BOX SCORE
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Despite an early second half rally the University of Texas-Pan American women's basketball team dropped their fourth straight game Wednesday night to the Ladyjacks of Stephen F. Austin 96-67 at Johnson Coliseum. The win was the first for first-year Ladyjacks head coach Brandon Schneider.
The Broncs (4-4) could not find their offense in the early moments. Adanna Opara scored the first points of the game for UTPA with 15:39 remaining in the half ending a 12-0 SFA run. At the 8:36 mark, the Ladyjacks (1-5) took their largest lead of the half as Jordan Ford stole the ball from Ce'Monay Newell and converted on the other end to give SFA a 33-15 lead. The Broncs then began a rally to close out the half. The Broncs closed out the half on an 18-6 run, including Bianca Torre scoring seven of her team high 21 points, to pull the Broncs within 39-33 at the intermission.
UTPA continued their rally into the second half. UTPA scored the first six points after the intermission, capped off by Erin Lewis' fastbreak lay-up to tie the game at 39. The game was tied at 43 with 17:38 remaining in regulation, what followed was an offensive surge by the Ladyjacks. SFA began a 13-0 run with Sha Turner's lay-up giving the Ladyjacks a 56-43 lead. SFA outscored UTPA 57-34 in the second half, shooting 63% in the period en route to the victory.
Torre tied for the game high in scoring with 21 points, hitting eight of her 14 shots. Ce'Monay Newell chipped in with 19 points and two rebounds. Oparra scored 10 with five boards, while Erin Lewis was a basket away from a triple-double as she tallied 10 rebounds and assists to go with her eight points. Turnovers plagued the Broncs all night as they gave it up 27 times which led to 33 points for the Ladyjacks.
Tammara Marion led the Ladyjacks in scoring with 21 points. Decreasha Goodner added 16 points and eight boards. Courtney Conwright dished out a game high 11 assists, scoring eight in the winning effort for SFA.
The Broncs play the second stanza of their three-game road swing continues in Arlington on Saturday afternoon as they face Southland Conference foe, UT-Arlington. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 PM at Texas Hall. Next Wednesday the road trip ends when the Broncs face Texas at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. The next home game for UTPA will be Friday December 10th when they host North Texas at the Fieldhouse for a 7:00 PM tipoff. Tickets are available by calling the Broncs at 956-665-2221 or by logging on to UTPABroncs.com
