UALR runs it up on La. Tech

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/BENJAMIN KRAIN --1/30/13--
UALR's Taylor Ford steals from Louisiana TechJanay Borum during their game at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock on Wednesday.

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/BENJAMIN KRAIN --1/30/13-- UALR's Taylor Ford steals from Louisiana TechJanay Borum during their game at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock on Wednesday.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

— Joe Foley has tinkered with the starting lineup for his UALR women’s basketball team eight times this season, each time making slight changes for different reasons.

The most recent adjustment was done eight days ago when Foley was simply trying to pull his team out of a funk that included four consecutive losses.

It seems to have worked.

Using the same starters for the third consecutive game, UALR led the final 36:55, went on an 18-1 first-half run and led by 26 points in the second half of a 74-52 victory over Louisiana Tech on Wednesday night at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.

The victory was the Trojans’ third consecutive after they defeated Florida Atlantic on Jan. 23 and North Texas on Saturday. The streak followed four consecutive losses and has turned UALR’s fortunes heading into the final month of the season.

“I just wanted to find the kids who were playing with the most intensity, with the most pop to them,” Foley said. “Good things are going to happen if you’re playing hard, and they’ve happened for that group.”

Led by Taylor Ford’s 16 points, UALR’s five starters - Ford, Ka’Nesheia Cobbins, Kiera Clark, Hannah Fohne and Shanity James - combined for 46 points while helping UALR shoot 43.9 percent from the field and holdingLouisiana Tech (9-11) to 31.7 percent.

Cobbins scored 12 points, Clark had 10 and Fohne and James each added four points each for UALR (14-7).

Ford added six rebounds and six assists, and Cobbins had five rebounds and five assists as the two guards led UALR’s offense at a faster pace than what Foley had seen in a couple of weeks.

“I think we’re doing a great job of getting the ball up and down the floor, causing a lot of easy baskets for ourselves,” Foley said. “They seem to be getting some pretty good chemistry.”

The other benefit to the new starting group is what it allows Foley to bring off the bench.

Leading scorer Taylor Gault didn’t start for the fourth consecutive game, but she had 13 points. She scored seven of those in the decisive 18-1 run that turned a 9-8 UALR lead with 15:41 left in the first half into a 25-9 lead less than five minutes later.

Louisiana Tech’s Lulu Perry had 12 points in the first half on 4-of-8 shooting. Her teammates were 3 of 22 in the first half.

Defensive improvements - Foley said it’s a combination of better understanding and intensity - have helped UALR turn its fortunes, too.

During a stretch of five losses in six games to start January, the Trojans allowed 61 or more points four times.

But in the past three victories, the Trojans haven’t allowed more than 52 points and held each opponent to less than 37 percent shooting.

“It was a long process, kids lost their intensity a little bit, as far as the pop of getting up and down the floor,” Foley said. “And that lineup helped pull as through.” ARKANSAS STATE 72, SOUTH ALABAMA 61

JONESBORO - Four Arkansas State players scored at least 10 points each as the Red Wolves (12-9, 9-3 Sun Belt) defeated South Alabama (12-8, 5-7) at the Convocation Center to extend their winning streak to seven games.

Hanna Qedan led ASU with 16 points. Quinishia McDowell added 14 points, while Ashley Olvera and Jalen O’Bannon finished with 11 points each.

Box score LA. TECH M FG FT O-R PF A PTS Borum 26 0-2 0-0 0-5 5 3 0 Frazier 25 4-11 2-2 4-4 3 1 11 Lewis 24 3-7 3-4 0-1 1 0 9 Perry 28 5-11 4-5 1-2 0 3 14 Shelton 24 1-9 0-3 1-9 4 0 2 Hayes 16 0-1 0-0 1-4 4 0 0 Bryant 5 1-4 0-0 0-1 2 0 2 Vucinic 11 1-5 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 Jefferson 8 3-4 0-0 0-2 3 1 6 Andrews 9 0-0 2-2 0-1 0 0 2 Anderson 7 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 Langston 8 0-2 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 Hall 9 1-3 2-3 2-4 1 0 4 Team 2-2 Totals 200 19-60 13-19 11-35 26 9 52 PCT. - FG 31.7, FT 68.4. 3-PT. - 1-6, 16.7 (Frazier 1-1, Shelton 0-1, Vucinic 0-1, Perry 0-3). BL - 3 (Frazier, Jefferson, Anderson). ST - 2 (Borum, Shelton). TO - 16 (Frazier 3, Perry 3).

UALR M FG FT O-R PF A PTS James 21 2-4 0-0 1-2 4 1 4 Fohne 26 1-5 2-3 1-8 2 1 4 Ford 32 4-9 6-7 0-6 4 6 16 Clark 31 5-8 0-0 2-5 1 2 10 Cobbins 31 3-6 6-9 3-5 1 5 12 Gregory 3 0-0 1-2 1-1 0 0 1 Dillard 6 1-1 2-2 0-1 1 0 4 Gault 21 5-11 2-4 1-4 5 1 13 Merriex 8 1-7 2-2 0-1 1 1 4 Wells 21 3-6 0-1 1-6 4 1 6 Team 5-9 Totals 200 25-57 21-30 15-48 23 18 74 PCT. - FG 43.9, FT 70.0. 3-PT. - 3-8, 37.5 (Ford 2-3, Gault 1-2, Merriex 0-3). BL - 11 (Fohne 3, Wells 3). TO - 15 (Cobbins 4). ST - 3 (Fohne, Cobbins, Wells).

Halftime - UALR 40, Louisiana Tech 21 Officials - Day, Roberts, Gallion Attendance - 1,742

Sports, Pages 22 on 01/31/2013