Skip to Content
Listen Live
ON AIR NOW12:00 PM - 11:59 PMKWED COUNTRY MUSIC
listen live
Home

TLU women host St. Thomas in SCAC quarterfinal clash, Friday game to air on KWED

Seguin, TX, USA / Seguin Today
TLU women host St. Thomas in SCAC quarterfinal clash, Friday game to air on KWED

Sophomore guard Jayla Santa Maria scored a career-high 17 points in TLU's win over Austin College last Friday and enters the SCAC tournament averaging 10.6 points per game. Photo by Dustin Wyatt.



(Seguin) – Texas Lutheran opens the revamped Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference women’s basketball tournament Friday as the host of a quarterfinal matchup with the University of St. Thomas at Jim Shuler Court/ Memorial Gym.

The SCAC altered the format of the men’s and women’s basketball championships to play the quarterfinal, semifinal, and championship rounds over three separate weekends, with the higher tournament seed hosting each game.

TLU went 5-3 in the regular season to earn the No. 3 seed in the women’s bracket. St. Thomas is the No. 6 seed with a 4-4 record.

Friday marks the first meeting of the season between the Bulldogs and Celts. The teams were scheduled to face each other in Seguin on Feb. 12-13, but those games were cancelled due to a COVID-19 circumstance.

The men’s and women’s basketball teams in the SCAC were all slated to play a 12-game, conference-only schedule during the regular season. No team ended up playing more than 10 games due to a combination of COVID circumstances and severe winter weather in most of the conference’s geographical footprint.

The TLU women, led by ninth-year head coach Mel Dixon, are 9-4 all-time in the SCAC tournament with two championships (2014, 2019), three championship game appearances (2014, 2017, 2019), and all four losses at the hands of Trinity University.

The Bulldogs ride some momentum in the post-season after sweeping defending SCAC champion Austin College 70-64 in overtime and 59-49 last weekend. TLU managed to pull that off with only eight healthy players suited up and three senior starters – post Abby Hroch, point guard Tara Molina, and shooting guard Olivia Balderas – unavailable for those games.

On the season, Hroch leads TLU and ranks among the conference leaders in scoring (12.5, 10th SCAC), rebounding (8.5, 4th), steals (1.7, 9th), and field goal percentage (.468, 5th). Molina ranks No. 3 in assists with 3.8 per game, and Balderas is the league’s most accurate three-point shooter with a .536 clip from beyond the arc.

Sophomore wing Jayla Santa Maria has enjoyed a breakout season, averaging career highs of 10.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per outing. She scored a career-high 17 points in last Friday’s win over Austin College.

St. Thomas, coached by Joe Cross, split its final regular season series with Cenenary, winning 57-55 last Friday and falling 70-69 on Saturday.

Sophomore shooting guard Micayla Hamilton and senior point guard Zariah McInnis have been the catalysts for the Celts this season. Hamilton ranks second in the SCAC with a 15.8 scoring average, fourth in three-point shooting (.406), and sixth in steals (1.8). McInnis is the No. 6 scorer (13.5), sits No. 2 in assists (4.0), and No. 3 in steals (2.4). Junior forward Jade Evans ranks fifth in the league in rebounding with an 8.4 average.

Friday’s SCAC quarterfinal between TLU and St. Thomas is set for at 6 p.m. tip at Memorial Gym. No spectators will be allowed, but fans will have access to multiple broadcast platforms. The radio broadcast will air on KWED 1580-AM and Seguintoday.com, and will simulcast with the free live video stream at tlubulldogs.com.

The TLU men, seeded No. 6 in the tournament, travel to Shreveport for a 5 p.m. quarterfinal matchup with No. 3 Centenary in a rematch of last year’s SCAC championship game, won the by the Gents.