Jan. 17, 2008

Box Score

BEAUMONT, Texas - Junior Jessica Gaines scored a career-high 18 points but it wasn't enough to get by Lamar Thursday night in Beaumont. The Lady Cardinals recorded a 72-70 victory to drop SFA to 5-10 on the season, and 2-1 in Southland Conference play.

The first half was a closely contested game that saw neither team willing to surrender the advantage. The back-n-forth affair went into the intermission with Lamar leading by four, 36-32. The LU four-point advantage was the largest lead by either team in the first half.

LU shot the ball better than the Ladyjacks in the opening 20 minutes, knocking down 13-of-26 (.500) shots, but SFA utilized its defense to hang in the game. The Ladyjacks forced Lamar into eight first-half turnovers, which SFA was able to convert into 13 points.

But Lamar opened the second half on a 7-2 run to build an eight-point advantage. The Lady Cardinals were able to push that lead to 10 before SFA mounted a rally led by the hot shooting of junior Jessica Gaines.

Gaines caught fire from beyond the three-point arc knocking down 4-of-8 threes to give her team a one-point lead, 65-64, with 2:38 remaining. Gaines finished the game with a career-high 18 points.

But Lamar seemed to have an answer to Gaines. The Lady Cardinals' Nikki Williams also got hot from beyond the arc in the second half as well. After going 0-for-3 in the opening 20 minutes, Williams was 4-of-7 from the floor, including three triples to help build the LU lead back to five points, 70-65.

Senior Nikki Carr hit a jumper to pull SFA within three with only 1:09 remaining. The Ladyjacks held defensively and got the ball back with 36 seconds remaining. SFA head coach Lee Ann Riley called a timeout and drew up a play for Gaines, but the shot sailed wide of the target giving the ball back to LU.

Sophomore Ebony Alexander fouled Williams who stepped up to the line and hit both free throws. Which turned out to be key as Alexander took the inbound pass an heaved up a half court and knocked it down as the buzzer sounded for the final tally.

Alexander finished the game with a career-high 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Carr recorded a double-double scoring 12 points, and dishing out 11 assists. Freshman Chantol Drennan added 11 points.

Lamar was led by Tamara Abalde who scored 22 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. Williams finished the game with 17 points.

Carr became the 23rd Ladyjack in school history to score her 1,000-career point. She now has 1,007 points for her career.

The Ladyjacks return to action Saturday when they travel to Lake Charles, La., to take on McNeese State. The game against the Cowgirls is slated to begin at 4 p.m. from Burton Coliseum.

-SFA-