Sunday, December 13
Balanced Attack Leads Bobcats to Win
SAN MARCOS, Texas – A career-high 23 points by Kaitlin Walla as well as an overall balanced offensive attack led the Texas State women's basketball team to an 80-60 victory against Texas A&M-Commerce Sunday evening.
Texas State had three players in double-digits, two with nine points, and one with eight as well as several Bobcats having career nights in the victory.
How It Happened:
With just a six point lead at halftime, Texas State outscored the Lions 36-22 in the final 20 minutes of play to lift itself to its fourth victory of the season.
The first two quarters of play were a back-and-forth battle, as neither team could put together runs to get the game out of reach early. Just as the 'Cats took a four-point lead with 4:41 to play in the first after a jumper by Kiani Lurry, the Lions would storm back to force the fourth tie at that point as well as regain the lead in the closing minutes of the first.
A three by Walla granted the 'Cats the lead once again with 2:07 to play in the first period and a 10-3 run to close out the quarter put Texas State up six over the visiting Lions.
The six-point lead after the first period remained the same after 10 more minutes of action. The Lions clawed their way back into the contest throughout the quarter and they even took over the lead once again with 2:30 left before intermission. Back-to-back baskets by Leavitt as well as a steal on the Lions' next possession by the Nixa, Mo. native pushed Texas State into an 8-0 run to go into the half.
Texas A&M-Commerce made its final push to start the second half by tying up the game for the seventh time with 7:02 to play in the third. A 17-4 run by Texas State, capped by a Leavitt three, sent the 'Cats into the fourth with a comfortable lead over the Lions.
The Bobcats continued to build upon its lead throughout the fourth quarter. With 7:22 left in the game, Walla drained her fifth three-pointer of the day, which not only topped a career-high of made three's in a game, but put the redshirt sophomore into the 20+ point category for the first time in her career.
Texas State shot a season-high 56.9 percent from the floor as well as a season-high 47.6 percent from beyond the arc. The Bobcats maintained consistency throughout the game as each half the 'Cats shot over 50 percent from the floor. Texas State finished the day with 10 made three's, making that the third time this season it had achieved double-digit three's in a game.
Little Rock Falls to Tulsa
LITTLE ROCK – The Little Rock women's basketball team made a fourth-quarter run, but it wasn't enough as Tulsa defeated the Trojans 74-63 at the Jack Stephens Center on Sunday afternoon.
Little Rock (2-5) trailed by as many as 19 during the third quarter but managed to cut the lead to just 6 points early in the fourth. But the offense for Tulsa (3-7) continued excel like it had all afternoon, and the Trojans could not make up the deficit.
The Golden Hurricane shot 51 percent from the field on the afternoon including a 55.6 percent showing in the first half. The Trojans, meanwhile, were 35 percent from the floor in the first half before getting hot in the second half and draining 64 percent of their second-half atetmpts. The team finished the game shooting 51 percent overall, but Tulsa had six more makes in its 51 percent game.
Alexius Dawn was Little Rock's leading scorer in the game, putting home 16 points including two 3-pointers. She was joined by Shanity James (13 points), Sharde Collins (13) and Keanna Keys (10) in double-figure scoring, making Sunday's game the first time all year that Little Rock had four double-figure scorers in a game.
Keys led the Trojans with seven rebounds including her 100th career defensive rebound. Monique Townson and Dawn tied for the team lead with four assists, and freshman Amber Landing had two blocks.
Tulsa became the first team to score 70 or more points on Little Rock this year, and in the process the Hurricane snapped a six-game losing streak to the Trojans.
Trailing by 14 points entering the fourth quarter, Little Rock showed signs of life as it went on an 8-0 run over the first two minutes of the period to cut Tulsa's lead to 58-52. Shanity James had two layups and a free throw during that span, and Dawn added a 3-pointer.
Little Rock remained within 6 points at 60-54 after a Collins layup, but Memphis brought its lead back up to double digits with the next two baskets and never led by fewer than 7 again.
The Trojans got off to a very slow start, and Tulsa was on fire from the field. The Golden Hurricane made six of its first seven field goal attempts and scored the first 7 points of the game. Tulsa held a 14-4 lead at the first media timeout as Little Rock made only two of its first eight shots and posted five turnovers in six minutes.
Tulsa cooled off in the second part of the quarter, making just one more field goal. But Little Rock equaled that, connecting on just one attempt to go into the second quarter trailing 17-9. Both teams had eight turnovers in the first 10 minutes.
Little Rock began to cut into the Tulsa lead at the start of the second quarter, scoring the first 4 points and eventually bringing its deficit down to just 3 points with a James layup with 6:19 showing on the clock. But from there, the Golden Hurricane took over the quarter, scoring 17 points in the final six minutes to inflate their lead to double digits. A 3-pointer by Erika Wakefield at the buzzer made it a 38-23 advantage for the visitors at the break.
In the third quarter, Tulsa continued to pour in the baskets, scoring 11 points in the first five minutes. But the Trojans also showed signs of life as Collins scored 8 quick points including the team's first 3-pointer of the game. Dawn got one to go from long range right after that, and the Trojans' deficit was 49-35 midway through the quarter.
That deficit stayed the same over the last part of the third. Despite the Trojans putting 9 more points on the board, the Golden Hurricane equaled that number and went into the final quarter leading 58-44.
Little Rock has another full week off between games after playing Tulsa, as the Trojans are set to take on Missouri State on Dec. 20 at 3 p.m. The game is part of a doubleheader with the undefeated Little Rock men, as the men will take on Northern Arizona at 1 p.m.
Jaguar Offense Struggles in Loss to UAB
MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team recorded its second-lowest offensive output of the season and UAB held a 19-rebound advantage Sunday afternoon as the Jaguars suffered a 53-39 loss to the Blazers at the Mitchell Center.
USA (2-4) finished 15-of-46 from the field for the game for 32.6 percent, while the Blazers held a 46-27 advantage on the glass. UAB also recorded 11 offensive rebounds and limited South Alabama to just one offensive board. The Blazers turned those extra possessions into 13 points and held a plus-10 advantage in second-chance points.
"We came out pretty good," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said. "I think we got a little flat in the middle of the second quarter, and that carried over into the third quarter. Offensive rebounds were huge. UAB came in and that was their strength. They did a great job with that. We just can't, for whatever reason, make shots. It is deflating. You get a layup at the basket, it doesn't go and then it just keeps rolling over.
"The same thing happened at the free-throw line as well. We talked about the lack of scoring, the fact that our defense has been pretty good, but if we're not going to score then there the defense has to be even better. When you come into a game and give up 53, you like your chances. We just have to be able to put the ball in the basket to relieve some of the pressure on the defensive end of the floor."
The Jags knocked down just seven of their 25 shot attempts in the first half for 28 percent shooting. South Alabama was also just 3-for-13 at the foul line, while UAB ended the contest 14-for-21 at the stripe.
South Alabama will now hosts William Carey on Tuesday night with tip-off versus the Crusaders set for 7 p.m. Live stats and web streaming for the contest can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com. Fans can also keep up with in-match updates by following action on the program's twitter account @SouthALWBB.
Erin Autio came off the bench to record a career-high 16 points, 10 of which coming in the second half. Autio was 6-of-11 from the floor, including 4-for-8 from the three-point line. Autio also pulled down five rebounds in 29 minutes of action. LaNeetra Guillory added eight points, while Colby Davis chipped in with six.
UAB (5-4) placed three players in double figures. Deanna Kuzmanic led the club with 20 points on 8-of-20 shooting. Brittany Winborne fifth-career double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Of her 15 rebounds, 12 came on the defensive glass. Keonna Farmer also ended the game in double digits with 10 points.
The Blazers led by four early on in the contest, but Autio helped South Alabama ended a three-plus minute scoreless drought as she drained a three-pointer from the left wing with just under six minutes remaining. Two minutes later, Autio again connected from the outside to put USA back out in front. On South Alabama's next possession, Guillory gave USA four-point lead of its own (10-6).
That basket though would be South Alabama's last points for the next eight-plus minutes. During that time, UAB would take advantage and rattled off a 12-0 run. USA would also miss its 12 shot attempts during that stretch.
Maya Garland ended a four-plus minute offensive drought for the Blazers and ignited the 12-0 UAB run with a steal and layup at the 2:26 mark of the first quarter. With just over a minute to go, Whytney Singleton knocked down UAB's first three-pointer of the contest, this one coming from the right corner with one minute, 12 seconds showing on the clock. Kuzmanic, who had six of the Blazers' 13 first-quarter points, knocked down a jumper with 20 seconds remaining to extend the visitor's advantage to 13-10 after the first 10 minutes of action.
With South Alabama continuing to struggle at the offensive end, the Blazers scored the first five points of the second period and took an 18-10 lead on a bucket by Winborne at the 6:29 mark of the second quarter.
Juliann Miller hit one of two at the line at the 5:32 mark of the second quarter to end the scoreless streak for the Jaguars and on their next possession, Guillory scored the club's first field goal in nearly nine minutes of action.
The Jaguar defense helped South Alabama hang around over the next few minutes. Jennifer Towne, seeing her first action of the season, cut the Blazer lead to 20-15 with a layup with less than two to go in the period.
After missing six of its first seven free throw attempts in the contest, UAB's final three points of the opening half would come at the foul line. With 57.6 showing on the clock, Winborne sank a pair at the foul line to increase the Blazer advantage to 23-15, but on South Alabama's final possession, Miller threaded the needed with a beautiful pass through traffic in the lane and found Genesis Perrymond open for a layup to cut the deficit to six.
Singleton's three-pointer at the buzzer from the right side was off the mark and UAB headed into the locker room with a 23-17 lead.
Both clubs struggled to find the range in the second quarter as they each had just three made field goals and were a combined 6-of-26 from the floor.
South Alabama's offensive struggles continued at the start of the second half as the Jaguars were scoreless on their first four possessions. UAB again took advantage and opened the third quarter with 9-0 run to extend its lead out to double figures. Kuzmanic began the scoring with a three-pointer and a jumper. The freshman would scored 10 of her 20 points during the third period of play. After another basket by WInborne, Farmer connected with just over seven minutes remaining to give UAB a 15-point advantage at 32-17.
On South Alabama's ensuing possession, Perrymond knocked down South Alabama's third trey of the afternoon and Davis
The Blazers didn't led the Jaguars hold the momentum long though as they rattled off another run to take their largest lead of the contest to that point at 42-24. Kuzmanic and Kayla Anderson combined for all but two of UAB's points during the 10-2 run to close the third period.
South Alabama was just 3-of-11 from the field in the third with five turnovers, while UAB, led by Kuzmanic, was 6-of-14 in the frame, and led by 18 heading into the fourth period.
Autio attempted to spark a Jaguar rally during the final 10 minutes of action. The redshirt freshman drained a trey from the top of the key on USA's second possession and later connected from the right corner to cut the deficit to 48-36 with just under three to play. Autio scored all 10 of her second-half points in the fourth quarter and was 4-of-6 from the field.
It wouldn't be enough though as the Blazers held on to take the 14-point victory.
USA had its opportunities to draw closer during the final period of play, getting to the foul line nine times, but the Jags converted just two of those attempts. Conversely, UAB was 10-of-11 at the charity stripe in the period.
WKU Uses Fourth-Quarter Run to Defeat UTA
ARLINGTON, Texas - A career-high 24 points from Amara Wainwright was not enough as UT Arlington fell 73-64 to WKU on Sunday at College Park Center.
The Lady Mavericks (3-5) ended the home portion of their nonconference schedule at 2-3 at CPC, heading on the road for a pair of games before hosting Georgia State on Dec. 30 in their Sun Belt Opener.
Wainwright caught fire midway through the third quarter to lead UTA's charge, scoring 14 points in the second half as she was 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. However, WKU would tame UTA's shooters and make a run of its own early in the final quarter.
The 15-0 run helped WKU (5-2) to its largest lead of the game at 11 points with under five minutes to play. UTA turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions during the run as the Lady Toppers outscored UTA 23-12 in the final period.
UTA gave the ball away 24 times overall and were outscored 23-10 in points off of turnovers.
Turning point
Trailing by four points, WKU turned the Mavericks over six times in the fourth quarter overall and on three consecutive possessions during a 15-0 run. WKU's two leading scorers overall, Kendall Noble and Tashia Brown, each had seven points in the quarter.