Feb. 28, 2008

Final Stats

NACOGDOCHES -

Box Score at Stephen F. Austin

Brooke DeGrate sunk both of her free throw attempts with six seconds left, and Decreasha Goodner missed a three-pointer at the buzzer that would have forced overtime as Texas State (19-8, 13-1 SLC) held on for a 70-67 win over Stephen F. Austin (10-15, 7-6 SLC) in Nacogdoches on Thursday.

Ashley Cole also scored a game-high 24 points while she combined with DeGrate and Joyce Ekworomadu to score 42 of Texas State's 45 second-half points.

The Ladyjacks opened the game with a 10-3 run over the first six minutes, but Texas State came back and took a 19-18 lead with 5:46 remaining in the first half on back-to-back threes by Joyce Ekworomadu. The lead would not hold as SFA ended the half up 29-25 behind five points from Nikki Carr in the final 2:28.

As the Ladyjacks' lead increased to seven in the opening minutes of the second half, the DeGrate and Cole took over. The pair combined for 11 of the Bobcats' 12 points during a 12-4 run that gave Texas State a 39-38 lead with 14:49 left in the game.

The Bobcats traded leads over the next three minutes but took control after a 15-4 run that spanned five minutes. Cole and Ekworomadu scored every point of the run, with Cole hitting a lay-up to cap the rally at the 6:31 mark.

Ekworomadu hit another three with 3:57 to play that put Texas State up 63-53, but SFA would hold the `Cats scoreless over the next 2:35 while going on a 6-0 run to pull within four with 1:47 left in the game.

After trading threes, DeGrate made a pair of free throws at the 1:04 mark to extend Texas State's lead back to six before Carr hit a three pointer on the Ladyjacks' next possession. With 10 seconds left, Carr stole a pass and hit a lay-up that cut the lead to one, but DeGrate made two more free throws to give the Bobcats a three point lead that they kept for the win.

Cole scored 16 of her 24 points in the second half while Ekworomadu added 23 on the night, 15 of which came in the second half. DeGrate also scored all 11 of her points in the second period, including a perfect 8-for-8 mark at the free throw line. The trio also scored every Texas State point over the final 16:00, outscoring the entire Ladyjacks roster 36-29 over that span.

Carr led SFA with 24 points while adding seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.

The win gives the Bobcats a two-game lead for first place in the Southland Conference standings after second place UTSA lost at McNeese State by a 52-49 score. Texas State will try to clinch the regular season title on Saturday at Sam Houston State with a 4:30 p.m. tip.