Feb. 17, 2006

Final Stats |  Photo Gallery

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - (Thursday, February 16, 2006) How things have changed in the past month and a half. After losing to Eastern Illinois 70-61 back on January 5 which left the Redhawks women's basketball at 6-7 (3-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference) and wondering which direction they were heading. Since that time the Redhawks have been one of the hottest teams not only in the OVC but in the country reeling off 10-straight victories. That was evident on Thursday evening when the Redhawks avenged that loss with a 84-76 victory over those same Panthers at the Show Me Center. The win gave the Redhawks their 11th-straight victory, breaking the programs' previous Division I record for consecutive wins set by last year's team.

The game featured 12 lead changes and five ties but fortunately for the Redhawks (17-7, 14-3 OVC) that all occurred in the first half as the Redhawks grabbed a 25-23 lead with 4:35 left in the opening half that spurred a 12-2 to end the half and give the Redhawks the lead for good.

The most unlikeliest of Redhawk players spurred the run as freshman Sonya Daugherty (St. Louis, MO/Hancock) scored six points during that run. Daugherty came into the game with 10 total points for the season for an average of 0.8 ppg. Daugherty eclipsed that total in the first half as she finished with 13 points on 6-7 shooting in only seven minutes of action.

The Redhawks continued their run into the second half as they extended their lead to as high as 19-points, 77-58 on a Lachelle Lyles (Chicago, IL/Shelton State CC) free throw.

The Panthers (10-15, 9-8 OVC) kept it interesting in the second half but the outcome was never in doubt as the Redhawks overcame a 10-1 run by the Panthers to end the game making the final score closer than it would otherwise indicate.

The Redhawks used their athleticism and size in the post to outscore the Panthers 44-14 in the paint and 13-4 in second chance points. The Redhawks outrebounded the Panthers 43-29 (15-4 on the offensive glass).

Tatiana Conceicao (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Western Nebraska CC) finished with 23 points in only 19 minutes because of foul trouble to lead the Redhawks offensively. She was 8-14 from the field including 1-3 from three-point range. It was her 11th time this season she has recorded 20 or more points.

Simone Jackson (Kingston, Jamaica/Southeastern Illinois CC) was to much offensively for the Panther defenders as she chipped in 18 points on an efficient 7-10 shooting from the field. She also recorded seven rebounds and dished-out three assists.

Freshman Tarina Nixon (Gilbert, AZ/Highland) broke out of a scoring slump as she finished with 14 points on 4-6 shooting (2-3 from three-point range). She recorded a team and career-high four assists. She also added three steals and four rebounds (three offensive).

Daugherty, the leading scorer in St. Louis prep history, showed a wide range of offensive moves both inside and outside as she went 6-7 from the field (1-1 from three-point range).

Lyles recorded her seventh double-figure rebounding game of the season as she finished with a game-high 11 rebounds including six offensive boards.

Katrisha Dunn (Dallas, TX/Eastern Oklahoma State College) once again was a defensive spark off the bench tying her career-high with four steals which led to her four points.

Megan Sparks led the Panthers with a game-high 25 points on 8-15 shooting. Freshman Rachel Galligan had another solid game against the Redhawks with 13 points, all in the second half. Ellen Canale rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Panthers with 10 points on 4-5 shooting.

The win by the Redhawks clinched a first round home game for the O'Reilly Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament. That game will be on Tuesday, February 28 with the game time and opponent to be determined at a later time.

The Redhawks will make their last road trip of the season as they head to Martin, Tennessee to face the Skyhawks on Saturday, February 18 with a tip-off time of 4:00 p.m.