San Antonio, TEXAS – The Trinity women's basketball team (7-7, 3-0 SAA) will head east this weekend to take on Rhodes College (5-9, 1-2 SAA) and Millsaps College (10-4, 1-2 SAA). The Tigers have turned it around in a big way this season, winning seven of their last nine games, with the only two losses both coming against then-nationally ranked East Texas Baptist University. Trinity, preseason conference favorites, is one of two teams undefeated in SAA competition, joined by Centre College (13-1, 3-0 SAA).
In their last outing, a 72-54 win at home vs. Berry College, the Tigers came out on top thanks to their shotmaking, shooting 46% from the field and 40% from deep, while holding the Vikings to 32% shooting overall and just 23% from three. That included a dreadful second quarter from Berry that allowed Trinity to break the game open, in which the Vikings shot just 13% from the field and missed all seven of their three-pointers. The Tigers also held a slight lead on the glass, grabbing 35 rebounds to Berry's 30.
Trinity had four players in double-digits against Berry, led by
Allison Even's 17 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals on perfect shooting from the field, three-point range and the charity strike.
Kylie Minter had 15 points and 3 assists. Lily Savageau had 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.
Natalie Greenwood chipped in 12 points and 5 rebounds.
Preview - A Major Weekend for Some Lynx Hunting
On the Rhodes College Lynx: Rhodes has struggled so far this season, and comes off a 56-76 loss to Centre on Jan. 11. They haven't found success on the offensive end, making 37% of their shots from the field and 28% of their threes, and trailing by an average of 7.6 points per game. They've also had some trouble holding on to the ball, allowing their opponents to grab 10.4 steals per game while only averaging 6.9 of their own.
The Lynx are led by senior guard Avery Marsh, who averages 14.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game. She's found herself in some turnover trouble, however, as she averages 4.1 turnovers per game. Junior center AC Milam is Rhodes' sole other player with double-digit points, as she averages 10.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
On the Millsaps College Majors: The Majors have lost their last two, falling in painfully close fashion, by two points to Centre and by four points to Sewanee. Despite the losses, Millsaps has put together a solid campaign this season, outscoring their opponents by an average of 7.4 points per game despite below-average shooting numbers, making 39% of their shots from the field and 29% from three. They've struggled considerably shooting from deep, making under 30% of their three-pointers nine times this season. They've been a great rebounding team, holding an average advantage of 8.6 rebounds per game.
Senior center Elyse Warren has been stellar for Millsaps so far this season, averaging 14.7 points and a dominant 17.2 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the nation. Her Jan. 3 performance of 24 points and 33 rebounds in a win vs. Rhodes earned her National Player of the Week honors, and her third SAA Player of the Week honors of the year. Junior forward Tia Anderson leads the Majors in points, averaging 16.0 points, 8.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Junior guard Garin Freeman has been the team's floor general, averaging 15.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 2.5 steals per game. However, she's gotten into some turnover trouble, giving the ball up 4.9 times per game.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will head back to San Antonio to take on Sewanee (8-6, 1-2 SAA) and Centre (13-1, 3-0 SAA) from Jan. 23-24. If both teams remain undefeated in conference play, the weekend's second game vs. Centre will, for now, decide the SAA's top team.
