Stephen F. Austin

Feb. 23, 2012

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Game Notes

Stephen F. Austin at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012 • 2:00 p.m. (CST) 
Dugan Wellness Center • Corpus Christi, Texas 
Radio: Q107.7 FM • TV: None • Online: www.goislanders.com

Ladyjacks 
Record: 19-7, 9-4 
Last 5/Streak: 4-1/W-4 
Coach: Brandon Schneider 
Career: 334-97 (14th season) 
At SFA: 31-25 (2nd season) 
SID: Kenny Bybee 
E-Mail: bybeeka@sfasu.edu 
Web: www.sfajacks.com

Islanders 
Record: 8-18, 4-9 
Last 5/Streak: 1-4/L-4 
Coach: Robert Robinson 
Career: 72-111 (6th season) 
At LU: Same 
SID: Amber Sleek 
E-Mail: amber.sleek@tamucc.edu 
Web: www.goislanders.com

FOR STARTERS: SFA is in the midst of a four-game win streak, their longest stretch since they started the season 7-0. The Ladyjacks are coming off their first win over Lamar in the past six seasons and are tied with Sam Houston State for the No. 3 seed in the SLC Tournament.

LAST TIME OUT: The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks used a stifling defense and balanced scoring effort to run their winning streak to four straight with a 61-51 victory over the Lamar Lady Cardinals Wednesday evening at William R. Johnson Coliseum. SFA (19-7, 9-4) limited Lamar (15-12, 7-6) to just 28 percent shooting, which included 2-of-10 from three-point territory. Offensively, senior guard Tammara Marion led the Ladyjacks with 11 points while five others scored six points or more.

THE ISLANDERS: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi enters play Saturday having lost four straight and seven of their past nine games. They are currently tied with UTSA and UT-Arlington for the 9th spot in the SLC.

vs TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI: The Ladyjacks have had success already against the Islanders, beating them 69-57 back on Jan. 28 in Nacogdoches. SFA leads the all-time series 10-2.

COVERAGE: Saturday’s game vs A&M-Corpus Christi will be broadcasted on the radio on Q107.7 FM with James Dixon doing the play-by-play. The pregame show will begin at 1:45 p.m.

UP NEXT: SFA will return to Nacogdoches Wednesday Feb. 29 for their final home game of the season when they host Sam Houston State at 7 p.m. on Senior Night. The Ladyjacks will then close out the regular season on Saturday, March 3 at Northwestern State.

APPROACHING 20 WINS: With one more win, the Ladyjacks would clinch their 27th, 20-win season in school history and the first since the 2006-07 campaign when the Ladyjacks went 21-12. 

TOURNAMENT TICKET PUNCHED: The Ladyjacks officially clinched a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament with their win Wednesday over Lamar. SFA is currently the third seed as things stand today and just a game back of McNeese State for the two seed, with the Ladyjacks holding the tie-breaker over the Cowgirls. 

MARION APPROACHING ANOTHER RECORD: After establishing a new school record for most three-pointers (72) in a single-season last year, senior guard Tammara Marion is approaching that record once again. Marion currently has 70 made three-point shots and had four more games to break her own record. 

MATTHEW PLAYING STEADY AS A STARTER: Freshman point guard Brittney Matthew has become a steadying force for the Ladyjacks leading the offense and is now averaging 3.0 assists per game, which is 10th-best in the SLC. Matthew has also taken care of the basketball better as she gains experience, and now has the sixth-best assist/turnover ratio in the league. 

TAKING DOWN THE POWERHOUSES: The Ladyjacks became the first team in the Southland Conference other than Central Arkansas to beat the Cowgirls in league play in the last two years. The Cowgirls entered Saturday ranked 16th in the mid-major polls. SFA also knocked off Central Arkansas (13th) at home earlier this year, and is still UCA’s only league loss of the season. 

PARTY IN THE CUSA: With their back-to-back wins over Rice (68-64) and SMU (66-60), and their win over Southern Miss earlier this season, the Ladyjacks have defeated three Conference USA squads in a season for the first time since the 2006-07 campaign when SFA knocked off Southern Miss, Louisiana Tech and Tulsa.

RECORD WATCHES: With six made three-pointers, only one short of a personal best, against Southern Miss (11/26/11), senior guard Tammara Marion became the all-time leader in made three-pointers (184), passing former Ladyjack Dayna Reed’s previous record of 178. Marion also tied the all-time school record for three-pointers attempted on 1/14 at UTSA by launching her 555 trifecta, tying the previous mark held by Kirby Killingsworth.

PRESEASON POLLS: With one of the top recruiting classes in the nation, the Ladyjacks earned four first-place votes in the coaches’ poll and three more in the SID poll and a second-place finish; however, each poll has UTSA in the top spot in the league’s West Division.

MARION PRESEASON ALL-SOUTHLAND: Tammara Marion was named to the all-Southland Conference preseason first team on Wednesday while the Ladyjacks were selected to finish second in the SLC West according to the preseason polls of league coaches and sports information directors. Marion, who was a second team all-conference selection last year, ranked third in the conference in 2010-11 in scoring (16.1). 

800-WIN CLUB: The Ladyjacks (870 wins) became the sixth member of an exclusive club with their 73-40 victory over Sam Houston State in 2007-08. SFA became only the sixth women’s program in NCAA Division I history to record 800 wins. The Ladyjacks joined Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion, Texas and James Madison as the only schools to ever accomplish the feat. Making the victory more special was the fact that it was Sue Gunter Day on the SFA campus. Tennessee Tech also joined the 800-win club in 2008-09.