Saturday, January 31
Arkansas State Knocks off Georgia State
ATLANTA, Ga. (1/31/15) – Aundrea Gamble scored a game-high 22 points to lead Arkansas State to a 61-47 victory over Georgia State Saturday afternoon at the Georgia State Sports Arena in Sun Belt Conference women’s basketball.
With the Red Wolves improved to 15-7 overall and 10-2 in the league, while Georgia State fell to 8-12 overall and 3-8 in the SBC.
Jasmine Hunt and Gamble combined to score 27 of A-State’s 32 points in the second half and helped the Red Wolves dominate in the paint where the squad had a 32-20 edge. Hunt finished with 15 points and her seven rebounds tied a game-high with Gamble.
The Red Wolves held a 29-20 lead at halftime and opened the second half on a 13-4 run to build a 39-24 lead with 14:34 to go. Georgia State responded with a run of its own and got the lead down to seven at 48-41 after a 3-pointer by Marian Hannoun, but Gamble sparked an 8-0 run with a pull up jumper to push the lead back to double-digits and give A-State its 10th league victory of the year.
“It was a huge start to the half and we got up by 15, then they were able to get some stops and got it back down to single digits on their home court and that gets you a little nervous,” A-State head coach Brian Boyer said. “We settled down after that and stayed in our defense and that helped us withstand that run and close the game out and get a win.”
Georgia State, who was without its top two leading scorers, had trouble guarding A-State in the paint. After scoring just four points in the first half, Gamble scored 14 points in the second half, including six field goals in the paint. Hunt had an equal amount success posting her defender getting good looks at the basket.
In the first half the Red Wolves trailed 12-10 early on, but used a 7-0 run to go up 17-12. The Panthers closed to within 21-19 with 3:59 to go in the half, but the Red Wolves bounced back with a 6-0 run, which included a 3-pointer by Hanna Qedan, to go up 27-19 with 57.6 second to go.
The Red Wolves had their largest lead at the break at 29-20 after a jumper in the lane by Khadija Brown-Haywood. A-State played solid defense in the first half held the Panthers to just 24.2 percent (8-of-33) from the field. GSU had two scoring droughts of 3-plus minutes and went 0-for-10 from the field to close the half.
“In the first half we were really good defensively,” Boyer said. “We gave up a few too many offensive rebounds to let them stay in it, but overall I thought it was a really good effort by team.”
Arkansas State shot 46 percent (23-of-50) from the field while the Panthers were just 19-of-64 (29.7 percent). Georgia State battled foul trouble throughout the game, but A-State struggled at the foul line and managed to shoot 52.2 percent (12-of-23).
Saturday’s victory was also the 23rd for Arkansas State in the month of January over the last three years and has just four losses in the month over the same span.
The squad will return home Thursday, Feb. 5 against Troy. The game is set for a 5 p.m. tip-off and can be heard live on 95.3FM The Ticket/970AM KNEA or online at AStateRedWolves.com. Live streaming will also be provided with a paid subscription to the Red Wolves Digital Network.
ULM Defeats South Alabama, 55-53
MONROE, La. – Three Warhawks scored in double-digits to lead the team to victory as the ULM women’s basketball team captured a 55-53 win over South Alabama on Saturday afternoon in Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
Sharnice Brooks led the scoring efforts for ULM (9-11, 5-6 SBC) with 12 points, while Alayshia Hunter had 11 points and Christina Gray chipped in 10.
The Warhawks outrebounded South Alabama (4-16, 1-10 SBC) 38-24, including grabbing 20 offensive rebounds compared to the Jaguars four offensive rebounds.
In addition to scoring double-figures, Gray and Hunter grabbed eight rebounds each.
Daja Chase contributed nine points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Breanna Hall led South Alabama with 13 points and four rebounds.
The Jaguars opened the game on an 8-2 run with two early threes and a layup before the Warhawks used back-to-back buckets to cut the lead back to two, 8-6, with 15:58 remaining in the half.
The visitors then took an 11 point lead at 20-9, but the ULM defense prevented South Alabama from scoring a bucket during the final 3:48 of the half and used an 11-1 run of their own to take a 32-27 advantage into the locker room.
The Jaguars started the second half with a three to cut into the home team’s lead, but Brooks nailed two jumpers in a row to push the lead back to seven, 36-29, with 18:19 left in the game.
ULM went a 12-3 run, highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers from Chelsea Tieuel, to take a 12 point lead, 44-32, with 8:17 remaining.
South Alabama hit a series of three-point shots of their own to cut the score to 48-43, ULM, with 3:13 left.
After the Jaguars scored two free throws, South Alabama’s Hall scored one from beyond the arc to cut the Warhawks’ lead to one, 54-53, with 17 seconds remaining.
Chase sank a free throw and ULM was able to get a defensive stop on the other end of the court to seal the 55-53 victory for the Warhawks.
ULM returns to the court on Thursday as they take on UALR at 5:30 in the Jack Stephens Center.
Cajuns Defeat Bobcats in Double Overtime, 83-81
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Freshman Simone Fields scored five of her career-high 15 points in double overtime and the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team used a 10-4 run to open the second overtime session to earn an 83-81 victory over Texas State in a Sun Belt Conference game on Saturday at Strahan Coliseum.
Jaylyn Gordon scored 22 points to lead five players in double figures for Louisiana (14-6, 6-4 SBC), which went 34-for-86 (39.5 percent) from the floor and held a 55-41 advantage on the glass. Robbie Brown added 18 points for the Ragin' Cajuns with Kia Wilridge 13 and Keke Veal 10.
"The kids played well and deserved it (the win)," head coach Garry Brodhead said after the win. "We were very aggressive on the boards and we talked to the kids about that before the game, that we were going to have to keep them (Texas State) off the boards. We played together, we moved the ball and we were able to push it in transition.
"I have to give it to the kids, they listened to what we were saying and played really hard. You win games when you do things like that."
Fields, from nearby San Antonio, Texas, gave Louisiana the lead for good with 1:45 remaining after her three-point play gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 76-73 lead. Following a jumper by Texas State's Ericka May cut the lead to 76-75 with 1:35 remaining, Brown drained a 3-pointer with 1:10 left before Wilridge sank a pair of free throws with 31 seconds remaining.
The Ragin' Cajuns sealed the win on a Fields bucket with eight seconds remaining before Texas State (12-8, 7-4 SBC) scored on a Taeler Deer layup and May 3-pointer in the final seconds.
Louisiana trailed 19-11 in the first half after a jumper by May with 10:15 remaining in the first half before the Ragin' Cajuns answered with a 13-0 run to take their first lead of the game. Veal scored six points in the run, including a jumper with 4:36 remaining in the first half for a 20-19 lead. Gordon and Veal would add layups for a 24-19 lead before Texas State cut the lead to 26-24 at intermission.
A 3-pointer by Gordon with 14:22 remaining gave Louisiana a 40-32 advantage before the Bobcats gradually chipped away at the lead. Texas State used a 15-5 run to take the lead as a 3-pointer by Jacqueline Jeffcoat with 8:17 left gave the Bobcats a 47-45 lead.
Texas State led 54-49 after a pair of free throws by Erin Peoples with 5:04 remaining before Louisiana used a 9-2 run to take a 58-56 lead with 23 seconds left in regulation. The Cajuns scored eight straight points in the run as Wilridge converting on a layup, Brown adding two straight layups and Wilridge giving Louisiana a 57-54 lead with a layup at the 1:53 mark.
But the Ragin' Cajuns missed three free throws down the stretch and Peoples scored a layup with three seconds remaining to tie the game at 58-58 and send the game to overtime.
In the first overtime, Peoples scored five straight points for a 63-58 lead before Gordon and Fields combined for all seven points in a 7-2 run that tied the game at 65-65 at the 1:26 mark. After a layup by Peoples gave Texas State a 67-65 lead, Brown responded for the Ragin' Cajuns with a 3-pointer and a free throw for a 69-67 lead before Ayriel Anderson hit a jumper with seven seconds remaining to force a second overtime.
Peoples scored a game-high 23 points for Texas State, which went 28-for-65 (43.1 percent) from the floor, 8-for-19 (42.1 percent) from behind the 3-point line and 17-for-21 (81.0 percent) from the charity stripe. Anderson added 15 points for the Bobcats, Deer had 14, Jeffcoat 13 and May 10.
Wilridge grabbed a team-high nine rebounds for Louisiana with Gabby Alexander coming off the bench to pull down eight.
Louisiana will return to action on Thursday (Feb. 5) when it entertains Appalachian State in a 5 p.m. contest at the Cajundome.
UALR Runs Past Georgia Southern, 58-44
STATESBORO, Ga. – A shaky first half by the UALR women’s basketball team gave way to a dominant second half, and the Trojans rode two second-half runs to a 58-44 victory over Georgia Southern at Hanner Fieldhouse on Saturday evening.
Taylor Gault had a team-high 20 points while Shanity James added 17 of her own, and both women were instrumental in second-half surges that led the Trojans (17-3, 10-1 Sun Belt Conference) over the Eagles (4-15, 1-9).
With UALR leading 29-23 early in the first half, Gault sparked the Trojans with 8 consecutive points on three straight possessions as the team stretched its lead to 36-27 with 16 minutes to play. Alexius Dawn and Ka'Nesheia Cobbins added 2-point baskets on UALR’s next two possessions to make it a 40-29 lead with 13:58 remaining, capping a scoring run of five consecutive possessions. That gave the Trojans their first double-digit lead of the evening.
Later in the half, with Georgia Southern cutting the UALR lead to just 48-41 with 7:28 to play, Gault got one basket and James followed with three more, giving the Trojans an 8-0 run over nearly five minutes to put the game out of reach.
While the UALR offense was cooking, its defense also got back to its usual self. Following a game at Arkansas State on Thursday where it allowed 70 points, the Trojans gave up just 23 points in the first half and 21 in the second on their way to the victory. Georgia Southern shot 36.2 percent from the field for the whole game and was 1 of 15 from the 3-point line. UALR also got 17 points off 15 Eagles turnovers.
James added 10 rebounds to her 17 points, getting her third double-double in the last five games and her fourth double-double of the season. Kaitlyn Pratt finished second on the team with seven rebounds while Gault had six. Cobbins had the only three assists for UALR all game, and Gault got two of the Trojans’ three blocks.
The victory gives UALR a 1-0 lead in the all-time series against Georgia Southern, as Saturday was the teams’ first-ever meeting. The Trojans have also now reached 10 conference wins for the ninth consecutive season.
But the victory was very much in doubt until the Trojans went on those two second-half runs to begin to pull away from a feisty Eagles team. Both teams shot a lowly 31.8 percent in the first half on 7 of 22 shooting. Each team had just one made 3-pointer on a combined 14 attempts.
The UALR offense was slow to get going in the first half, with a 3-pointer by Gault the team’s only basket in the game’s first five minutes. After Gault’s 3-pointer at the 17:41 mark, the Trojans would not make another field goal until James put home a layup nearly seven minutes later. Luckily for UALR, its defense was keeping the Eagles off the board, and they only trailed by one at that point.
The Trojans got their first lead on a jumper by Keanna Keys, making it a 12-10 game midway through the half. But the Eagles were not going away, and they retook the lead at 19-18 on two free throws by Briana Jones. The teams stayed neck-and-neck, tying again and 19-19, 20-20 and 21-21 as the contest saw free throws taking over.
Finally UALR got a little separation as the half wore down when James got a layup with 3:15 to play, Dawn followed that with a layup of her own and Keys hit a free throw to make it 26-21. Still, with 33 seconds to play, Georgia Southern made a jumper to give UALR just a 26-23 lead at halftime.
James topped the Trojans with 9 points and five rebounds at the break.
By game’s end, Gault had become UALR’s all-time leader in attempted free throws. She is also now six away from the school record for made free throws. Dawn reached the 200 career point mark with her fifth point of the day, and she did not make a 3-pointer for just the fourth time all year.
With two road games now behind them, the Trojans are back at home in the Jack Stephens Center on Thursday. UALR will welcome ULM for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff. The Trojans defeated the Warhawks 79-41 in Monroe on Jan. 17.
UT Arlington Outlasts Troy, 70-67
ARLINGTON, Texas - UT Arlington and Troy battled for 40 minutes on Saturday night at College Park Center. The difference came down to a blocked 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded for the Lady Mavericks to escape with a thrilling 70-67 win in Sun Belt Conference play.
The Lady Mavs (11-9, 5-6) used their best shooting performance of the season at 52.1 percent to earn back-to-back wins and sweep a two-game homestand. Freshman Rebekah Van Dijk earned her 10th double-double of the season on her birthday and scored 10 of her team-high 19 points in the final five minutes of the game.
"I am so proud of our girls," UT Arlington coach Krista Gerlich said. "That is the biggest win since I have been here. They did a nice job and I told them to not back down. I am really proud of this young team."
Van Dijk picked up a game-high 12 rebounds and was joined by Cierra Johnson, who had 10, as players with double-digit rebounding in the contest. Johnson fell a late-free throw short of a double-double, which would have been the team's first outside of Van Dijk's this season.
UTA turned the ball over 31 times in the game, the most under Gerlich in her two years with the program, but were able to slow down Troy's speed down the court and allowed just 17 points off of turnovers.
"We just played better as a team and handled their transition," Van Dijk said. "Last time we played them we were surprised when they ran the floor. We got back and stopped them and didn't let them score in transition."
Junior LaShanda Green scored 14 points and picked up a career-high three blocks - UTA had eight overall in the game. Junior Toma Zaleckaite had a career-high 12 points, her first double-digit scoring performance of the season.
UTA had 19 turnovers in the first but were able to build up a double-digit lead. The Lady Mavs went on a 14-0 run to break an 11-11 tie that was helped by five points from Johnson. Zaleckaite converted on back-to-back jumpers and UTA found itself up 25-11 with 4:48 to go in the half.
The Trojans closed the gap by holding UTA scoreless for the remainder and went on a run of their own to score eight consecutive.
Zaleckaite, breaking her career high in the first, had a team-high eight points to help UTA to a 25-21 halftime lead.
UTA and Troy would go back-and-forth through the early parts of the second as the Trojans were unable to answer any of UTA's short runs.
The Lady Mavs built the lead back up to 10 with under four minutes to play before the Trojans got hot from beyond the arc.
Ashley Beverly-Kelley and Caitlyn Ramirez banked in 3-pointers to trim the advantage to just one-point for the Lady Mavs. Van Dijk answered with back-to-back buckets in transition and Green knocked down a pair of free throws to give UTA its final three-point advantage.