Lady Lions Pound Paul Quinn, 60-39

Jones, Jefferson, Hankins ignite SAGU to 7th straight

SENIOR SNIPER: Rachel Harris came off the bench to play half the game and scored 7 points. She nailed a pair of 3-balls.DALLAS, Texas -- Behind an outstanding defense and a solid rebounding performance, the Southwestern Assemblies of God University women's basketball team defeated Paul Quinn College 69-39 on Thursday night. The win was the seventh consecutive triumph for the Lady Lions.

Southwestern is now 10-3 on the season and upped their mark in the Red River Athletic Conference to 5-0. Coupled with Langston University's 55-51 road win over previously unbeaten Bacone College gave SAGU sole possession of the league lead.

Close for 25 minutes before Lady Lions pull away

The Lady Lions lead throughout the game, including 34-22 at the half. The host Lady Tigers rallied to within 37-31 on a 9-3 run in the early minutes after intermission. That's when the defense-oriented strength of SAGU heightened their play to stave off the Tigers, turning the game into a one-sided decision.

Once the Lady Lions began to distance themselves from the Tigers, they outscored them 32-8 the rest of the game. As Percy B. Shelley, the late English poet once wrote, Paul Quinn "faded like a cloud which had outwept its rain."  Jasmine Laws was the top point producer for PQC (3-11, 0-5) with 12.

Coach Speak

"We played very good defense," said head coach Arlon Beadles, "but it started with us outrebounding them. Paul Quinn played hard and we made some turnovers, but we got it together by shooting well."

Key Stats that Tell the Tale

SAGU limited the Tigers to 23% shooting for the game, including just six of 35 shots (17%) in the second half. They held a 48-43 advantage on the boards and coaxed the home team into 17 miscues.

Standout Performances

HANKS A LOT: Sierra Hankins made all four of her field goal attempts to score eight. She grabbed a season-high 10 boards.Chelsea Jones (San Antonio, Tx / Cornerstone Christian) and Heather Jefferson (Conroe, Tx / Conroe HS) paced an offense that connected on 10 three-pointers and hit 48% of their first half attempts. The Lions finished at 41% for the game. Jones netted 17 points, while Jefferson tossed in 13. Jefferson swished 3-of-5 trifectas. Stephanie Hawkins (DeSoto, Tx / DeSoto HS) added nine points as the senior trio keyed the attack.

Freshmen Jirah Rodriguez (Georgetown, Tx / Georgetown HS) and Sierra Hankins (Welch, Ok / Welch HS) accounted for eight points apiece, while senior guard Rachel Harris (Joshua, Tx / Bethesda Christian) layed in seven.

Jefferson and Hawkins, who share the point guard role, had five and four assists respectively.

Hankins, averaging 3.7 boards per contest, ripped 10 off the boards, her best effort of the season. Rodriguez claimed nine caroms.

On Deck: SAGU at Texas College on Saturday

The Lady Lions return to the court on Saturday afternoon when they take on Texas College (9-3, 2-3) at 2:00pm in Tyler. The Lady Steers' 79-69 home win over the four-time defending league champion Langton is proof of the talent Texas College has this season.

Texas College is averaging 75 points per game, twelve more than Team Lioness.