Women's Basketball Recap (Week 11) - Around the SCAC

Women's Basketball Recap (Week 11) - Around the SCAC

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- Texas Lutheran (9-2 SCAC; 17-5 overall) swept another conference weekend and moved into a tie for first-place in the SCAC with Trinity. The Bulldogs, who have won eight straight games, have not lost since Jan. 11, a 92-82 road loss in Georgetown, Texas to Southwestern. In a season of firsts, TLU has secured the first overall winning season in women's basketball since the 1998-99 season, and the team's 17 wins are the most by a Bulldog women's basketball team in the university's NCAA DIII era, which began in 2002-03.

AROUND THE SCAC 

Austin College split its two games over the weekend, falling 78-56 to Southwestern before bouncing back to hand Trinity a 74-69 loss on Saturday. That win gave the ‘Roos a season sweep over the Tigers, marking the first time in four years that Austin College has swept Trinity during the regular season. Erin Riley and Christina Kime each averaged 15 points per game, with Riley hitting 8-of-10 three pointers in the two games while Kime knocked down 11-of-12 free throws, all in the win over Trinity as she scored 23 points to lead the ‘Roos to the victory. Riley added 4.5 rebounds per game and Kime handed out 4 assists per game. Brittany Stepanski also had a solid weekend, averaging 9.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

Centenary dropped all three outings this week and continue to search for its first win of the season. Rhonda Martin paced the Ladies in scoring averaging 16 points, including a career-high 22 in the loss to Austin College. The Shreveport, La., native followed the performance with 19 points in a losing effort to Trinity. Rebecca Thompson averaged 8.7 rebounds for the week including a career-high 13 against Trinity and ranked second on the team with 8.7 points per game. Centenary returns to action on Friday, Feb. 14 as they host Dallas.

Despite dropping a pair of games, Colorado College showed once again that it can play with the top teams in the conference. Junior guard Courtney Tyus poured in 17 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had six on Friday night, but a 20-8 run midway through the second half allowed Schreiner to pull away for a 63-55 victory. With six assists, the junior guard became the fourth player in school history to record 100 or more in a single season, joining Annie Hull (1990-91), Mary Voelbel (2000-01) and Melanie Auguste, who reached the milestone during each of her four seasons. Sophomore forward Danielle Davis added 12 points for the Tigers. Thanks to a career-high 21 points from sophomore guard Katie Waters, CC stayed with Texas Lutheran on Sunday, but came out on the wrong end of a 70-64 verdict on Sunday. After Davis gave Colorado College a 40-38 lead five minutes into the second half, TLU answered with seven consecutive points and stayed in front until Waters knotted the score at 60-60 with 1:33 to play. TLU regained the lead eight seconds later and sealed the victory at the charity stripe. Tyus posted her third double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Davis finished with 13 points, while Korbyn Ukasick added 11. CC plays its final road games of the regular season next weekend when the Tigers travel to Austin and Centenary on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Dallas went 0-2 on the week in two conference home games. On Friday, in Irving, Texas, the Lady Crusaders lost 58-52 to Texas Lutheran. On Sunday, in the Maher Athletic Center, head coach Jina Johansen’s squad celebrated senior day. Senior post-player Christy Allen -- the SCAC’s 2013-14 leader in total rebounds (213) -- was honored in a pregame ceremony. Following the festivities, the navy and white were edged 77-73 by Schreiner. Dallas plays two SCAC foes this week on the road -- Centenary (Friday, 6 p.m.) and Austin (Saturday, 6 p.m.).

Schreiner went 2-0 during the week with road wins over Colorado College (74-64) and Dallas (73-59). Statistical leaders for Schreiner are SCAC leader points leader Sophomore Lindsey Peterson (17.1 ppg/7.0 rpg), Sophomore guard Kelsie Jackson (15 ppg), and Senior Bailey Harris (10.1 ppg). Schreiner will play host to Southwestern (Friday, February 14th) and Trinity (Saturday, February 15th).

Southwestern moved into third place in the conference with a pair of wins at Austin College and Centenary over the weekend. Southwestern shot nearly 50% from the floor and posted 43 second half points in a 78-56 win over Austin College. Saturday, SU steadily increased their lead throughout the game and posted an 88-50 final over Centenary College. Valerie Logan set a new SU record with 11 assists in the win. Now 8-3 in the SCAC and 12-10 overall, Southwestern heads to Schreiner and Texas Lutheran this weekend.

Texas Lutheran won two games on the road in the SCAC and moved into a tie for first place in the SCAC with a 9-2 league record. TLU now sits at 17-5 overall and rides an eight-game win streak into this weekend’s key battles with Trinity and Southwestern. Against University of Dallas on Friday, TLU saw its 11-point halftime lead turn into a three-point second-half deficit, but the Bulldogs persevered to post a 58-52 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference victory. Trailing by three with 5:08 to play in UD’s Maher Athletic Center, Chelsey Stolle and Taylor Dydalewicz produced back-to-back baskets to put TLU up one with 4:09 remaining. After UD reclaimed the lead by one, Dydalewicz made a layup with 2:47 to play to give TLU a one-point advantage. TLU would not trail again. Karisa Cantu made five free throws in the closing seconds to give the Bulldogs their final cushion. Against Colorado College, TLU survived a cold shooting afternoon in Colorado Springs, Colo., but the Bulldogs made clutch free throws in the final minute to edge Colorado College 70-64 on Sunday and move into a first-place tie in the SCAC. In Colorado College’s Reid Arena, the Bulldogs made just four of 27 three-point attempts and went 20-for-62 (32.3 percent) from the field overall. TLU trailed by as many as nine in the first half and by three at the half. The Bulldogs rallied with a 15-7 run to start the second half. Reserve guard Katie Moore came off the bench and hit a three-pointer with 13:46 to play to give TLU a five-point lead. Moore scored a career high nine points and dished out two assists. The TLU lead grew to seven with 3:41 remaining, but Colorado College didn’t quit. The Tigers tied the game at 60 on a lay-up by Katie Waters with 1:33 on the clock. Karisa Cantu came right down the floor and scored with a lay-up to put TLU in front again. The Tigers twice came within two points in the final 39 seconds, but TLU made eight of 10 free throws in those final 39 seconds and closed the game on a 10-4 run.

Trinity split a pair of road games in SCAC play over the weekend, defeating Centenary 81-55, but falling in a narrow 74-69 game at Austin College. It marked the second loss this season to Austin College. Despite the loss, the Tigers are still tied atop the SCAC standings for the season, though there are four teams within a game of the top spot in the table. Murphy Burns is just five points from reaching 1,500 in her career, which is second all-time at Trinity. Burns would be just the 14th player in SCAC history to reach the milestone, and she stands less than 100 points from moving into the top 10 in league history.
To view the entire SCAC Hoops Weekly for week ten, click here.