Friday, November 11
SMU Outlasts Texas State, 64-56, in Opener
DALLAS – Texas State University women’s basketball opened the 2016-17 season with a 64-56 setback at SMU Thursday morning inside Moody Coliseum in Dallas.
The Bobcats (0-1) limited SMU (1-0) to 29.2 percent (19-of-65) from the field but, the Mustangs’ 21 points at the free-throw line proved to be the difference. SMU was 21-of-30 at the line, while the Bobcats, who shot 37.9 percent overall (22-of-58) attempted only six free throws, making five.
Sophomore point guard Toshua Leavitt led Texas State in scoring with 12 points on a career-high tying four made 3-pointers. McKinley Bostad, who made her Bobcat debut after sitting out last season due to NCAA Division I transfer policies, scored 11 and Ericka May posted a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double.
SMU received double-double performances from Alicia Froling (15 points/15 rebounds) and Dai’ja Thomas (10 points/11 rebounds), while Mikayla Reese finished with 11 points, including nine in the fourth quarter.
Leavitt’s 3-pointer from the left wing provided Texas State’s first points of the season and cut the early SMU lead to 4-3. SMU built an 11-6 advantage through the middle stages of the first quarter, but Leavitt again hit from three, trimming the Mustang lead 11-9 at the 3:43 mark. A Kiara Perry 3-point play closed the scoring in the stanza and gave SMU a 14-9 lead.
Texas State scored first in the second quarter as Bostad converted a pair at the line. The Bobcats’ defense would limit SMU to only a pair of field goal in the period, but the Mustangs’ ability to get to the line – and make 6-of-8 attempts – kept the home team in front at the break. Trailing 20-13 in the quarter, Texas State pieced together a 6-0 run with Ti’Aira Pitts and May each scoring inside to bookend a pair of Taeler Deer free throws. However, SMU answered with a 5-0 run of its own before Deer provided the 25-21 halftime score on a fastbreak layup with eight seconds to go in the quarter.
Leavitt made a pair of threes and May again scored inside as Texas State used an 8-3 run in the opening minutes of the second half to take its first lead of the game at 29-28. The teams traded a pair of lead over the ensuing five minutes, but SMU took the advantage for good with a 7-0 run for a 42-35 lead. A Lurry jumper late in the final minute of the quarter sent the game to the fourth with SMU leading 42-37.
SMU’s Reese made a pair of 3-points early in the fourth to stymie any Bobcat momentum that was building after a three by Bostad and jumper by May. Bostad made her second three of the quarter, pulling the Bobcats with two at 47-45 with 6:33 to play. However, SMU would allow the Bobcats no closer as the Mustangs hung on for the 64-56 win.
A-State Women’s Basketball Drops Season Opener to Oklahoma State
STILLWATER, Okla. (11/11/16) – The Arkansas State women’s basketball team dropped its season opening contest to Oklahoma State at Gallagher-Iba Arena Friday morning by a score of 76-34
The Red Wolves (0-1) trailed 26-19 at the end of the first half, but the Cowgirls went on a 19-0 run to start the second half to build its lead. A-State struggled to handle Oklahoma State’s pressure defense during the stretch and turned the ball over seven times.
Oklahoma State (1-0) outscored Arkansas State 30-7 in the third quarter as pushed the lead to double figures for the first time with 8:31 to go in the quarter. A-State cut the deficit to 24 after Dominique Oliver made a layup with 1:44 to go in the period, but could not capitalize on the momentum.
Oliver and freshman Starr Taylor led A-State on the day with seven points, while junior Akasha Westbrook scored six points and grabbed six rebounds. Oliver also finished with five rebounds.
“One of the benefits from last year’s team was that there wasn’t anything that a team could throw at us that we hadn’t seen,” A-State head coach Brian Boyer said. “Now with this year, nearly everything people throw at us we haven’t seen and that’s what happened. They threw a three-quarter trap at us and we took a timeout and we did okay with that as the game went along but then they went to a zone in the second half and we just haven’t seen a lot of that yet and things just got out of hand from there.”
The Red Wolves turned a solid defensive effort in the opening 20 minutes and forced the Cowgirls into 15 turnovers, but the struggles on the offensive end prevented the squad from pressuring Oklahoma State further.
A-State scored 10 points off the turnovers in the half, but also had a scoring drought of five plus minutes in the second quarter that ended when Tahlon Hopkins knocked down a jumper as time ticked away in the period.
Oklahoma State also dominated Arkansas State on the boards early, particularly on the offensive end, but the Red Wolves worked to close the gap to a six rebound differential by the break.
“The first half was really good. I thought our effort and intensity was flawless,” Boyer said. “We were the team that played harder and our effort was better, but we came out in the second half and we didn’t handle their shot in the second half. You know being on the road that they are going to make a run at you and we just handle it very well and things started unravel from there.”
A-State outrebounded the Cowgirls 19-18 on the offensive glass and finished the afternoon nine steals and four blocks.
A-State returns to action Wednesday, Nov. 16 at Austin Peay. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. from Clarksville, Tenn.
Chants Fall in Season Opener at Clemson
CLEMSON, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina women’s basketball team fell in its season opening game at Clemson Friday afternoon as the Tigers turned in a strong first half and held on to edge the Chanticleers by a 64-57 score.
After an even first quarter, Clemson (1-0, 0-0 ACC) outscored the Chants (0-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) 21-9 in the second frame to take an 11-point advantage into halftime. A strong third quarter by Coastal cut the deficit to just two points, but a series of free throws by Clemson during the game’s final stretch helped the Tigers seal the win.
Coastal matched or bested Clemson in nearly every statistical category, but was undone by its 21 turnovers and 26 personal fouls in the contest. Each side shot just under 30 percent from the field and CCU held a 55-49 advantage in rebounds, but Coastal allowed Clemson plenty of opportunities at the free throw line, where the Tigers finished 26-of-41.
Friday’s season-opening loss is the first for Coastal under fourth-year head coach Jaida Williams, and the program’s first since the 2012-13 season opener.
Coastal makes its 2016-17 home debut on Tuesday when the Chants host NC Central for a 7 p.m. game at the HTC Center.
A total of 11 Chanticleers saw the floor during Friday’s game with Rachael Gregory playing a team-leading 35 minutes. Gregory and Jas Adams paced the Chants with 14 points apiece and both finished 5-of-11 from the floor. Two of Adams’ shots came from beyond the arc, while Gregory earned four of her points from the line.
Gregory also led the Chants with nine rebounds to finish just shy of her first double-double in a Coastal uniform.
Yasmin Miller followed Gregory with eight rebounds while adding seven points, five of which came consecutively in the third quarter as Coastal was making an 18-9 charge.
Jaia Alexander led Clemson with 15 points, and was the most active Tiger at the charity stripe where she went 7-of-10. Alexis Carter hit 6-of-8 shots from the line, including several in the fourth quarter that allowed Clemson to retain its lead.
Clemson’s 63 percent free throw shooting for the game rose to 70 percent in the fourth quarter alone as the Tigers went 14-of-20 from the line over the game’s final 10 minutes. Clemson’s last field goal of the contest came at the 6:08 mark of the fourth, and the Tigers closed the game with 10 points from free throws.
JAGUARS FALL TO NO. 20/24 GATORS 85-33 IN SEASON-OPENER
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team fell to No. 20/24 Florida 85-33 on Friday night at Veterans Memorial Arena in the season-opener for both teams. The 32 turnovers by the Jaguars allowed the Gators to outscore them in all four quarters.
"All of the things we talked about, they Florida did," said head coach Terry Fowler. "We talked about transition baskets; they did that. Offensive boards, they did that. Those things are hard to defend."
Florida jumped out to a 12-2 lead six minutes into the game and never looked back. South Alabama only made two of 16 field goals in the entire first quarter, including 0-4 from three-point. The Jaguars had nine turnovers and no assists in the quarter, and Florida was able to capitalize off the turnovers with nine points off turnovers and six fast break points for a 19-4 lead. Junior forward LaNeetra Guillory had the first bucket that tied the game up 2-2 in the third minute, and redshirt-sophomore Genesis Perrymond hit a pull-up jumper in the lane with three minutes left for the only other basket.
The Gators began the second quarter on an 8-1 run in almost four minutes. After a three-point field goal by freshman guard Savannah Jones, South Alabama was outscored by only one point (8-7) the rest of the quarter. Redshirt-sophomore forward Erin Autio banked in a three-point field goal for her second of the night just before the buzzer went off to end the half with Florida up 37-15.
Florida started the third quarter with a double-digit run once again, this time an 18-0 run in a seven-minute span. The Jaguars were plagued by turnovers during the shutout run by the Gators, committing nine that limited them to just five field goal attempts. South Alabama was able to go on a run afterwards, scoring the next nine points in the game. Senior guard Colby Davis got the Jags on the scoreboard in the quarter with two free throws, and junior center Chyna Ellis added another two free throws on the next possession. Redshirt-sophomore Candice Williams scored her first career points as a Jaguar with on a runner just outside the right block. Jones finished the run on a three-pointer, her second of the game.
Beginning the last quarter up 62-27 Florida outscored South Alabama 23-9 in the fourth. The two teams traded baskets to begin the quarter with Williams hitting a free throw, Daniels making a jumper and Perrymond adding a three-pointer. The Gators ended the game on an 18-2 run.
"I think we got open shots," said Fowler. "With their speed, they rushed us. They really bothered us and we never got over the hump. We have to learn from this one and be ready to move forward because it's a quick recovery time."
South Alabama finished with just four assists to the 32 turnovers compared to 23 assists and 21 turnovers by Florida. Florida finished with 22 fast break points and 36 points off turnovers. The Gators also outrebounded the Jaguars 47-31 and had a 20-9 steals advantage.
The Jags finished the game 10-51 (19.6%) from the field, 4-13 (30.8%) from three and 9-12 (75%) at the line.
Jones led the Jags with six points, and Perrymond, Autio and Williams also had five points each. Ellis led the squad on the boards with six, including two on the offensive end. Davis tied Ellis with four defensive boards to tie for the team lead.
All four freshmen on the squad- guards Shaforia Kines, Camryn London and Jones and forward Kennedi Centers- made their collegiate debuts off the bench. Kines hit a jumper in the fourth quarter, London had a steal and Centers had a rebound.
South Alabama will head south of Jacksonville to Orlando to face UCF on Sunday. Tipoff will be at 1:00 p.m. CT.
Panthers Open Season with 18-point win over Morehead State
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Behind 19 steals and 22 points off turnovers, Georgia State’s women’s basketball team defeated Morehead State 68-50 Friday night to kick off the 2016-17 season. Sophomores Madison Newby and Astaja Tyghter led the team with 13 points each.
The Panthers used 26 turnovers by Morehead State to control the flow of the game. Senior Tatianna Jackson recorded six of the team’s 19 steals to go with her 10 points. GSU outrebounded the Eagles 51-40 as newcomer Tiffany Holston leading the way with 10 boards. Tyghter and Newby each finished with eight rebounds.
“Defensively, we were really good. Our energy on the court and pressure on the ball was great,” head coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener said. “On offense, I thought we were aggressive and did a good job of keeping Morehead State on their toes and getting to the free throw line.”
The Panthers jumped out to an 9-0 lead and led 17-10 after the first quarter. Morehead State pulled ahead 18-17 in the second quarter, but GSU responded with an 11-2 run to close out the half. That 1:23 in the second quarter would be the only time in the contest that GSU would trail. The Panthers used 40 second-half points to pull away and win by 18.
Friday’s win ended a two-game losing streak versus Morehead State as the two sides have met each of the last three seasons. The Eagles won 99-90 last year in a game that had a different pace than this year’s meeting.
“To hold them to 50 on their home court is something we are happy about. They like to score a lot and our defense was able to slow them down,” Baldwin-Tener said.
For the third straight year, Georgia State opened the season with a win and Baldwin-Tener improves to 4-3 in season openers are GSU.
Georgia State plays Saturday at 6 p.m. against Eastern Michigan to wrap up the Donna Murphy Classic hosted by Morehead State.
“We have to turn around and play again in in 24 hours. We went really hard tonight so we have to dig deep tomorrow and depend on some different people,” Baldwin-Tener said.
Following this weekend’s games, the Panthers return to Atlanta for three straight home games beginning with Allen (S.C.) on Nov. 16 in the GSU Sports Arena.
Strong 4th Quarter Leads Trojans to WNIT Second Round
LITTLE ROCK – After an offensive struggle for the first 30 minutes, the Little Rock women's basketball team went on an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter to defeat North Texas 55-44 in the Preseason WNIT First Round at the Jack Stephens Center on Friday night.
The Trojans (1-0) will now advance to the WNIT Second Round contest at Green Bay on Sunday at 1 p.m. Green Bay defeated Elon 74-53 on Friday night.
Senior Sharde' Collins led Little Rock with 17 points, and Kaitlyn Pratt picked up a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds and had a team-high three steals. Junior Monique Townson also scored in double figures with 13 and led the team with four assists.
The Trojans managed just 23 points in the first half but outscored the Mean Green 32-21 in the second including the 11-0 run that started with 8:12 left in the final quarter. Pratt, Townson, Emily Lytle, Ronjanae DeGray and Collins all contributed to that run that gave Little Rock a 44-34 lead, its largest in the game to that point.
Neither team was able to get much going offensively in the first half, as Little Rock shot just 32.1 percent from the field while North Texas shot 34.6 percent. Collins had 12 points at the break, Pratt added 7 and 2 each came from Townson and Chastain. The teams were tied 23-23 at the break.
Four of the Trojans' six freshmen – Lytle, Sydney Chastain, Kyra Collier and Anna Hurlburt – played in the contest while Raeyana DeGray got her first career start and Ronjanae DeGray got her second.
Little Rock's next game will be played on Sunday as part of the WNIT Second Round. The Trojans will travel to Green Bay for a date with the Phoenix at 1 p.m.