While students are now beginning to pile the homework fresh off Christmas break, the women’s basketball team continued its workload, kicking off a two-game road trip Wednesday evening, losing to Stephen F. Austin University, 66-55.
In the first half, the women stayed right with the Lumberjacks, outscoring them 16-13 in the first quarter, and took a 30-29 lead into halftime.
However, SFA came out in the third quarter and defended well, holding the Wildcats to only seven total points, while scoring 19 of its own, including seven coming from freshman guard Marissa Banfield off two three-pointers and a free throw.
The Wildcats were able to match SFA’s 18 points in the fourth quarter; however, it wasn’t enough as the Lumberjack’s third-quarter surge gave them the victory.
“We got outworked on rebounds,” said sophomore guard Dominique Golightly. “We weren’t able to execute very well on offense and kind of that set us back.”
For the Wildcats, senior forward Sierra Allen performed well, scoring 17 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Junior guard Sara Williamson scored 10 points, while sophomore center Lexi Kirgan was perfect from the field, making all four of her shots and scoring 11 points.
Redshirt senior forward Stevi Parker was the top player for SFA Wednesday evening as she earned a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Banfield also contributed well, posting 14 points.
Next up for the women’s second road trip game will be another conference powerhouse in Central Arkansas. The Sugar Bears boast a 13-5 record, along with a 6-1 conference record, putting the team at second in the Southland.
“Moving forward with our next game coming up against UCA, we want to put that loss behind us as well as learn from it,” Golightly said. “We want to take our mistakes, and fix them in the next game by being more physical and pursuing rebounds. Just play Wildcat basketball, the way we know how to get the win.”
The leading players for Central Arkansas this season are junior guard Kamry Orr, who has averaged 14.9 points per game, and senior forward Taylor Boudoin, averaging 14.1 points per game.
Tipoff is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. in Conway, Arkansas. Coverage can be seen on ESPN3, or heard on 98.1 FM.
