Dec. 2, 2007

IRVING, Texas - Sophomore forward Delisha Wills posted game highs with 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead four Mustangs in double-figure scoring as the SMU women's basketball team beat North Texas, 68-62, in Denton.

The victory was the sixth in a row for the Mustangs (6-1). The last time SMU won at least six games in a row was in the 2004-05 season, when the Ponies reeled off eight straight wins. UNT slid to 5-4.

Sophomore guard Jillian Samuels, senior post Janielle Dodds and senior forward Sharee Shepherd joined Wills with double-figure scoring totals, tallying 13, 11 and 10 points, respectively. Wills reached double figures for the fifth time in seven games.

The Ponies also put the clamps on UNT's top two scorers, limiting forward Amber Jackson to 10 points on 5-of-14 shooting, and holding guard Jo Hall to nine points on just 2-of-11 shooting.

The Ponies return home for a pair of home games this week, hosting Coppin (Md.) State at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, and hosting Texas-Arlington at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8.

WEEKEND RESULTS
Nov., Friday, 30
Marshall def. Jackson State(14), 81-67
UTEP def. Arkansas-Pine Bluff(15), 73-56
Furman def. Rice, 70-53

December
Saturday, 1
Kansas State def. UTEP(15), 66-58
Pittsburgh def. Marshall(14), 70-66
VCU def. East Carolina, 64-56
SMU def. North Texas, 68-52
Tulsa def. UTSA, 78-56
Jacksonville State def. Southern Miss, 76-74

Sunday, 2
Miami (Fla.) def. UCF, 64-56
Wake Forest def. Rice, 79-46
Mississippi State def. Memphis, 92-57
Virginia Tech def. UAB, 77-71
#8/7 LSU def. Tulane, 52-36

KEY:
(14) Fifth Third Marshall Classic (Huntington, W.Va.)
(15) Kansas State Tournament (Manhattan, Kan.)

TULSA 78, UTSA 56
Tulsa, Okla. - Teka Brooks, Larrissa Williams, Destanie Gardner, ReShawndra Jackson and Tatum Beer all posted double-digit points for Tulsa in a 78-56 victory over UTSA on Saturday afternoon at the Donald W. Reynolds Center on the TU campus. Tulsa registered its second victory of the season for a 2-6 overall mark, and gave the Roadrunners their first loss this year for a 6-1 record.

Terrie Davis put UTSA on the board first with a three-pointer at the 17:58 mark, and the Roadrunners and Golden Hurricane traded baskets and tied the game three times for the first nine minutes. Gardner gave TU the go-ahead basket at the 11:14 mark and Tulsa never relinquished the lead. Williams scored 12 points for TU in the first half, including the final basket of the half to give the Golden Hurricane a 17-point lead, 41-24, to go into the break.

TU went on a 15-4 run to begin the second half for a game-best 28-point lead, and finished the game with a 22-point advantage.

Brooks tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds, for her first career double-double, to go along with four assists, four steals and two blocks in the contest. With 15 points and 11 rebounds, Williams scored her seventh double-double of her career, and added a personal-best eight blocks and three steals.

Gardner, Jackson and Beer notched 12, 11 and 10-points, respectively, and Brooks, Gardner and Jackson's points were all personal records.

Tulsa held the Roadrunners to a season-low 56 points, 15 points below their season average. The Golden Hurricane also shut down their top-three scorers, Davis, Whitney York and Amanda Foster, who combine for 38.0 points-per-game this season, to just 16 total points. Jordan Stark led the Roadrunners with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

JACKSONVILLE STATE 76, SOUTHERN MISS 74
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Jacksonville State's Jolie Efezokhae hit a 15-footer as time expired, giving the Gamecocks a, 76-74, win over Southern Miss Saturday. Southern Miss falls to 6-2, while JSU improved to 3-4.

"We did not come out and play with the intensity level over the duration of the game that we needed to play," Head Coach Joye Lee-McNelis said. "We have to give Jacksonville State credit. They stepped in and they were on a mission to be successful. You have to give them credit because they ran a great play at the end and they got the shot off."

With four seconds remaining, JSU's Danielle Beneby made the initial pass to Eren McMichael, whose pass was deflected into the hands of Efezokhae at the free throw line. Efezokhae then turned and sank the basket as time expired.

Southern Miss' Liz Biland led all scorers with a game- and career-high 22 points, followed by Pauline Love with her sixth double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, Amber Eugene added 11 points and Stephanie Helgeson chipped in 10.

"I thought Liz played well today," McNelis said. "Her leadership today was phenomenal. She tried to rally the troops; she talked in the huddle and when Liz is focused like that, she tends to play well."

Efezokhae paced five players in double figures with 15 points, followed by Cierra Duhart and McMichael with 13 points apiece; Kelsey Johnikin and Beneby added 12 points.

The Lady Eagles finished the game shooting 51.7 percent, but had 28 turnovers that led to 25 points for the Gamecocks.

Southern Miss led by seven points, 72-65, at the 4:55 mark when JSU used a 9-2 run to tie the game at 74-74 with 1:39 remaining. The Lady Eagles turned the ball over on their next possession, but were able to make a defensive stop. Southern Miss could not get a shot off as the shot clock time expired.

Southern Miss led by as many as 11 points in the first, before the Gamecocks used a 17-2 run to take the lead, 31-29, at the 5:29 mark in the half. Both teams traded baskets over the next four minutes. The score was tied 38-38 at the half.

KANSAS STATE 66, UTEP 58
MANHATTAN, Kan.- The UTEP women's basketball team (4-2) suffered a hard-fought 66-58 loss at Kansas State (4-3) in the championship game of the Commerce Bank Classic on Saturday afternoon. The Miners used an incredible 16-0 run over the first 8:56 of the second period to overcome an 11-point halftime deficit, but the Wildcats clawed back to pull out the win.

Natasha Lacy and Jareica Hughes led the way offensively for the Miners, with 18 and 17 points, respectively, who displayed plenty of heart in the game. Facing a Kansas State squad which has qualified for six straight postseason tournaments and is riding a 19-game unbeaten streak at home against non-conference foes, UTEP twice rallied from double-digit deficits.

In the end, though, UTEP was done in by a five-minute scoreless stretch late in the second half and its inability to bang down low. KSU controlled the boards to the tune of 41-27 and held an advantage of 28-16 in points in the paint.

I'm proud of the team's effort today," head coach Keitha Adams said "We are going to have to apply the lessons from this game and learn from it for later this year."

Kasia Krezel, one of three Orange and Blue players to foul out, got the Miners off to a good start, burying a triple from the corner on their first possession of the ball game. The two teams then traded baskets, before the Wildcats utilized a 9-0 run to vault out to a 15-7 advantage with 14:28.

UTEP had an answer, though, rattling off six straight points of its own to climb back within four (17-13), with 10:43 left in the first half. The spurt forced the homestanding Wildcats to call a time out, and UTEP was unable to sustain the momentum following the break.

Kansas State broke open the game courtesy of a 13-2 sequence the next several minutes, affording the Wildcats their largest edge of the contest (30-15). UTEP continued to battle, however, narrowing the deficit to 11 (40-29) at the half.

It was an inspired Orange and Blue squad that took to the floor in the second half, as it turned up the heat at both ends of the court. Lacy drained a triple to start the stretch innocently enough, which was followed by a Hughes free throw. Izabela Piekarska, who made her presence felt defensively with five blocks, drained a triple for her only points of the game to bring UTEP within one (40-39) with 14:41 left.

The Miners had put the clamps down at the other end of the court, forcing the Wildcats into either taking tough shots or committing a turnover. The effort allowed UTEP to stake a 45-40 advantage with 11:31 to play after Hughes sliced through traffic for a contested lay-up.

Kansas State did not rattle, though, answering back with a 16-2 spurt the next five minutes to afford the Wildcats a lead they would never relinquish. UTEP was determined not to go down without a fight, as a Hughes triple brought them within two (56-54) with 4:32 to play.

As was the case all night, however, the Wildcats responded. KSU rattled off nine straight points to essentially put away the Orange and Blue.

VIRGINIA TECH, 77, UAB 71
BLACKSBURG, Va. - The UAB women's basketball team dropped a 77-71 Sunday afternoon contest at Virginia Tech that came down to the wire. The Blazers (2-6), down by 16 points at the 6:37 mark in the second half, came back within two, 73-71, with 31 seconds left in the game before free throws down the stretch gave the Hokies (7-1) the six-point win.

UAB trailed the entire first half by single digits, with its largest deficit of nine coming at the 11:01 mark. The Blazers entered halftime down seven, 43-36.

UAB came out in the second half and went on a 10-3 run to tie the game at 46-all with 13:23 remaining. Virginia Tech went on a 20-4 run of its own to hold its largest lead of the game, 66-50, with 6:37 left on the clock.

A late rally by the Blazers put them within two, 73-71, with 31 seconds to go in the contest. Four made free throws by the Hokies and a missed shot by UAB with just seconds remaining gave Virginia Tech the six-point victory, 77-71.

"Once again, we got ourselves in a hole during the first half," said UAB head coach Audra Smith. "We fought hard and came back in the second half, but it was too late. We can't keep getting down in the first half and having to climb our way back."

UAB hit 40.0 percent from the floor (24-60), including 40.0 percent from beyond the arc (8-20). The Blazers also sank 78.9 percent from the free throw line.

Senior guard/forward Diamond Rogers paced the Blazers with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting, while also adding eight rebounds and a career-high eight assists against the Hokies.

Senior guard Crystal McFadden tallied 14 points and freshman guard Amanda Peterson scored a career-high 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Junior guard Britney Jones was the fourth Blazer in double figures with 10 points.

Senior center Christon Ingram grabbed a team-best 10 boards and scored nine points during the game.

Virginia Tech hit 43.3 percent of its shots, including 51.6 in the first half. The Hokies also went 19-of-23 from the charity stripe against the Blazers.

Virginia Tech had five players score in double digits, led by Brittany Cook with 16 points. Lindsay Biggs followed with 13 and Utahya Drye added 12. Laura Haskins paced the Hokies on the boards with 10, while also contributing seven points.

The Blazers will return to Birmingham to play their first home game of the season Wednesday when they host Charlotte. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT at Bartow Arena.

"We have had a month's worth of road games and now we finally get to play a home game," said Smith. "We are excited to play in front of our fans at Bartow Arena."

#8/7 LSU 52, TULANE 36
NEW ORLEANS - The No. 8/ 7 LSU Tigers held Tulane to under 40 points for the eighth time in Tulane history, handing the Green Wave a 52-36 loss Sunday afternoon at Fogelman Arena. Nikki Luckhurst led Tulane with nine points, but Tulane falls to 6-2 overall. LSU All-American Sylvia Fowles led all players with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Luckhurst connected on four-of-nine from the field for the Wave. Alendra Brown and Brittany Lindsey each grabbed eight rebounds for Tulane, with Lindsey chipping in four points to Brown's three. Kendra Barnes also added four points.

It was the second straight year the Wave were held under 40 by LSU (6-2). The game was similar to last season's 59-39 loss to No. 10 LSU, also at Fogelman Arena, as the Wave defense stood up to the top 10 Tigers, but the offense failed to score for long stretches of the game.

The Tigers opened to a 10-2 lead as it took Tulane 10:03 to score their first bucket, a jumper from Chassity Brown. But the Wave held LSU to three field goals in the Tigers' first 13 shot to stay in the game. LSU stretched the margin to 16-2 as Hightower posted a pair of buckets.

Tulane struggled to score with their leading scorer, Lindsey, fighting foul trouble. Kendra Barnes hit a jumper, before Fowles answered with a pair of scores inside.

Valicevic connected on a long two, and then drove the lane before dishing to an open Alendra Brown, as the Wave cut the margin to 22-10.

Tulane held the Tigers to 30.3 percent from the field, but could muster just 18.2 percent themselves, while committing 10 turnovers. The Wave forced seven LSU turnovers, thanks to two steals and two blocks from Kiara Slaton. Fowles led all players with nine points and eight rebounds at the half.

In the second half, LSU opened the frame with a 9-0 run behind six points from Fowles. Roshaunda Barnes scored her first career points for the Wave, but 24 RaShonta LeBlanc canned a three-pointer as the Tigers stretched the lead to 39-15.

After Luckhurst hit a long two from the wing and added a three-pointer to start a 17-7 run for Tulane that cut the final margin to 52-36.

Tulane shot just 25.5 percent from the field, but held LSU to 35.5 percent, while forcing 17 Tiger turnovers.

The Green Wave held LSU to under 60 points for the second straight year. It's the fourth time the Wave have kept the Tigers under 50 in the 29 meetings in the series, and the second-lowest point total for LSU against the Wave ever (behind a 57-50 loss to Tulane in 1995).

Tulane held LSU to 52 points (or less) for only the 14th time in the Tigers last 593 games.

PITTSBUGH 70, MARSHALL 66
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Pittsburgh center Marcedes Walker, a Preseason All-Big East selection, proved to be too much for the Thundering Herd, scoring 23 points and notching 16 rebounds to help the Panthers edge Marshall, 70-66, in the Fifth Third MU Classic championship game on Saturday afternoon at the Cam Henderson Center.

Marshall (3-4, 0-0 C-USA) kept things close in the opening half. After Pittsburgh (5-2, 0-0 BIG EAST) scored the opening six points of the game, the Herd evened the score at ten on a jumper by Tynikki Crook and would later claw back to take a 17-16 lead with under seven minutes left in the half on a free throw by Kizzy Hart.

Pitt came right back with an 11-0 run over the next four minutes to take a ten-point lead, their largest of the half. Marshall would close slightly, but entered halftime down 29-22.

The Panthers opened up the second half right where they left off, going on a 15-8 run in the first five minutes of the half to make it a 45-30 game. That would be their largest lead of the contest. The Herd would not give up and began chipping away at the Panther lead, scoring the next five to cut the lead to ten.

After six minutes of trading buckets, the Herd managed to get the lead into single digits when an Alyssa Hammond jumper made it a 9-point game with under eight minutes left in the game. With seven minutes left, the lead was cut to seven on a Casey Baker lay-up.

The Herd would cut the lead to five with under four minutes left on a Kizzy Hart jumper and, after trading baskets, Baker nailed a free throw to make it a 64-60 game, but the Panthers would be too much to overcome, connecting on six free-throw shots in the last 1:05.

Down six with four seconds left, Alix Barnette gave Marshall a bit of hope, hitting a three-pointer to make it a 69-66 contest, but Jania Sims of the Panthers hit a free throw shot to seal the game.

Alyssa Hammond scored 17 points for the Herd, her season-high. Kizzy Hart was also in double-digits with 12. Casey Baker set a career-high in steals with five. She also scored nine points. Tournament MVP Marcedes Walker was the difference for Pitt, scoring 23 points and grabbing 16 boards. Aside from Walker, the lone Panther in double-digits was Shavonte Zellous with 18.

Rebounding played an impact in today's game, with Pitt owning the boards, out-rebounding the Herd 47-28. The Panthers shooting in the second half was also pivotal as they went 15-27 (55.6%).

Today's game marks the Herd's first loss in the Fifth Third MU Classic, Marshall had previously been 11-0 in the tournament. In Saturday's consolation game between Jackson State and Harvard, the Crimson came out on top, 69-66, to finish third in the tournament.

Following its three-game homestand, the Herd will once again take to the road, facing North Texas on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. et. Following that game, Marshall will have a ten-day layoff before traveling to Ohio U. on December 14.

Fifth Third MU Classic All-Tournament Team
Katie Rollins, Harvard Alyssa Hammond, Marshall Kizzy Hart, Marshall Shavonte Zellous, Pittsburgh MVP:Marcedes Walker, Pittsburgh

MIAMI 64, UCF 56
Coral Gables, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF women's basketball team's second-half rally fell short as the Knights dropped a Sunday afternoon contest to Miami, 64-56, at the BankUnited Center. D'Nay Daniels (Atlanta, Ga.) paced the Black and Gold with 15 points, while Jelisa Caldwell (Macon, Ga.) and Marshay White (Rochester, N.Y.) each added 11 points.

The Knights shot .800 from the free throw line, which included a perfect 8-for-8 performance from Daniels at the charity stripe. UCF also shot .440 from behind the arch, with White and Caldwell nailing three a piece.

Miami opened the game on a 14-2 run, before Caldwell and Angelica Mealing (Decatur, Ga.) hit back-to-back three-pointers making the score 16-8 with 12:42 left in the half.

Three-consecutive baskets by Lewis cut the Hurricanes lead to only one, 22-21, with under three minutes to go, but the Hurricanes answered back with four buckets to extend its lead to eight. The Knights trailed 30-22 entering the locker room.

In the opening period, Lewis and Caldwell paced the Black and Gold with six points a piece, while Mealing added five. The Knights had 16 of its 22 first half points scored off the bench.

Caldwell nailed another three-pointer in the second half to putt the Knights within two, 53-51, and a layup by White tied the score 53-53, the first tie of the game. But the Hurricanes scored nine-straight points with four minutes to play to put the game away.

Lamese James and Maurita Reid led Miami with 14 points apiece.

VCU 64, EAST CAROLINA 53
GREENVILLE, N.C. -Led by Quanitra Hollingsworth's 29th career double-double, VCU defeated East Carolina 64-53 Saturday afternoon at Minges Coliseum. The loss snaps a two-game win streak for the Lady Pirates, putting them at 3-5 on the year, while the Rams improve to 5-0 on the year.

The Lady Pirates jumped out to the early 15-4 lead, sparked by two straight Jasmine Young three-pointers. VCU cut the lead to eight, 15-7, before a LaCoya Terry trey put ECU back up 18-7, with 12:17 to play in the half. LaTavia Rorie's jumper at the 9:23 mark cut the Lady Pirate lead down to eight, 20-12. VCU's Radoslava Bacharova hit a three-pointer to pull the Rams within five, 20-15, with six minutes to play in the half. VCU held East Carolina scoreless for over five minutes before Shana Franks connected on a pair of free throws to increase the ECU lead back out to seven, 22-15. A Hollingsworth three-point play pulled the Rams within four, 22-18, with 4:49 on the clock. A pair of D'Andra Moss free throws cut the ECU lead to two before Hollingsworth's basket at the 2:57 mark tied the game at 22 a-piece. VCU took its first lead of the game, 24-22, on a Hollingsworth layup with 1:58 to play before the half. After a Terry free throw tied the game with 27.3 to play, Impris Manning drove to the basket and hit a layup to give ECU the 26-24 lead at the break.

VCU opened the second half on a 12-0 run, taking the ten-point, 36-26 lead, with 15:23 remaining in the game. Terry's bucket at the 15:08 mark was the first Lady Pirate basket of the half, pulling ECU to within eight, 36-28. Young's fast break layup off an Allison Spivey steal pulled the Lady Pirates within six, 36-30, with 13:53 remaining. Terry's pull up jumper with 12:03 on the clock cut the VCU lead down to six, but a jumper by Bacharova pulled the lead back out to eight, 42-34. Terry once again cut the lead down to six, this time with 11:32 to play, making the score 42-36. Four straight points from Krystal Vaughn extended the Rams lead to eight, 46-38, with 7:40 remaining. Tiahana Bowens' basket on the next possession pulled ECU to within six, 46-40, but the Lady Pirates could not get any closer, as VCU went on to win,

Hollingsworth led all scorers with 24 points and 16 rebounds. Young led ECU with 16 points while Terry added 12 points and seven rebounds. The Lady Pirates committed 25 turnovers and VCU took complete advantage of ECU's miscues, scoring 21 points off the turnovers.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 92, MEMPHIS 57
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Mississippi State scored 44 of their 92 points in the paint, and out-rebounded Memphis 57-34 in a 92-57 victory in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse, Sunday.

Memphis came out with some spunk early, sprinting out to a 13-6 lead, due in part to six points from Aroha Jennings. Mississippi State would find its balance and immediately answer with a 9-0 run to take the lead at 14-13 with 14:28 to play. The Lady Bulldogs would hold that lead briefly, as Memphis answered back off a three-point field goal from Alysse Davis, followed by a jumper from Alex Winchell. But the MSU coaching staff had seen enough and told the team to start pounding the ball inside, where Imesia Jackson started a 24-7 run that pushed the Mississippi State lead to 39-27 with 6:46 to play. Alexis Rack then went to work on the outside, hitting her first of four three-point field goals on the night, adding two more jumpers to push the Bulldog lead to 53-35 at the break.

"You have to give Mississippi State credit. They did a very good job executing the game plan," Head Coach Blair Savage-Lansden said. "They're a very good team. They're not extremely tall, their tallest player is a guard, but they just execute well. They're playing on a mission and it's very evident as their top three players are averaging double-digits for them. The bottom line is we lost the battle of the boards. They annihilated us on the boards. We knew that was offensive rebounding was a strength of theirs, but boxing out is not, they just go get it and outwork you for it. They almost had as many offensive rebounds as we had total rebounds and then on defense, they played our characteristics, and we didn't play theirs."

Memphis was out-rebounded 25-14 at the half, in part due to junior forward Ashley Thornton picking up her third foul on the offensive end.

"Ashley has to understand that as our leading scorer and rebounder, she's first on the scouting report," Savage said. "She's going to draw two and three to her and she's got to kick it out and then go and rebound or go and run the floor. It's a compliment to her that they're doing that, now we need to work that to our advantage."

The second half was more balanced offensive and rebounding from Mississippi State, as the Lady Bulldogs closed out the game, 92-57. Rack led all players with 20 points, while Jackson finished with 17. Marneshia Richard added 10 points, six assists and four steals in the victory.

Memphis was led in scoring by Paris Leonard, who hit 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting. Aroha Jennings finished with 11 points and five rebounds, but only five Memphis players posted an offensive board in the loss.

The Lady Tigers will break from competition to focus on exams and practice before hosting Belmont University, Dec. 14th, at 7:00 p.m.