’Roo women top Tigers as Williams makes history

SHERMAN, Texas – Austin College senior forward Katy Williams scored 31 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, breaking the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference career rebounding record in the process, as the ’Roo women’s basketball team topped Colorado College 87-70 on Saturday afternoon.  The ’Roos are now 15-6 overall and 9-3 in conference play. 

After missing their first three pointer of the game, the ’Roos got hot from behind the arc early, knocking down their next six treys as they sprinted out to a big lead.  Kayla Redden hit two in a row to make it 11-2 with 15:11 left to play, and after Colorado College trimmed it to a 13-7 game, Courtney Kenisky scored five straight including a three and Redden and Amber Stafford each hit from downtown to make it 24-10 midway through the half. 

The Tigers twice trimmed the margin to 11 over the next few minutes but Redden hit a jumper and Williams scored five in a row to extend the Austin College lead to 36-19 with 4:32 on the clock.  The lead twice grew to 18 but Colorado College trimmed it to 10 after six quick points from Collier Clegg, and after a Kersti Marusich three the Tigers responded with a trey of their own to make it 45-35.  Williams added two free throws to send the ’Roos into the locker room leading 47-35. 

The ’Roos quickly pushed the lead to 14 before another Clegg hit another three, and Emily Wattman-Turner scored to cut it to a 51-42 game with 17:04 left.  However, the ’Roos quickly pushed the margin back to double-digits on a Stafford three that jumpstarted a 15-5 run to make it 66-47 with 13:12 left to play. 

Colorado College would cut the margin to 11 once more in the game but were unable to get it back to single digits the rest of the way as the ’Roos cruised down the stretch on their way to the 87-70 victory.  Austin College shot 45.5% from long range in the game, going 10-of-22 from three point land. 

Williams went 12-of-22 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the free throw line, with 11 of her 16 rebounds coming on the offensive glass.  After entering the game needing 14 rebounds to break the SCAC career record, Williams now has 1,012 boards in just 93 career games.  Stafford finished with 10 points and a career high 12 assists, Redden hit four threes on her way to 14 points, Kenisky finished with 12 points off the bench and Spenser Cruikshank grabbed 14 boards in the win. 

Wattman-Turner had 16 points to lead the Tigers while Becky Luetjen had a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards and also handed out five assists.  Jenny Knapp went 4-of-4 from three to finish with 14 points and Clegg added 13. 

Austin College is will play its last two home games of the season next weekend, starting with a 6:00 p.m. game against Trinity University on Friday in Hughey Gymnasium. 

AC men’s hoops tops Colorado College 

SHERMAN, Texas – The Austin College men’s basketball team improved to 16-5 overall and 9-3 in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference with an 80-61 win over Colorado College on Saturday, avenging a loss to the Tigers earlier in the season behind 20 points and 10 boards from Kola Alade. 

Chris Sturtevant and Alade each hit a three pointer early as the ’Roos jumped out to a 10-6 lead with 16:21 left in the half, but the Tigers would score the next six to grab a 12-10 on a layup by Brady Ohlsen with 12:48 remaining before the break.  The Tigers would make it 14-11 before Scott Straley and Josh Saunders hit consecutive threes to give the ’Roos a 17-14 lead with just under 12 minutes to go. 

The Tigers came back to knot things at 20 with 9:24 left before halftime, but a bucket by Kola Alade and another three from Straley would kick off a 22-7 run by AC to close out the half and send the ’Roos into the locker room with a 42-27 lead.  Alade scored six points during the run and seven different players contributed got on the board in the last nine minutes of the half. 

Nick Rose hit a three to make it a 42-30 game early in the second half, but Austin College turned up the pressure defensively, forcing eight Colorado College turnovers and scoring 17 unanswered over the next three minutes to make it a 59-30 game with 16:25 on the clock.  The lead grew to 31 at 63-32 following baskets from Straley and Kyle Lintelman. 

The Tigers slowly started chipping away behind seven quick points from Ryan Harty, and another three from Rose capped off a 19-5 run and made it a 68-51 game with 6:38 left to play.  After an Alade bucket with 5:05 left made it 73-51, the ’Roos went ice cold from the field, not getting another field goal until a dunk by Walter Phillips with 44 seconds to play.  However, the Tigers were never able to get the lead back under 16 the rest of the way as AC knocked down their free throws over the final few minutes to make it a 19 point margin at the final horn. 

Alade was the only Austin College player to reach double figures as he went 9-of-18 from the field on the way to his double-double and added four assists and two steals.  Saunders had nine points off the bench, while Straley, Sturtevant and Spencer Burke each scored eight.  After hitting 44.7% of their first half shots, the ’Roos knocked down just 30.2% in the second half but took advantage of 24 Tiger turnovers to pick up the win. 

Rose went 10-of-19 from the field to finish with a game-high 23 points and added five boards and four assists, Harty scored 13 and Ohlson added 10 points, eight boards, two blocks and two steals.  The Tigers shot just 37.7% from the floor in the game. 

Austin College will return to Hughey Gymnasium for the last time this season when they host Trinity and Southwestern next weekend, beginning with an 8:00 p.m. tilt against TU on Friday. 

Austin College athletic teams participate as a member of the NCAA Division III and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. 

About Austin College 

Austin College is a leading national independent liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas.  Founded in 1849, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original charter and name, the college is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Recognized nationally for academic excellence in the areas of international education, pre-professional training, and leadership studies, Austin College is one of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives.