Trojans Claim Sun Belt Title With Win Over GSU
LITTLE ROCK – For the second time in three years, the Trojans are Sun Belt champions.
Little Rock clinched an outright Sun Belt regular-season championship and the No. 1 seed in the league tournament with a 52-45 victory over Georgia State at the Jack Stephens Center on Saturday evening.
As the tournament's No. 1 seed, Little Rock will get a first-round bye and will not have to play a game until the second round on Thursday, March 9 at 11:30 a.m. Little Rock will play the winner of the March 7 first-round game between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds.
The win also completed Little Rock's perfect Sun Belt Conference home record, as the Trojans went 9-0 against league foes at the Jack Stephens Center this year. The win was Little Rock's 18th straight conference win at home.
Lastly, Little Rock guaranteed itself a spot in the national postseason, as the regular-season conference champion from every league earns an automatic bid in the Postseason WNIT if it does not make the NCAA Tournament.
The Trojans (21-7, 15-1 Sun Belt) got a strong offensive game from the forward corps of Kaitlyn Pratt, Carolee Dillard and Ronjanae DeGray as the trio scored 38 of the team's points on Saturday. Pratt led the way with 16 points and had six rebounds, and DeGray had 14 points and six rebounds as well. Dillard finished the night with 8 points.
Kyra Collier was the top Trojan rebounder with 10 boards, and Monique Townson had a team-high five assists.
The outcome was in doubt until the final minutes. With Little Rock leading by as many as 12 in the third quarter, Georgia State fought back to get within 2 points at 43-41 with 2:20 left. But Little Rock got consecutive baskets from offensive rebounds as DeGray got a layup and Collier followed with a layup of her own on the next possession. That made it a 47-41 Little Rock lead with 52 seconds left and all but clinched the victory.
The Trojans outrebounded Georgia State 41-29 including an 18-10 margin on the offensive glass. Little Rock scored 18 second-chance points in the game.
The Trojan guards struggled to score in the first half, but the forwards picked up the slack by scoring 27 of the team's 30 points in the first 20 minutes. Little Rock's guards did not make a shot until Sharde' Collins hit a 3-pointer with four seconds left in the half, and the group of guards was 1-14 from the field in the first half.
Little Rock will close out the regular season with a trip to Alabama, facing South Alabama on Thursday at 5 p.m. and Troy on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Gibson Leads Coastal Past Louisiana on Senior Day
CONWAY - Senior point guard Ced Gibson matched her career scoring high with 26 points, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter as Coastal held off a surging Louisiana team to take a 71-68 win Saturday afternoon inside the HTC Center. It was Coastal's final home game of the season, as well as the final home game for Chanticleer seniors Gibson, Rachael Gregory, Yasmin Miller, Alexis Robinson, Derriel Banyard and Olivia Carlton.
Coastal (12-15, 7-10) led 48-45 entering the fourth quarter, and fought to regain its lead three times over the final 10 minutes of play. Louisiana (16-9, 10-6) led for the final time with 1:59 remaining, when Jaylyn Gordon hit a short jumper to put the Ragin' Cajuns in front by one. Gibson followed with a 3-pointer to put Coastal back in front for good, and hit a trio of free throws with less than 30 seconds remaining to ensure the Chanticleer victory.
Gibson's last time scoring 26 points was against Campbell during the 2015-16 season, and Saturday's 20-plus point performance was her fifth of the season. The senior shot 7-of-15 from the floor with three 3-pointers, and 9-of-10 from the line. Gibson also dished out six assists, marking the fifth consecutive game in which she's scored in double figures and handed out at least five assists.
Gregory followed with 14 points and eight rebounds, and Naheria Hamilton added an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double, her third of the season.
Coastal shot 43 percent from the floor to Louisiana's 39 percent, and won the battle on the boards 40-34.
The Ragin' Cajuns were paced by the 18 points of Gordon, who finished 7-of-21 from the field and 3-of-5 at the line. Malachi Seraphin-Williams and Troi Swain added 12 points each for Louisiana.
Louisiana led 17-12 at the end of a first quarter that saw the score tied twice and the lead change hands three times.
The Ragin' Cajuns expanded their lead into double figures early in the second quarter, hitting three of their first four shots from the floor to outscore Coastal 8-2 over the frame's opening three minutes. The Chants regrouped following a called timeout, bringing the margin back into single digits and stringing together a 10-2 run to cut Louisiana's advantage to a single point. Williams then scored five straight points for Louisiana in a 30-second span, and the sides traded a pair of baskets for the remainder of the half, allowing the Ragin' Cajuns to take a 38-34 lead into halftime.
Rachael Gregory opened the second half with a layup, and Gibson followed with a 3-pointer that gave Coastal its first lead since early in the game. The Chants held on to the lead for the remainder of the third quarter, outscoring the Ragin' Cajuns 14-7 in the frame. Coastal limited Louisiana to shooting just 3-of-12 (25 percent) from the floor, and was paced on the scoreboard by the seven and five points of Gibson and Hamilton, respectively.
Coastal turned the ball over eight times in the final quarter, resulting in seven Louisiana points, but the Ragin' Cajuns had no answer for Gibson's 13 points in the frame. Gregory was also clutch in the game's final minutes, scoring six points and hitting all four of her attempts from the free throw line. Kennedy Archer additionally chipped in, hitting a big 3-pointer with 38 seconds remaining to break a 63-63 tie.
Coastal now heads to Appalachian State next Saturday for a 1 p.m. game to close the regular season. The Chants defeated the Mountaineers 60-55 in the HTC Center on Jan. 14.
Mavs Top South Alabama On Senior Day
ARLINGTON, Texas -- UTA women's basketball celebrated Senior Day with a 53-41 rout of South Alabama Saturday at College Park Center.
With the win, UTA (19-7, 12-4) clinched a winning record in February (4-3), marking the first time the program has ever been able to register a winning clip in each of the season's first four months. The Lady Mavericks are now just two wins away from their best winning percentage in history.
UTA grasped sole possession of second place in the Sun Belt standings prior to one last road trip to ULM and Louisiana. South Alabama dropped to 9-17 and 4-11 in conference competition.
Seniors Ally Te'o and Breck Clark played the last games of their career in Arlington. Te'o turned in two points, a rebound, one block and a steal. Both were honored on the court prior to tipoff with framed jerseys.
Miranda LeJune came away with a career-best 11 points, including a 3-of-5 clip from 3-point range. Rebekah VanDijk notched a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes. The junior was one of four Lady Mavs with a perfect day at the free throw line (6-6). Cierra Johnson penned eight points and six steals. Her fourth on the day allowed her to pass Rudy Sims and clinch 24th on the Sun Belt's career steals list.
South Alabama paved the way for UTA to open up a large lead in the first quarter. Shooting just eight percent, the Lady Mavs constructed an 12-point lead capped by an Ericka Mattingly trey at the shot clock buzzer.
The Jaguars came alive late in the second frame on an 8-2 run, five points made from the free throw line, to bridge the gap 27-22. A jumper from Colby Davis with just over 30 seconds left sent the Jags into the break trailing by six.
UTA didn't allow a close game for long as the break only fueled more offensive action. The Lady Maverick defense silenced South Alabama on just 1-of-10 FG shooting in the third frame, while out-scoring their opponent 17-6. The Lady Mavs slowed pace in the final frame and went without a basket in the remaining five minutes, while the Jaguars chipped away with the last 10 points of the game to lessen the blow.
KEY RUNS
First Half
The Lady Mavericks held the Jaguars to just eight percent shooting from the floor in the first quarter to erect a 20-7 lead. South Alabama was able to close the deficit to 21-25 in the second frame, outscoring UTA 18-11.
Second Half
LeJune had a pair of back-to-back long-range shots toward the end of the third quarter to keep momentum moving for the Lady Mavs and increase the lead by 17 points. South Alabama was held to just six points in that period. Nearly three minutes passed to start the fourth frame before a shot was made, another clutch 3 from LeJune, to pad UTA's 10-point advantage. The Lady Mavs sustained enough of a safety net to outlast the Jaguars despite being out-scored 10-5 in the quarter.
KEY STATS
The Lady Maverick defense forced 21 turnovers and was able to convert that aggressive defense into 19 points. Despite South Alabama winning the battle of the boards 38-34, the Jags' shooting hindered their performance, just 12-for-51 from the floor. The Lady Mavericks hit 36 percent (16-45), but their best shots came from the free throw line. UTA made 16 of 17 attempts, including perfect performances from VanDijk, Johnson, Christina Devers and Crystal Allen.
UPCOMING GAME
The Lady Mavericks close out the regular season portion of the 2016-17 campaign with a road trip to Louisiana. UTA looks to complete season sweeps at ULM at 5:15 p.m. Thursday and Louisiana 5 p.m. Saturday.
Butler Leads Women’s Basketball Past Arkansas State
JONESBORO, AR - The Georgia Southern women's basketball team (13-15, 9-8 SBC) defeated the Arkansas State Red Wolves (6-22, 4-12 SBC) inside of the Convocation Center on Saturday afternoon. Patrice Butler led the charge for the Eagles, going 11-22 from the field and scoring a career-high 28 points against the Red Wolves. The senior also collected seven rebounds and two steals on the day.
Senior guard Angel McGowan also had a great game in Jonesboro, collecting 18 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Standout freshman Alexis Brown also collected double digit points with 15. Alexis Foulks tacked on eight points, and Sierra Butler, Amira Atwater, and Jessica Marcus each collected four rebounds.
Brittany Fowler led the Red Wolves on her Senior Day with 27 points and two steals. Jada Ford contributed 18 points, and Payton Tennison scored nine. Lauren Bradshaw led the Red Wolves from down low with 12 rebounds on the day.
THE STORY
Georgia Southern and Arkansas State came out of the gates shooting hot, knocking down 13 three-pointers throughout the first half. The Red Wolves outscored the Eagles in both of the first quarters, 19-13 in the first and then 20-18 in the second. Arkansas State went on a 14-2 shooting run at the end of the first quarter to extend their lead, and mthe hot shooting by the Red Wolves game them the momentum heading into the half, where they were shooting 40% (12-30) from field goal range.
The Eagles stepped up their defense in the second half, taking the lead in the third quarter for the first time since early in the first half. GS outscored the Red Wolves 25-11 in the third quarter, which proved to be the key factor in the Eagles win 84-76 win. GS shot 41.8% (26-67) from field goal range on the night, and also had an impressive 37.9%(11-29) shooting percentage from beyond the three-point arch. GS finished the game out-rebounding Arkansas State 39-29.
QUOTABLES
Senior Patrice Butler
"I was trying to be tougher down low in the second half and it opened me up with some good shots. Arkansas State is a good squad and they have a lot of girls that can knock the three pointers down. We held our composure and really did a good job of covering them during the second half, and that was the difference maker throughout the rest of the game."
Head Coach Kip Drown
On battling back after the first half
"I thought we played pretty well in the first half, we had ten offensive rebounds and a really great overall effort. At that point we just had to tip our hat to Arkansas State who was shooting the ball really well, but I told our kids that we were still in a good position to come out and get back in the game, and I'm really proud of the effort we got. We held our composure and only turned the ball over three times in the second half, we made our free throws, and really did great despite all the fans and the crazy environment. We did the things that good basketball teams do."
On the overall effort
"We were solid tonight and the effort was there from the get-go. Arkansas State is a team that plays hard, really hard. We saw that in film and knew that we would have to match their tempo from the beginning of the ball game, which we did. It showed up in offensive rebounds, we made some big shots and reacted to the pressure well. We now have won five of our last seven on the road, this was a big split on this roadtrip and we are going into our last game against Georgia State in a really good place."
NEXT UP
Georgia Southern will wrap up the regular season against the Georgia State Panthers next Saturday in Atlanta. GS will then head straight to New Orleans for the Sun Belt Tournament on March 7-12.
Bobcats Upend Troy on Senior Day
SAN MARCOS, Texas – A 20-point game by Taeler Deer along with double-digit scoring efforts by Kaitlin Walla and Toshua Leavitt helped Texas State avenge an earlier loss to Troy as the Bobcats outlasted the Trojans 74-72 in Sun Belt play Saturday afternoon.
With the win, Texas State moved to 16-11 on the season and into a tie for third in the Sun Belt standing with an 11-5 record.
Senior Erin Peoples played the last scheduled game of her career in Strahan Coliseum, finishing with four points, four rebounds, four steals and a block. She was honored on the floor prior to the contest.
Deer finished the game 6 of 12 from the floor and 7 of 10 at the free-throw line for her game-high 20 points. Walla scored 18, going 5 of 9 from the field and 5 of 8 at the line. Leavitt was 4 of 12 overall and co-led the Bobcats in rebounds along with Erick May with five each.
Caitlin Ramirez led Troy (18-9, 11-5 Sun Belt) with a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double. She was joined in double-figures by ArJae' Saunders and Amanda Mendoza with 16 and 14 points, respectively.
Texas State outshot the Trojans 43.5 percent (27 of 62) to 37.7 (23 of 61), outscored them 30-12 in the paint and turned 27 Troy turnovers into 24 points.
Troy led 14-11 after the first quarter, but Texas State used a 14-4 run over the final five minutes of the second quarter to take a 35-25 lead into the intermission. The Bobcats' second-quarter run was started by an old-fashioned 3-point play by Deer and included a fast break layup from Leavitt a Walla 3-pointer and two scores inside by Ti'Aira Pitts.
The Trojans opened the third quarter on a 14-4 run to tie the game at 39-39 with 5:33 showing on the clock. A Mendoza 3-pointer and Dajia Williams jumper pushed the Trojans in front 44-39 before TXST answered with an 8-2 scoring outburst to regain the lead a 47-46. The teams traded the lead four more time over the final 2:29 on the quarter, but five points from Walla and a free throw from Deer sent the game into the fourth with TXST leading 55-53.
The teams exchanged bucket in the early portion of the fourth before Troy tied the game a 63-63 on a Ramirez free throw with 6:01 to play. Saunders then scored on a scoop shot and after Leavitt answered for the Bobcats, Claresa Banks knocked down a 3-pointer to push the visitors ahead 68-65 at the 3:21 mark.
Texas State answered with two free throws each from Walla and Deer to regain the lead at 69-68, then Peoples scored inside and Deer followed with two more at the line for a 73-68 advantage with 1:14 to go. Saunders scored twice more, but it would not be enough as Texas State held on for a 74-72 win, making its 10th home victory of the season.
App State Women's Basketball Bounces Back With Win Over ULM
BOONE, N.C. - If Appalachian State University women’s basketball (11-17, 6-11 SBC) wants to be playing its best basketball going into the Sun Belt Tournament, Saturday was an excellent way to start, as the Mountaineers downed UL Monroe (5-21, 2-14 SBC) on Saturday afternoon at the Holmes Center, 79-61.
Ashley Bassett-Smith played a great game inside tying her career high with 19 points on a very efficient 8-for-10 performance from the field to go along with seven boards. Making her first-career start as a freshman, Armani Hampton shined in her debut and didn’t disappoint. The forward fired in a career-high 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and tied a career mark with six off the glass. Hampton got her confidence going early in the game hitting her first five shots.
Joi Jones added 15 to the mix with a season-high six assists and just two turnovers in 34 minutes. Like her usual self, Jones notched eight points in the fourth quarter and went a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.
It wasn’t just the three Mountaineers in double figures that contributed in the scoring column, as all eight student-athletes who got into the game scored. App assisted on 72 percent of its field goals (18-of-25) with four student-athletes recording multiple assists. With the 79 points, improved to 8-1 this season when scoring 70 or more points. Madi Story brought down a game-high 11 boards and scored nine points. In her first-career start, Katelyn Doub chipped in with seven points in 20 minutes.
ULM’s first and only lead came in the early moments of the game with a 4-0 lead. But after starting 0-for-5 from the floor, Appalachian went seven for its next 11 to end the quarter outscoring the visitors, 18-5, and go into the second period with an 11-point advantage. App held the opponents to 26.7 percent shooting from the field, while the Black and Gold assisted on six of the seven-made field goals.
Appalachian kept its foot on the pedal going up by as much as 19 points in the frame, 40-21, thanks to a pair of free throws by Story. The Mountaineers held ULM to just under 33 percent shooting from the floor during the half, and App converted at the free throw line hitting 13-of-18 attempts.
Coming out of the game, Hampton continued her big day with back-to-back buckets to push the App lead to 22, 46-24, for its largest lead of the contest. The Mountaineers kept the Warhawks at bay until ULM trimmed the App State lead to 12 at the end of the period, 55-43.
ULM would get to within 10 points on three separate occasions in the final quarter, putting a little pressure on App. With App leading 66-56, Cydni Cole made a splash in her first appearance since 12/31 at Texas State from a lower body injury, hitting a 3-pointer to bury the Warhawks for good.
App cruised the rest of the way en route to surpassing last season’s win total. The Mountaineers dominated the boards, 49-24, including a 20-6 edge on the offensive glass that led to a whopping 29-0 output in second-chance points. App would rebound 57.1 percent of its missed shots on the day, while the Black and Gold shot 51.1 percent (22-43) inside the arc.
Also, App outscored ULM, 26-10, making a season high in free throws. The Mountaineers shot 78.8 percent from the line, which is the highest percentage this season when attempting at least 20 free throws.