Stephen F. Austin

Jan. 4, 2006

NACOGDOCHES - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack basketball team will be looking to make it two wins in a row as it opens Southland Conference play Thursday night against Nicholls State (1-10). The game against the Lady Colonels is slated to begin at 7 p.m. SFA will be back in action two days later when it hosts Southeastern Louisiana (3-6). The game against the Lady Lions will tip off at 4 p.m. Both games will be played in the William R. Johnson Coliseum.

SFA vs. the Lady Colonels: The Ladyjacks are 30-1 (.968) all-time against Nicholls State. In fact, the Ladyjacks are riding a 30-game win streak in the series, with the lone SFA loss coming during the 1984-85 season when NSU recorded a 53-51 decision. The two schools met only once last season, with the Ladyjacks recording a 65-55 victory in Thibodaux, La.

Southland Conference Openers: The Ladyjacks are an impressive 17-1 (.944) all-time in Southland Conference openers. The lone loss was an 84-54 setback at Northwestern State during the 2003-04 season. The Ladyjacks are 1-0 all-time when facing Nicholls State in the conference opener. That game came during the 1999-2000 season when SFA recorded an 89-61 victory in Thibodaux.

Home Sweet Home: The Ladyjacks are one of the nation's all-time winningest teams at home, with a 334-85 (.797) all-time record. The Ladyjacks have won 70 of their last 84 games at home and are a perfect 3-0 at home this season. Riley vs. the SLC Ladyjack head coach Lee Ann Riley has compiled a dominant record against Southland Conference foes. Riley is 49-23 (.681) against SLC teams during the regular season.

197 Down, Three To Go: SFA head coach Lee Ann Riley is only three wins shy of career victory No. 200. Riley currently stands at 197 all-time wins in her 11 seasons as a head coach.

Solid Start: The Ladyjacks wrapped up the 2005-06 non-conference schedule Friday night with an 85-67 victory over Jackson State. The win improved SFA to 6-5 (.545) overall. It marks the second consecutive season that the Ladyjacks enter conference play with a record above the .500 mark.

Bouncing Back: Senior LaToya Mills bounced back from her worst outing of the season at Tulsa. Mills scored only four points and pulled down only four rebounds at Tulsa. She rebounded Friday night to lead SFA with 26 points and grabbed five rebounds. It marks the fifth time this season that Mills has scored at least 20 points in a game.

Lights Out Shooting: The Ladyjacks got out to a quick start Friday night in the win over Jackson State shooting 57 percent in the first half. SFA never really cooled off, finishing the game 31-for-62 (50 percent) for the game. It marks the third time this season that SFA has shot at least 50 percent from the field for an entire game.

Reaching a Milestone: Senior LaToya Mills became the 22nd Ladyjack to record 1,000 points in a career earlier this season. She currently has 1,090 career points.

Not Your Everyday Run of the Mills: Senior LaToya Mills is once again making a push for all-conference honors. Mills currently leads the Southland Conference shooting 57 percent from the field, is second in the conference in scoring (18.0 points per game), third in rebounding (7.6 rpg) and is ninth in the league averaging 2.1 steals per game.

Taking Advantage of Charity Tosses: They're called free throws for a reason and senior Kirby Killingsworth is taking advantage of her attempts from the free throw line this season. A career 54-percent free throw shooter coming into her senior season, Killingsworth is currently second in the Southland Conference, connecting on 25-of-28 (89 percent) attempts.

How May I Assist You? Senior guard Britany Vinson has become one of the Ladyjacks' top offensive weapons averaging 10.7 points per game. But she is also doing her part to help get the rest of the team involved in the offense as well. Vinson is currently second in the SLC with 49 assists (4.5) assists per game.

Sharp Shooters: Seniors Britany Vinson and Kirby Killingsworth and sophomore Nikki Carr are making an assault on the Ladyjack three-point shooting record books. Carr leads the team shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc, while Vinson is hitting 39 percent of three-point shots and Killingsworth is connecting on 35 percent of hers. If the season were to end today, Carr would hold the best single-season mark in school history, while Vinson would be tied for fifth. Killingsworth is just out of the top 10 by only .006 of a percentage point.

Arc Angels: Senior guards Kirby Killingsworth and Britany Vinson are among the school's all-time top 10 in three-point field goals. Killingsworth is currently tied for third all-time at SFA with 137 career three-pointers. Vinson is currently fifth in the SFA record books with 118 triples.

Nacogdoches Block Party: Junior Kendria Smith continues to move up the Ladyjacks' record books for career blocks. Smith is currently fifth all-time at SFA with 110 career blocks.

Up Next ... SFA returns to action Thursday Jan. 12 to face Lamar in Beaumont, Texas. The game against the Lady Cardinals is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. SFA will then travel to Lake Charles, La., to face McNeese State. The game against the Cowgirls will begin at 3 p.m.