Women's Basketball Duels UCA Again
2/24/2016 10:01:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Just four days after falling to Central Arkansas 73-63 in a hard-fought game in Huntsville last Saturday afternoon, the Sam Houston women's basketball team meets the Bears in a rematch, this time in Conway, Arkansas.
The two teams square off at 7 p.m. Wednesday night. The Bears, who sit 22-3 overall and 12-2 in Southland games, are attempting to secure the top seed in the upcoming Southland Conference tournament in Katy March 9-13.
The top seed comes with a double bye to the tournament semifinals. The UCA women are three games ahead of both Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin in the loss column with four games to go. One win would guarantee the Bears one of the top two seeds and the double bye, while two wins would lock up the No. 1 seed, giving them the top position for the second time, the first coming in 2012 after winning the Southland regular season championship with a 14-2 record.
Sam Houston needs a win as well as the Bearkats continue their quest to earn one of the eight berths in the tournament at the Ferrell Center.
The big challenge for the Kats Wednesday will be stopping Taylor Baudoin who was named as this week's Southland Conference women's basketball “Player of the Week” after averaging 19.5 points and 8 rebounds per game in a pair of road wins at McNeese State and Sam Houston.
Baudoin, in her first season at UCA, turned in her best week of the year by scoring a season-high 20 and narrowly missing a double-double with 9 rebounds in Wednesday's 70-56 win at McNeese; then following with 19 and 7 in Saturday's 73-63 win against the Bearkats.
Maggie Proffitt is the Bears' other offensive weapon. Proffitt was a Southland player of the week selection in December.
Sam Houston's two senior leaders, center Angela Beadle and guard Shernise Robertson, lead the Bearkat attack.
Beadle now ranks No. 7 in Sam Houston women's career scoring (1,225 points). She needs 46 points to pass Sirena Autman (1,270 in 1988-91). Beadle stands as the Kats' career leader in blocks(169). Beadle ranks No. 3 in Kat career rebounds (922).
Robertson is 27 points away from becoming the 16th Sam Houston woman to score 1,000 career points. She will be the first Bearkat woman to score 1,000 points in only two seasons.
Four freshmen are making their mark for the Bearkat women this season. Two are starting. Guards Kamry Orr and Laurynn McGowen are the team's third and fourth leading scorers with averages of 8.0 and 7.3, respectively. Freshmen 6-1 Ashleigh Cooper and 5-10 Lydia Baxter have been playing well inside.
Jasmine McCants, a 6-0 junior transfer from Alabama Southern Community College, is also seeing action at the post. She has pulled down 75 rebounds in her 23 appearances.
Following Wednesday's contest, Sam Houston will finish out the regular season with home game at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum against A&M-Corpus Christi, Lamar and Stephen F. Austin.
