Jan. 4, 2008

Box Score

The Southwestern University women's basketball team returned to Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play with a bang, defeating Millsaps College 64-42 on Friday (Jan. 4) in Jackson, MS.

The Pirates took the lead early and never relented. SU pushed its lead to 18 when senior Amanda Gordon (Houston, TX/Bellaire HS) hit a three-pointer with 1:14 on the clock. Southwestern took a 37-22 lead in to the half.

In the second half, Millsaps pulled within six with under nine minutes left in the game. The Pirates then scored 16 unanswered points to close out the game, forcing four turnovers during that span.

Junior forward Natasha Azizi (Katy, TX/Cinco Ranch HS) led the team with 12 points on 6-9 shooting. Beth Thomas (Houston, TX/Clear Lake HS) totaled 10 points and six rebounds. Thomas also had three blocks and a pair of steals.

Gordon ended the night with a team-high nine rebounds and eight points. Senior guard Kelli Hill (Plano, TX/Plano East HS) recorded a game-high five assists.

Southwestern shot a strong 46.6 percent (27-58) from the field while holding MC to 28.8 percent (17-59). SU held a 42-32 advantage on the boards and the Pirates also recorded 12 steals in the contest.

The Pirates improve to 8-3 on the year and 2-1 in SCAC play while Millsaps falls to 2-7 and 0-2 in the conference.

Southwestern takes on Hendrix College on Sunday (Jan. 6) at 12:00 pm in Conway, AR.