SFA Comeback Falls Short at TCU
TCU 85, Stephen F. Austin 80
FORT WORTH, Texas – Senior Porsha Roberts recorded a new career-high and the Stephen F. Austin women’s basketball team made a strong comeback push in the second half, but fell just short against TCU in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, 85-80. The Ladyjacks end a historic season with an overall record of 23-8.
One of the best players in the storied history of Ladyjack basketball, it was only fitting that Roberts ended her tremendous career with a career-high 35 points. She shot the ball at a staggering 13-for-18 clip from the field while adding 11 rebounds for her 12th double-double of the season. She ends her SFA career with 1,915 points – the sixth-most in program history.
With her fourth rebound of Thursday’s contest, Roberts joined a select few in the 1,000-rebound club. The Waco native ends her career with 1,007 boards – also the sixth best total for any Ladyjack.
Henderson also reached a significant milestone on Thursday after finishing the game with 11 points. Needing just nine to become SFA’s newest addition into the 1,000-point club entering the postseason battle, Henderson’s 11 points moved her career total to 1,002 after an excellent four-year career.
Henderson eclipsed the milestone with 2:03 to play, knocking down a huge three-pointer to cut TCU’s lead to four, 76-72.
Sophomore Taylor Ross and senior Brittney Matthew also joined Roberts and Henderson in double figures, scoring 15 and 11 points, respectfully.
The Ladyjacks outscored the Horned Frogs (18-13) 49-39 in the second half, coming within three points (81-78) after Brentney Branch got a floater to go with 14 seconds on the clock. After trailing by as many as 16 points in the first half, SFA’s dramatic comeback would fall just short however, as TCU made its free throws down the stretch.
TCU used a 16-1 run to jump out to a 25-11 lead at the halfway point in the first half. Roberts helped SFA stop the bleeding by scoring seven straight points as the Ladyjacks climbed back to within five at 27-22.
The two teams then traded momentum swings to end the half. TCU mounted an 11-0 spurt to build a 38-22 advantage before SFA came roaring back with a 9-0 run, which included five points from Henderson. Despite scratching back to within seven (38-31), the Horned Frogs ended the opening frame on an 8-0 run to take a 46-31 cushion into the break.
After scoring 14 points in the first half, Roberts continued to dominate the low blocks to start the second. She had 10 more points by the under-12 media timeout to help SFA claw their way back to a seven point deficit, 57-50 with 11:51 remaining in the game. She scored 21 points in the final 20 minutes alone.
Despite falling short on Thursday night, the Ladyjacks had one of the best seasons in the last decade for the program. SFA won back-to-back Southland Conference titles for the first time since 2000-01/2001-02, boasted the best SLC record in 13 years, saw Porsha Roberts garner SLC Player of the Year honors and Brandon Schneider take home Coach of the Year accolades, among a plethora of other awards and achievements.
While bringing back a wealth of talent, and adding transfers Taylor Schippers and Stevi Parker next season, the Ladyjacks will miss the playing ability and off-court character of their five seniors: Porsha Roberts, Tierany Henderson, Brittney Matthew, Destiny Bragman and Daylyn Harris.