the pair that went 10-for-12 from the free throw line in the final minutes. Williams recorded four steals on the defensive end. Kierra Henry tallied eight points and six rebounds and Tatianna Jackson added seven points and five rebounds. Alaysia Mitchell scored six points off the bench and Astaja Tyghter collected seven rebounds.
Georgia State (6-13, 2-6 SBC) stays in Alabama and will play at Troy Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
Cajuns Bounce Back In Win Over Arkansas State, 72-60
LAFAYETTE – Jasmine Thomas scored 21 points and Simone Fields added 14 points as the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns defeated Arkansas State 72-60 on Thursday at the Cajundome.
Louisiana (11-6, 5-3 SBC) took an early 9-6 lead when Kimberly Burton made a layup with 4:08 left in the first quarter.
Arkansas State (4-16, 2-6 SBC) cut the Cajuns lead to 15-11 at the end of the first period when Brittany Fowler connected on a jumper with six seconds left in the first frame.
Jaylyn Gordon knocked down a three-pointer to put Louisiana in front 26-20 with 5:17 to go in the second quarter.
The Red Wolves kept chipping away at the Cajuns lead and Dominique Oliver made two free throws with 44 seconds left in the period to trim the Louisiana lead to 30-27 at halftime.
The Cajuns led 40-32 when Burton made a layup with 6:12 remaining in the third quarter. Burton had another layup with 3:02 to go in the period that gave Louisiana a 46-37 lead.
Oliver responded for the Red Wolves and knocked down two free throws to narrow the margin to 48-45 in favor of the Cajuns with 51 seconds left in the third quarter.
Louisiana opened the game up in the fourth period and led 61-49 when Thomas connected on a three-pointer with 4:15 to go in the game.
Thomas, who was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line, helped seal the deal for the Cajuns in the closing minutes from the charity stripe.
Arkansas State was led by Fowler with 22 points while Oliver and Lauren Bradshaw had 12 points each for the Red Wolves.
Louisiana will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 28 when it hosts Little Rock in a 5 p.m. game at the Cajundome.
Troy Knocks Off Georgia Southern
TROY, Alabama – The Troy women's basketball team improved to 14-5 overall to match its best start in program history with a 77-67 victory over Georgia Southern on Thursday in Trojan Arena.
The Trojans last started a season 14-5 in 1996-97 as the team went on the finish the year 23-7 and earn its first ever NCAA Tournament berth.
Troy (14-5, 7-1) built a 13-point lead with 8:45 remaining in the second quarter, but that advantage quickly evaporated as Georgia Southern went on a 19-4 run to take a 31-29 lead. ArJae' Saunders hit a jumper just before time expired in the half to draw the teams even heading into the locker room.
In contrast to the first meeting between the schools on Jan. 7 when the Trojans made 10-of-20 3-pointers in the first half, Troy struggled from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes shooting just 4-for-23. However, Jayla Chills opened the second half with a bang knocking down a shot from distance. From there, the Trojans outscored Georgia Southern 27-14 in the quarter. Troy finished the game 9-of-39 from 3-point range, but the attempt total marked the highest for the team in Trojan Arena history – previously 32 set against Georgia State in 2014.
The Eagles (7-12, 3-5) fought back from a 15-point deficit – its largest of the game – in the fourth quarter, to make it a 60-55 game before Caitlyn Ramirez scored seven of the game's last 19 points to put the game out of reach.
Chills finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds to earn her second double-double of the season. Ramirez also landed 19 points with six boards. ArJae' Saunders chipped in with 10 points while Amanda Mendoza added six to go along with five assists.
Troy entered the game leading the nation with 20 offensive rebounds per game and nearly matched its average with 19 in the game. The Trojans totaled 49 boards on the night to Georgia Southern's 46.
Angel McGowan led the way for the visitors with 23 points on 7-of-20 shooting. Alexis Foulks turned in a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.