Sunday, Dec. 14
UALR Knocks Off Oklahoma, 66-62
LITTLE ROCK – UALR had an incredible offensive performance in the first half against Oklahoma on Sunday, and the Trojans used that scoring outburst to earn their second win over a Power 5 conference opponent this season.
After scoring 43 points on a 19-of-25 shooting performance in the first 20 minutes, UALR managed scored just enough in the second to defeat Oklahoma 66-62 at the Jack Stephens Center.
The win was UALR’s first against a Big 12 Conference team since December 2008 and comes exactly one month after the Trojans opened the season with a victory at Southeastern Conference school LSU.
Despite shooting only 33 percent from the field in the second half, UALR still ended the game with a season-high shooting percentage of 58.1. The Trojans got a game-high 16 points from Taylor Gault including clutch free throws down the stretch. Sharde' Collins, playing in her first game of the season, had 12 points while Alexius Dawn had 12 points all on 3-pointers.
Defense played a huge role in the victory as well, as UALR held the Sooners to nearly 20 points below their season average. Oklahoma entered the game tied for 10th in the nation with 85.1 points per game.
UALR led by as many as 17 points early in the second half, but the Sooners gradually began to chip away at the Trojans’ lead and got the game as close as 56-55 with 3:01 to play as the Trojans’ offense faltered.
From there, though, UALR got its scoring back as Keanna Keys hit a layup and Kiera Clark drained a jumper to give the Trojans a 60-55 lead with 1:56 to go.
With the ball and a chance to increase their lead, the Trojans turned it over instead. That led to a fast-break 3-pointer by the Sooners and brought the game back within 2 points.
But from thereon out, every UALR point came at the free-throw line from Gault. The senior made six free throws in the final 62 seconds of the game, give UALR enough to hold on and defeat the Sooners. In the process, Gault also passed Jocelyn Love for second all-time at UALR with 268 career made free throws.
UALR struggled a bit on the glass in the game, but the Trojans got a team-high four rebounds from Gault and Shanity James. James, Dawn and Ka'Nesheia Cobbins all had a team-high three assists, and James had a new season high with three blocks while moving up to 10th all-time at UALR in that category. Cobbins led the way with three steals.
Clark had four points on the night while playing in her 100th career game as a Trojan.
The win was UALR’s first ever against Oklahoma in five tries, and the Trojans are now 13-1 at home over the last calendar year.
The Trojans owed the win largely to an incredible shooting performance in the first half and solid defense in both halves.
Nearly everything went according to plan for the Trojans in the first half.
Collins made a gigantic impact in her first four minutes of the season, scoring six points in that span. She made a running layup, knocked down a jumper and also tallied a fast-break layup as the UALR defense held strong and Dawn scored six points of her own on two 3-pointers. The Trojans took a 14-4 lead before four minutes had expired on an 11-0 run, forcing the Sooners to take a timeout to recover.
Oklahoma got its offense going in the next five minutes of the game, scoring 10 points that included two 3-pointers. But UALR’s offense was nearly as good, picking up 8 points in that span as the Trojans continued to lead 22-14.
UALR would extend its lead to 14 points by halftime as the buckets continued to fall. The team made 19 of its 25 field goal attempts in the half, good for an incredible 76 percent shooting effort. All eight players who saw game action in the half had at least one basket, and Collins led them all with 12 points. UALR also had 10 points on fast-break layups while the Sooners had none.
After Dawn’s fourth 3-pointer started the Trojans on the right foot to start the second half, Oklahoma finally got its offense going while UALR’s stalled. The Sooners followed Dawn’s 3-pointer with a 9-0 run, cutting the Trojans’ lead into single digits for the first time since four minutes were left in the first half.
A couple free throws from James and a Gault layup kept the Sooners trailing by 9 points, but the UALR offense continued to struggle for the first 11 minutes of the half. The Trojans had just 7 points in that span, and the Sooners were within 7 points midway through the period.
Over the next four minutes, the Trojans saw their lead nearly vanish. Oklahoma continued to hit free throws as UALR picked up more fouls, and a 3-pointer brought the Sooners within 2 points at 52-50 while forcing UALR to call a timeout.
That’s when Oklahoma brought the lead down to one, and UALR’s offense got back in gear for the home stretch.
The Trojans will be back on the road this week, traveling to Brookings, S.D., for a matchup with South Dakota State. UALR and the Jackrabbits are set for a 7 p.m. tipoff on Thursday.
Texas State Defeats A&M Commerce
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State women's basketball team earned its fourth victory Sunday afternoon as it defeated Texas A&M Commerce by a score of 74-69 at Strahan Coliseum. The Bobcats improve to 4-3 on the year.
Senior guard Meghan Braeuer continued to be an offensive threat for the Bobcats, scoring a floor-high 22 points on 6-of-11 shooting for Texas State. The Belton, Texas native hit five three-pointers, putting her conference-leading total up to 27 for the season. Her mark of five made three-pointers matched her previous career-high set against Texas Tech on November 18.
A 14-6 run in the final six minutes of the first half by the Bobcats propelled Texas State to a 40-32 lead at the break. Highlights of the first half included a floor-high 10 points by Erin Peoples and just four turnovers by the Bobcat offense.
Peoples had several igniting moments in the first, including a steal and a fastbreak lay-up with 13:38 remaining. The combo of Ayriel Anderson and Peoples exchanged the ball several times after Peoples' steal to result in the lay-up.
After an A&M Commerce run to begin the second half and come within two of Texas State, Braeuer proceeded to rattle off back-to-back three pointers along with a lay-up by Peoples to build a 10-point lead once again.
In the closing minutes of the second, A&M Commerce came within two of the Bobcats. A fifth three-pointer of the afternoon for Braeuer with 1:15 on the clock solidified the Bobcats lead heading into the final seconds of the contest.
Peoples finished the game with 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds for her eighth career double-double for Texas State. The Bobcats finished the afternoon with just nine turnovers while forcing 11 and ultimately won the rebounding battle, 42-39, over A&M Commerce.
The Bobcats will now travel to Florida for the Stetson Hatter Classic scheduled to take place December 19-20 in Deland, Fla. The Bobcats will take on Bethune-Cookman at 2 p.m. CT on Dec. 19. Live stats, live video, and live audio will be available at www.txstatebobcats.com.
Appalachian State Falls to No. 6 UNC
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Appalachian State University women's basketball fell to North Carolina on Sunday afternoon, 84-52 in Carmichael Arena.
The Mountaineers (3-4) trailed the entire game as the number six ranked Tar Heels (9-0) ran the floor and hit difficult shots to take the game.
The Tar Heels struck first, hitting a layup just nine seconds into the game and then hitting a three-pointer to take a 5-0 lead on the Mountaineers.
Appalachian found points from Mia Marshall, KeKe Cooper and Maryah Sydnor, but North Carolina scored on almost every possession, jumping out to 30-12 lead with 10:21 to play in the first half. From there the Tar Heels would go on a 9-0 run before the Mountaineers would end the drought with a jumper from Katie Mallow with 5:15 to play.
Mallow's basket would spark a 15-8 run for Appalachian in the last five minutes of the first half as team forced three UNC turnovers. The Apps went into the locker room trailing North Carolina, 46-27.
Sydnor led the Mountaineers at the half with eight points. North Carolina was led by three players' seven points.
The Mountaineers started the second half well, scoring five quick points, but North Carolina's Stephanie Mavunga could not be stopped as she scored ten points in the first six minutes. Led by Mavunga, the Tar Heels took a 60-41 lead.
Two free throws from Vernessa Hinnant and four points from Sydnor would keep the Mountaineers in the game, but Appalachian began to get tired as the Tar Heels continued to run the court and force turnovers. The Mountaineers eventually fell to North Carolina, 84-52.
Sydnor recorded her first double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Joi Jones followed with 11 points and four assists. Marshall added six rebounds for the Apps.
Appalachian shot 37.5 percent from the floor, turning the ball over 30 times and grabbing 37 rebounds.
Mavunga led UNC with 19 points and nine rebounds as the team shots 47.4 percent from the floor. The Tar Heels recorded 46 rebounds and 17 turnovers.
The Apps return to action when they take on North Carolina A&T on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at the Holmes Center.
Ole Miss Trumps South Alabama on Sunday
OXFPRD, Miss. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team only trailed by eight at the intermission Sunday afternoon versus Ole Miss, but the Rebels used a strong second-half performance at both ends of the floor to pull away and pick up an 88-48 victory over the Jaguars at the C.M. Tad Smith Coliseum.
"I was disappointed in the way we played in the second half," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said. "I thought we came out in the first half and did all the things that we had talked about doing. We were right there within two or three possessions. Ole Miss picked up its intensity in the second half. Their big bodies and athleticism just wore us out and we couldn't match their intensity. We couldn't get to the loose balls in the second half that we were able to in the first."
Ole Miss shot 60.0 percent from the field in the second period of play, connecting on 18 of its 30 shot attempts, while forcing USA into 16 turnovers and holding the Jaguars to 17.4 percent shooting. South Alabama was just 4-for-23 from the field in the final period. The Rebels also recorded 11 of their 20 steals in the period.
The Rebels (7-3) entered the contest leading the SEC and ranked seventh in the NCAA with 14.6 steals per game. The 20-steal performance marks the second time this season that Ole Miss has eclipsed the 20-steal mark. UM also had 23 versus Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 16.
Tia Faleru led the Rebels in that category with five steals, while three other players had three steals of their own.
Ole Miss placed five players in double digits led by Bretta Hart and Erika Sisk's 14 points apiece. Faleru had 12 points, while Danielle McCray and Shequila Joseph chipped in with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The five players in double figures by Ole Miss marked the first time an opponent has done so since Louisiana-Monroe (2/26/14) last season.
For the game, the Rebels shot 53.2 percent from the floor, connecting on 33 of their 62 shot attempts. USA was just 13 for 44 for 29.5 percent and ended the night with a season-high 31 turnovers. Ole Miss capitalized on the Jaguar miscues, scoring 42 of its 88 points off turnovers.
The Jags (3-4) will now head to Cookeville, Tenn., to take on Tennessee Tech on Tuesday night. Tip-off versus the Golden Eagles is set for 6 p.m. at the Eblen Center.
South Alabama was paced offensively by Breanna Hall and Marquita Daniels who finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Jag duo was held to just two points in the second half, both points coming from Hall. Daniels – making her first collegiate start – paced USA with a career-high four steals.
The host Rebels held an early 5-2 lead two-and-a-half minutes into the contest, but South Alabama answered right back with a 10-0 run over the next four minutes to take its first lead of the contest. Daniels and Hall led the scoring for the Jaguars as the duo combined for seven points. Simonne Potts capped off the scoring and gave USA a 12-5 lead with a layup at the 13:43 mark of the opening half. Webb found the Jag forward underneath for the easy basket to give the visitors the seven-point advantage.
Following a basket by Sisk on UM's next possession, Hart then checked into the game for the Rebels and began to lead Ole Miss back as she scored eight-straight points to ignite a 21-6 run for over the next five-plus minutes.
During the Rebel run, South Alabama would commit six of its 15 first-half turnovers. Sisk – who entered the game leading the SEC in steals – was responsible for three of the Jag miscues.
The Jaguars did a good job of attacking the basket during the first 20 minutes of play, getting to the line 20 times and knocking down 15 of those opportunities. Hall was 7-of-8 at the stripe, while Daniels was 4-for-6. Daniels led USA with 10 first-half points, while Hall chipped in with nine.
The Rebels eventually went on to lead by as much as 13 (38-25) following a layup by Hart with just under four minutes to go before the half. Hart led all scorers during the first period of play with 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting.
South Alabama made a late charge, trimming the Ole Miss lead to seven following a three-pointer from the left corner and a jumper in the lane by Taylor Jenkins at the 1:16 mark, but over the next minute, the Rebels would turn up the defensive pressure and force a pair of Jag turnovers to extend its lead back out to 10.
Colby Davis connected on a pair of free-throw in the closing seconds to send the two clubs into the locker room with Ole Miss leading 42-34.
Led by the shooting of Hart, Ole Miss was 15-for-32 in the first half for 46.9 percent. USA was 9-of-21 from the field for 42.9 percent, but committed 15 first-half turnovers.
Cold shooting to start the second half and more turnovers would prove costly. South Alabama missed its first nine shot attempts to open the final period and committed eight turnovers during the first eight-and-a-half minutes of the period.
The Rebels took advantage of the offensive slump and outscored the Jaguars 26-4 during that stretch to break the contest open. Faleru – who scored just three points and played just seven minutes in the opening half – led Ole Miss with eight points during the run. Gracie Frizzell capped off the scoring and gave the Rebels the 68-38 advantage with her second three of the afternoon with just over 12 minutes showing on the clock.
From there, Ole Miss would hold control en route to the 40-point victory.
Strong Defensive Effort Not Enough as Red Wolves Fall to Jayhawks
LAWRENCE, Kan. (12/14/14) – Arkansas State came into Sunday afternoon’s game at Kansas hoping to do what no team had accomplished all season, defeat the Jayhawks at home, but the Red Wolves were unable to convert a stellar effort on the defensive end into points offensively and fell 62-48 in women’s basketball at Allen Fieldhouse.
A-State (3-4) got within two points twice in the second half, but the Jayhawks responded each time with a pair of runs to push the lead to double-digits. Aundrea Gamble scored a game-high 20 points and added seven rebounds to along with three steals and an assist. Jasmine Hunt finished with 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting and grabbed four rebounds.
Kansas, which upped its record to 8-3 overall this season, was paced by Chayla Cheadle’s 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Natalie Knight added 15 points and 13 rebounds to finish as the only other Jayhawk in double figures.
“The outcome was disappointing but I thought the performance was very good on our part,” A-State head coach Brian Boyer said. “We’ve been a little up and down on our performance of late and I thought we were on point and very focused on what we had to do defensively, but in the end give Kansas credit because they played really well did what they needed to get the victory.”
Both teams kept the margin close throughout the first 20 minutes with the score tied three times and the lead only exchanging hands on one occasion at the 15:40 mark as Knight knocked down a 3-pointer to give Kansas an 8-5 edge. The hosts would not trail for the remainder of the game but A-State made numerous runs in the first and second halves to put themselves in position to take the lead.
Arkansas State opened the second half on a 6-2 run to get the score with 33-31 with just over 17 minutes left to go, but then the Red Wolves went cold from the field and suffered a five-plus minute scoring drought that allowed to Kansas to build a seven point edge at 38-31.
Gamble ended the drought with a layup and then converted on a 3-point play at the free throw line to close the deficit to 36-33 with 11:16 remaining, but the Jayhawks answered with an 11-2 run to get their lead to double digits for the first time on the afternoon at 49-38 with 7:45 to go. Cheadle helped ensure the Kansas victory with a four-point play before the final media timeout to push the advantage to 53-42 and A-State could not muster enough energy for a final push over the final few minutes of the contest.
“I have no issues with our effort and we talked about that a lot after the Ohio State game the other night,” Boyer said. “We gave ourselves a chance and that’s all we could ask for. We had a big push at the end of the first half and then the second half we seemed to bounce around the four, five and six point deficit and just could never really make that push to tie it or get the lead.”
Arkansas State played sound defense throughout the night and limited the Jayhawks to their fourth lowest point total of the season. Preseason Big 12 All-Conference selection Chelsea Gardner was limited to just two points and two rebounds and battled foul trouble throughout at the game as the Red Wolves attacked her in the paint with guards and solid post play from Amanda Lawson and Hunt.
“Our focus with any post player is to attack them with our guards with a lot of ball pressure and I thought we did a very good job of that,” Boyer said. “It is a shame that we could not turn that into points on the offensive end and I’m not sure it was a big factor early on but I thought late in the game we were fatigued a little bit and it showed with some of the shot selection and our drives to the basket.”
In the first half A-State used an 8-0 run to tie the game at 21-21 with just over two minutes to go. Gamble scored six of the eight points during the run, including a 3-pointer that tied the game with 2:25 remaining in the period.
Gamble scored eight points in the first half and also collected five rebounds. The Red Wolves crashed the boards during the entire opening 20 minutes and went into the break with a 22-20 edge, including an 8-3 advantage on the offensive glass. Hanna Qedan and Lawson chipped in with four boards each, while Lawson also had seven points.
Arkansas State went 19-of-63 (30.2 percent) from the field, 2-of-11 (18.2 percent) from behind the three-point arc and 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) from the free throw line. Kansas shot 44.4 percent (24-of-54) from the floor and knocked down 6-of-16 (37.5 percent) shots from beyond the arc. The Red Wolves held a 22-20 edge on the board going into halftime, but the Jayhawks put an emphasis on crashing the glass in the final 20 minutes and finished with a 46-36 advantage in the category.
The Red Wolves continue their four-game road swing at Kent State on Dec. 17 and will wrap up the trip Dec. 19 at Missouri State. The Kent State game is set to tip-off at 6 p.m. (CT) while the matchup with the Bears will start at 7:05 p.m. (CT). Both games can be heard for free in the StateZone at AStateRedWolves.com.