Stephen F. Austin

Jan. 6, 2004

NACOGDOCHES - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack basketball team opens the New Year on the road against rival Northwestern State Thursday afternoon in Natchitoches, La., in its 2003-04 Southland Conference opener. The Ladyjacks enter the game looking for their first win of the season after going 0-10 in the non-conference. The game against the Lady Demons is slated to get under way at 5:45 p.m., from Prather Coliseum.

SFA vs. the Lady Demons: The Ladyjacks own a 40-13 (.755) all-time record against Northwestern State. SFA have won three of the last four meetings against the Lady Demons and 10 of the last 13. The Ladyjacks split the season series with Northwestern State last season with each team winning on its home floor.

Tradition of Winning: The SFA Ladyjack basketball program has been one of the most dominant in women's basketball history. The Ladyjacks are among the nation's all-time top 10 with 729 wins. The Ladyjacks are also among the all-time top 10 with a .744 winning percentage (729-251).

Tradition of Winning in the SLC: As dominant as SFA has been nationally, they have been just as dominant in the Southland Conference. The Ladyjacks are the conference's most dominant team, compiling a 249-25 (.909) all-time record. SFA has won 14 of a possible 16 SLC tournament titles and 13 regular-season titles. SFA has also recorded four undefeated seasons in league play and has had 36 players named All-SLC.

Riley vs. the SLC: SFA head basketball coach Lee Ann Riley is in her third season with the Ladyjacks. Riley has coached her troops to a 34-6 (.850) mark in Southland Conference games, which is the best league record during that span.

Academic Shootout: The Ladyjack Academic Shootout will be Saturday Feb. 21st. There will be a pledge table at the front gate of the William R. Johnson Coliseum at every home game. Fans can pledge money for every point made against the Lady Colonels. The money will go to help raise funds for summer school scholarships.

SLC Openers: The Ladyjacks are a perfect 16-0 in Southland Conference season openers. The Ladyjacks defeated Louisiana-Monroe, 64-59, in last season's SLC opener. The Ladyjacks are 1-0 when facing Northwestern State in conference openers. The lone conference opener against the Lady Demons came during the 1989-90 season when SFA recorded a 92-73 win.

Non-Conference Power Rating: The Ladyjacks faced one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country and in school history this season, facing three teams ranked among the ESPN/USA Today top 25 and three others listed among the "others receiving votes" category. The combined record of the Ladyjacks non-conference opponents this season is 78-35 (.690).

Double-Double: Sophomore LaToya Mills recorded her second double-double in as many games, when she scored 14 points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds against Tulsa. It is the fifth double-double of Mills' career. Mills also added three steals and an assist against the Golden Hurricane.

Windex Award: Sophomore LaToya Mills recorded a career-high 13 rebounds against Tulsa. The 13 rebounds are the most by a Ladyjack since Latisha Prater pulled down 14 against Northwestern State in the 2001-02 season.

More on Mills: Sophomore LaToya Mills' 14-point, 13-rebound effort at Tulsa marked the second-straight game the Houston native has recorded a double-double. It is the first time a Ladyjack has recorded a double-double in consecutive games since former Ladyjack Latisha Prater recorded a double-double in five-straight games in 2002-03.

Stealing the Spotlight: Freshman point guard Nikki Carr has been a spark for SFA offensively, scoring in double-figures three times in the last five games. But against Tulsa, Carr was a defensive spark. Carr recorded a career-high seven steals against the Golden Hurricane.

Need Assistance: Freshman point guard Nikki Carr seems to set a new career-high every night she steps on the floor. She scored a career-high 15 points versus Eastern Kentucky and set a new career-high with her eight rebounds against Arkansas. The game at Tulsa was no different as Carr dished out a career-high six assists.

Coming Off the Bench: Sophomore Britany Vinson came off the bench to lead the team with 16 points against Tulsa. Vinson finished the game going 6-of-12 (.500) from the floor and 4-of-7 (.571) from behind the arc. Vinson is averaging 17 points per game in the last two games where she has seen significant action. In those games, Vinson 13-for-24 (.542) from the floor and 8-of-14 (.571) from behind the three-point arc. She has also recorded five rebounds, three steals and an assist in those two games.

Great Brit: Sophomore Britany Vinson is one of the league's more accurate three-point shooters. Vinson is 12-for-25 on the season from behind the arc. She is currently second in the Southland Conference with a .480 three-point field-goal percentage. Vinson is now 11th all-time in school history with 36 career three-pointers.

Kirby's Dreamland: Sophomore guard Kirby Killingsworth drained a three-pointer at Tulsa. With the three-pointer, Killingsworth now has 63 for her career. The 63 triples places her seventh all-time in school history. Killingsworth is currently 12th in the Southland Conference averaging 1.30 three-pointers per game.

Looking Ahead ... The Ladyjacks return home to face McNeese State Thursday Jan. 15th. The game against the Cowgirls is slated to begin at 8:15 p.m. SFA returns to action 48 hours later to face Southeastern Louisiana. The game against the Lady Lions is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Both games will be played in the William R. Johnson Coliseum.