Lyon Punches First-Ever Ticket to Second Round
Lyon, which is making its fifth-straight appearance at the championship, entered the event with a 0-4 mark all time at the event. In addition to grabbing their first-ever postseason win, the Scots – now 30-3 – reached the 30-win plateau for the first time in the history of the club.
“I thought our rebounding was very, very solid,” said Lyon head coach Tracy Stewart-Lange. “Our guards sometimes got crossed up and didn’t get our switches, but we were really focusing on their posts and did a nice job with that. (Kourtney) Pennywell got it going in the second half, but we really played hard and gutted it out throughout the game. Sometimes it doesn’t look pretty for us, but we do whatever we can to get the job done.”
Jamie Jackson was the star for Lyon, as the junior guard netted a game-high 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting, including a perfect 4-for-4 night from beyond the arc. The Beebe, Ark., native also added in a Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship single-game record of 10 steals en route to her third double-double on the season. Jackson has been an offensive juggernaut of late for Lyon, averaging 17.6 points per game in her last five contests, including back-to-back 25-plus point performances.
The Scots and Pilots battled to a one-point halftime margin with Lyon, aided by an old-fashioned 3-point play by Jackson, leading 23-22. Points were at a premium in the opening 20 minutes, as neither team shot better than 32.3 percent and the two sides combined for only 16 points – nine from LSU Shreveport and seven by Lyon – in the second quarter.
Lyon opened the gap to 30-24 in the early stages of the third quarter with a 7-2 mini run, capped by a Jackson 3-pointer. The Scots blew the game open five minutes later with a stretch where they outscored LSU Shreveport, 10-3, through the end of the third quarter and into fourth to take a 49-37 lead with 8:38 remaining. Gabriela Martins capped the run with a 3-pointer from the wing – her only make from long range in the game.
LSU Shreveport cut the deficit to single-digits – 49-40 – only once the rest of the way, as Lyons aggressive defense frustrated the Pilots the entire game.
As a team, Lyon forced 20 LSU Shreveport turnovers, leading to 22-6 advantage in points off turnovers. The Scots offensively ended the game shooting 44.6 percent (25-for-56) from the floor and 40 percent (6-for-15) from long range, while holding a 35-30 advantage on the boards. Additionally, their top-ranked scoring defense was on display in full force as they held their 26th opponent to 60 points-or-less.
Another notable performance came from Lyon’s Carina Jackson, who tallied 15 points.
“We kind of took turns playing well offensively – Jamie (Jackson) got it going and then Carina (Jackson) got it going,” added Stewart-Lange. “I felt our rebounding was pretty solid throughout. I don’t think any one time we looked smooth today.
LSU Shreveport, which with the loss fell to 0-6 all-time at the national championship, was led in scoring by Kourtney Pennywell. The Shreveport, La., native registered 18 points – her 22 double-digit effort in 22 games this year.
The Pilots end the year with a 21-9 record.
“We’ve always been packing our bags and going home at this point, but I think the girls are ready to get back out there and play again,” concluded Stewart-Lange. “We’ll be recharged.”
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