PREVIEW: Women's Basketball vs. Centenary (1/12) | Austin College (1/14)
HOW TO FOLLOW
Media Coverage: (vs. Centenary) Livestats, Video | (vs. Austin College) Livestats, Video
UD Twitter: @UDallasSports
UD Facebook: University of Dallas Athletics
UD Instagram: udallasathletics
OPENING TIP
The University of Dallas women's basketball team opens a four-game homestand on Friday with Centenary College. Tip-off is slated for about 7:30 p.m. after the men's basketball contest. On January 14th, the Crusaders host Austin College for a 2 p.m. matchup. This home stretch matches a season-long, with the other being prior to UD's last road stint. The Crusaders were 1-3 in that span at the Maher Center.
Dallas (6-8, 0-3 SCAC) snapped a three-game losing streak the other night with a big 72-40 victory at Southwestern Adventist University. The Crusaders had Michelle DeCoud (Monument, Colo.) and Helen Onyenso (Oak Park, Ill.) register double-doubles to pace the offense.
UD is seeking its first conference win after falling in a pair of road games last weekend at No. 13 Trinity University and Schreiner University. DeCoud poured a career-high 37 points in the game at Schreiner. The remaining 11 contests on Dallas' schedule are conference.
UD NOTABLES
- DeCoud paces the Dallas offense with 18.6 points-per-game (ppg), which ranks 45th in the nation, leads the SCAC, and third in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA).
- The senior forward is also atop the SCAC in rebounds with 8.9 per contest (125 total). She also ranks 3rd with a 50.3 field goal percentage.
- DeCoud has registered seven double-doubles on the campaign, including four of the last five outings.
- She has scored double-digits in all 14 games, and now has 1,166 career points to rank 6th in the program. DeCoud surpassed Shanie Cardinal (1,148) after her performance on Wednesday.
- Fellow senior Onyenso is also averaging double figures with an 11.8-clip. She also has three double-doubles and is second on the team leaderboard for rebounds (93). Onyenso does have more offensive rebounds with 48.
- UD leads the conference in rebounds off the offensive glass with 196 (15.1). The team is tied third with Austin College in team blocks (37). DeCoud has swatted 25 of them and increased her career record total to 122.
- Celsi Caraway (Arlington, Texas) rounds out the top three scorers with 9.6 ppg. She has netted 26 field goals from three-point distance.
BY THE NUMBERS
- The Crusaders hold an 8-4 record against Centenary all-time. Last season Dallas swept the season series and have won five in a row in Irving dating back to 2012-13.
- In 2016-17 at home, the Crusaders defeated the Maroon and White 66-50. DeCoud tallied 17 points to go with 16 rebounds.
- Dallas is 16-37 versus the 'Roos in the overall series. The Crusaders last win came in a one-point thriller in Sherman in 2014-15.
- Last season, Dallas dropped three head-to-heads including a 58-54 final in the SCAC Women's Basketball Quarterfinals at Georgetown.
- In the matchup at the Maher, UD fell 63-51. DeCoud and Onyenso combined for 18 points, while Bryce Frank recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
OPPONENT NOTABLES
(Centenary College)
- The Ladies are 3-10 and 1-2 in SCAC play coming into the weekend.
- They fell 62-54 last Sunday against Southwestern University to split the conference weekend.
- The past three games were at the Gold Dome versus league opponents. CC is 0-6 away from the home confines.
- Jasmine Morris leads the offense with 12.0 ppg. She has dished a team-high 35 assists. Savannah Doty is the other Centenary Lady in double-digits with 10.6 ppg. The duo have grabbed 51 rebounds apiece, and Doty has a team-high 21 blocks.
- Centenary has amassed 61 blocked shots with a trio of players in double-digits. Deunya small and Haylee Washington have posted 14 and 11, respectively.
- The top rebounding tandem lead the battle on the glass with 87 and 86.
(Austin College)
- The 'Roos have surged to an eight-game winning streak and sit 10-4 overall and tied with Trinity University for being unbeaten in SCAC play.
- AC picked up three conference wins during its active win streak, but have done most of the damage at home by going 6-1 compared to 3-3 on opponents' floors.
- The 'Roos cruised by a wide margin against Southwestern University and Texas Lutheran University last weekend.
- Frank is among the top two in a trio of conference statistical categories. She is only behind DeCoud in scoring average (17.0) and rebounds-per-game (8.7).
- Frank is shooting a conference best 55 percent, and her latest showings on this winning stretch have helped earn back-to-back SCAC Player-of-the-Weeks.
- The 'Roos are also receiving help on the perimeter with Anna Savage (2nd) and Kacie West (tied 3rd) shooting 41.0 and 40.0-clips from three.
UP NEXT
Dallas remains at home the following weekend and will close out the first half of conference play. Texas Lutheran University and Southwestern University visit on January 19th and 21st. Game times are projected to be around 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. on those respective dates.