There may not be many chinks in Mark Kellogg's team’s armor, but the Islanders did a decent job finding one during Thursday night's contest in William R. Johnson Coliseum. Texas A&M-CC came out of the gate swinging with their physical play and energy, stunning SFA, sending Adrian Lewis to the bench with early foul trouble, and Taylor Ross to the tunnel for a checkup after a hard baseline fall.
In a season where a number of players have stepped up in big moments, it was Brentney Branch on Thursday. The senior put up 17 points and 5 assists in what may have been a lopsided match on paper, but certainly a close one on the court. Junior Stevi Parker added 8 points and 7 rebounds en-route to a 64-56 win over their southern-most Southland rival.
The Islanders actually led going into the half, 29-27, but the Ladyjacks finally settled in and a spurt in the third quarter gave them the lead for good. Ross and Lewis both still went on to have solid nights, despite limited minutes; Ross posting 14 points and 4 assists and Lewis finishing with 7 points and 7 rebounds.
Here are a few takeaways from last night:
1. Target acquired
The Ladyjacks aren't the defending champs. They haven't been to the NCAA Tournament in some time now. But you better believe that winning streak has their opponents locked in each night. Every single team in the Southland wants to be the first to knock them off.
It was obvious that the 4-10 Islanders came into William R. Johnson with "upset" on their mind. Their bench was perhaps louder than the entire crowd (not that WRJ was packed or anything) and that energy from the opponent is what the Ladyjacks should be expecting every time out from this point forward.
2. Winning without whistles
Everyone who has watched the Ladyjacks play this season know this: nobody is better at getting to the free throw line. Their drives and contact-drawing approach to offensive basketball has been a recipe for success much of the season.
So what happens when the whistles don't blow? Physical play seemed to rock the Jacks early on Thursday. Multiple times if it was not major contact, the referees would let the ladies play through it. As time went on, the Jacks began to push back with some success - but this might turn out to be a weakness for this team.
TAMU-CC missed a lot of wide open shot opportunities and their aggressive play early only resulted in a small lead (which is also just a testament to SFA's outstanding defense), but should a better team than the Islanders find similar success with a more physical defensive approach, the end result could be different.
3. This team is not a one (or two) woman show
Even without their star Taylor Ross and key contributor Adrian Lewis, this Ladyjack team can get it done. Most of the first half was played by Branch and Parker and they put in some solid minutes to keep the game competitive at the half. With good time management and substitutions by Head Coach Mark Kellogg (and a bit of luck that Ross wasn't injured), the Ladyjacks were able to get their full arsenal of weapons back on the court and it was enough to fizzle out the Islanders' hot start.
It is a good thing knowing as invaluable as Ross is to this team, that if the game flow dictates that she sit for any reason, the Ladyjacks can remain efficient without her.
There isn't a lot of time to dwell on this win for SFA, though. The Ladyjacks will take on last season's champions, the Abilene Christian Wildcats, on the road this Thursday. The Jacks will be looking to win their 12th-straight and tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 PM.
