There is still Stephen F. Austin basketball to be played. A day after the Lumberjacks bowed out of the 2016-17 season in a CIT loss to Idaho, the Ladyjacks will look to continue their postseason run with a victory against UT-Rio Grande Valley tonight.
The game starts at 7:00PM, can be seen on the Spectrum Sports channel, and
streamed on YouTube here. The game will also be broadcasted on Q107.7 in Nacogdoches.
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Stephen F. Austin center Adrian Lewis shoots during a regular season battle with Northwestern State.
The WBI represents a unique opportunity for the Ladyjacks, despite a snub by the WNIT, as they should largely be favored to win the entire tournament. SFA finished the season with an RPI of 89 nationally, followed closest by Eastern Washington (134) and Lamar (135). The Ladyjacks will play the winner of those two later this weekend, if they can get by UTRGV tonight.
The Ladyjacks advanced to the championship game of the WBI in 2014, losing a 73-64 decision to Illinois-Chicago. A victory over UTRGV and Eastern Washington/Lamar would put SFA in the drivers' seat through the rest of the 16-team bracket.
The Vaqueros of UTRGV finished 8-6 in the Western Athletic Conference, good enough for fourth place. The early part of their non-conference schedule saw a pair of victories over Southland Conference opponents Sam Houston State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, as well as a 54-70 defeat at Abilene Christian. Larry Tidwell, a familiar face in the realm of Southland Conference basketball, has led the Vaqueros since 2013. Tidwell coached at Lamar for six successful seasons and left under somewhat curious circumstances to make the lateral move to Edinburg.
UTRGV plays a solid brand of hard-nosed defense, ranking second in their league in points allowed - just 57.5. SFA will be looking to improve on a disastrous offensive performance in the Southland Conference championship game against Central Arkansas, one where the Ladyjacks mustered just 35 points.
Tidwell's team is led by Shawnte' Goff, a 5-foot-8 freshman guard, who scored 16 points per game while leading her team in assists and steals.
Look for Taylor Ross, Stevi Parker, Adrian Lewis, and company, to come out firing for a chance to prolong their season at least another couple of days. And, perhaps, a shot at a tournament championship, even if it isn't the one they originally coveted.
