Boxscore


RALEIGH, N.C. – Senior forward Temperance Jacobs (McDonough, Ga.) vowed to make up for the loss to Virginia Union University on Monday.
 
She did in a big way against Winston-Salem State University on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. Jacobs scored a career-high 23 points to pace the Lady Falcons to a 59-57 CIAA women's basketball win over their Southern Division foe. The victory was the third in four games for the surging Lady Falcons (8-8 overall, 4-3 CIAA, 1-0 Southern Division).
 
No one was more pleased than Jacobs, one of two seniors on the team. The 5-10 forward has been an inside force for the Lady Falcons this season, but she scored three points in a nine-point loss to Virginia Union.
 
Disappointed in her play against VUU, Jacobs was determined to play better against the Lady Rams on Saturday. To make sure she would, Jacobs stayed after practice this week working on her game.
 
“I worked on free throws, jump shots, everything,” Jacobs said. “I worked on finishing with contact and not making moves so fast, slowing my feet down. Coaches [Jarita] Crump and [Rachel] Bullard told me to stay focused and take my time.”
 
The extra work paid off against the Lady Rams. Jacobs was 7-for-9 from the floor, scoring mostly in the paint. She was 9-for-12 from the free-throw line.
 
“I pumped faked and went into the players like Coach Crump told me,” Jacobs said.
 
Jacobs muscled in a short turnaround bank shot with 10 seconds left for a 58-57 Lady Falcons lead. Ironically, it was one of the shots she hadn't worked on much during the extra practice sessions.
 
”I practiced the move a couple of times,” Jacobs said. “But I knew it was going it in. I had confidence it was going in.”
 
After the Lady Falcons forced a turnover on a double-dribble, senior guard Autumn Smith-Faulkner (Charlotte, N.C.) was fouled with eight seconds remaining in the game. She missed both free throws but rebounded the second miss and was fouled again. This time, Smith-Faulkner hit one of two free throws for a two-point lead with 3.7 seconds remaining. The Lady Falcons pulled out the win on a failed desperation shot attempt by the Lady Rams from well behind midcourt.
 
The Lady Falcons ended a four-game losing streak to the Lady Rams since their return to Division II three years ago. The win was especially gratifying for Jacobs, who felt vindicated after Monday's loss to Virginia Union.
 
“[Temperance] blamed the Virginia Union loss on herself,” St. Aug Head Coach Rachel Bullard said. “She texted me and said she would turn it around. The sign of a good mature player is to back bounce from adversity and that is what she did. She stayed after practice to work on her offensive game.”
 
Bullard said Jacobs reflected the heart of the entire Lady Falcon squad. The Lady Falcons played with passion against the Lady Rams.
It showed defensively as the Lady Falcons converted 29 turnovers into 24 points. The Lady Rams started hot early, but the Lady Falcons clamped down on defense, forcing the Lady Rams to shoot 39 percent for the game. The Lady Falcons shot 37 percent but their hustle and defensive tenacity was the difference.
 
Temperance Jacobs was the only Lady Falcon in double figures, but 10 of the 12 players on the roster scored. Sophomore guard Jasmine Cuffee (Norfolk, Va.) added eight points while four players – freshman guard Lakiya Rouse (Greensboro, N.C.), freshman guard Porscha Walton (Chesterfield, Va.), freshman guard Regime McCombs (Greenville, S.C.) and Smith-Faulkner each added five points. Smith-Faulkner also contributed six rebounds and three steals, both team highs.
 
“Our kids executed well, and we played hard,” Bullard said. “It was an up-and-down game momentum-wise. We could have gotten frustrated but we didn't. That is huge for a team full of freshmen and sophomores. Autumn is an example of our determination. She missed three free throws in a row at the end, but she stepped up and hit the last one.”
 
The desire of the Lady Falcons overcame the height of the Lady Rams, who were tenacious on the boards (42-29 advantage). Dionna Scott had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Raven Fields added 11 points for the Lady Rams.
 
But the Lady Falcons wouldn't buckle under pressure. Bullard also gives assistant coach Crishna Hill credit for the win. Her scouting report and practice work with the players were crucial against the Lady Rams.
 
“Coach Hill did a heck of a job,” Bullard said. “Every play they ran, we knew it was coming. Defensively, I thought we were on point.”
 
The combination of player execution, good coaching and outstanding offense by Jacobs added to a big division win over the Lady Rams. The Lady Falcons wanted this victory very badly.
 
“We played with heart,” Bullard said. “That was one of the things we talked about since the last game. The bottom line is every team is good from this point. The team that wins is the team that wants it the most. There were several times we could have crumbled, but we maintained our composure.”
 
The schedule gets no easier for the Lady Falcons, who host perennial league contender Johnson C. Smith University on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013 at Emery Gymnasium at 5:30 p.m. This will be the fifth consecutive home contest for the Lady Falcons.
 
“We know now we have to keep up the intensity and not come out flat,” Jacobs said. “We have to do the things that coach tells us to do.”
 
WAUG-TV will televise the contest versus Johnson C. Smith on Time Warner Digital Cable 168. Fans can also follow the action via live stats on saintaugfalcons.com.