Know Your Stadiums: North Texas’ Apogee Stadium
A view of Apogee Stadium.
The University of North Texas plays at the newly built Apogee Stadium, originally named Mean Green Stadium.
The University broke ground on the new stadium on November 21, 2009 and opened on September 10, 2011. The stadium was proposed by the University of North Texas System Board of Regents after the 2002 New Orleans Bowl and cost $78 million. UNT opened the stadium against the University of Houston and lost 48-23.
A referendum in 2002 for higher student athletics fees was rejected by 55 percent of the UNT’s voting students. But after the vote, the school administrators lobbied the North Texas Student Government Association to increase the fees as a way to help the University’s athletics program in order to achieve Title IX compliance. The student senators approved the fee increase at half the proposed rate, which the Board of Regents implemented immediately. Consequently students mounted a recall election campaign, which was supported by documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, which resulted in the removal of 14 senators from their office.
In September 2002, the university purchased land on the opposite side of Interstate 35 from the main campus in Denton, Texas for $5.1 million from Liberty Christian School. Following the Mean Green’s victory in the 2002 New Orleans Bowl on December 17, 2002 school administrators announced their intent to build new athletic facilities on the property. They referred to this area as the “Mean Green Village” which included the new football stadium.
The reason given to build a new stadium rather than renovating their existing stadium, Fouts Field, was that then Vice Chancellor of Administrative Affairs Richard Raefs claimed that it would cost $8 million more to renovate the existing stadium that it would to build an entirely new stadium. The project’s primary objective was to consolidate the academic facilities.
Fouts Field, the old stadium, was opened in September 1952 and originally named Eagle Stadium. In 1954 it was renamed in honor of Theron J. Fouts, former football coach, athletics director and founder of the UNT track and field program. The Stadium originally consisted of two sideline grandstands on either side of the track and was oriented northwest to southeast. It sat 20,000.
They added endzone grandstands which stretched around the track in 1994 which added another 10,500 seats for a total of 30,500. The playing surface was Sportex Omnigrass Artificial Turf.
The University Master Plan calls for the demolition of Fouts Field and the land will be absorbed by the university. The plans calls for two residence halls, a parking garage and a University Opera House to be built on the grounds freed up by the stadium.
Apogee Stadium opened on September 10, 2011 with a capacity of 30,850 and was built in a horse shoe shape. It was designed to be able to expand to 50,000. The playing surface is PowerBlade HP+ and it comprised of synthetic fibers with a rubber and sand infill. The home side of the stadium includes 21 luxury suites with they sell for $20,000 per year plus a “six or seven-figure gift to the Stadium Fund”. It also has 754 club seats. The stands on the east side of the stadium is generally reserved for student seating and is between the stadium and the tailgating area called “The Hill.”
The seating behind the north end zone forms a distinctive “V” shape to resemble an eagle’s wings in flight. The South end zone does not have any seating but has a 47′ by 27′ scoreboard and a five foot bronze bust of an eagle named “Spiriki” that was donated by the members of the school’s first social fraternity the Geezles.
They also have a scale cannon named “Boomer” which is fired each time the team scores.
A 2,500 square-foot pavilion for alumni is located just north of the stadium.
The stadium actually because the first newly built stadium to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification, the highest awarded by the US Green Building Council. In 2008, then university president signed the American College and University President’s Claimat Commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and to ensure all new university buildings and facilities would achieve a minimum of LEED silver certification.
The stadium uses various forms of environmental technology to achieve this. In order to reduce water consumption and urban runoff, the facility includes an 85,000 square foot water retention system, 338,000 square feet of permeable paving and low flow plumbing systems.
The facility includes three Northwind 100 wind turbines which are 120 feet tall with 30 foot blades. They are expected to produce a combined 450,000 kilowatt-hours of energy per year which would account for roughly 1/3 of the stadium’s energy needs.
Wind Turbines near the Apogee Stadium.
Arial view of Apogee Stadium showing the Eagle Wings shaped endzone seating.
Jags Open Season Against Florida State On Friday
South Alabama Men’s Basketball team will open the season in Tallahassee against the Seminoles. This is the second year in a row that the Jags and Florida State have faced each other on the hardwood. FSU defeated the Jags 80-39 last season to improve their record against the Jags to 10-2. They have also won the last four times they have met with all of them being since the 1988-1989 season.
The Jags and the Seminoles will open the season in the first round of the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament. The ‘noles enter the season ranked 25th in the nation by the Associated Press and tied for 24th in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
FSU is picked to finish fourth in the 2013 ACC standing by the media after winning the 2012 ACC Championship.
Senior Michael Snaer won the 2012 ACC Tournament MVP. He is also an All-American candidate and led the ‘noles with a career high 14.0 points per game average. He is also the returning leader in five different statistical categories including scoring, steals, assists and minutes played. They also return Junior Okaro White who is FSU’s leading returning rebounder with an average of 4.4 per game in 35 games played as a sophomore as they won 25 games last season.
The Jags and ‘Noles tip off at 6pm Central. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
Jags Volleyball Looks To Lock Up Tournament Bid This Weekend
South Alabama’s volleyball team is looking to secure a bid to the Sun Belt Conference tournament this weekend. They need a win over Florida Atlantic or Florida International to do so.
The Jags will travel to play FAU on Friday night then will travel to FIU for a match on Saturday. Both are set to start at 5:30pm.
“Florida Atlantic always plays hard and gives it their best, and I expect no different this weekend,” head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. “Florida International has been putting up impressive blocking statistics against many opponents this season. For us to offset that, we’re going to have to be in system and continue to be aggressive. FIU is obviously going to get its blocks with it being their strength. We just have to stick to our strengths and keep our offense balanced.”
The Jags go into this final weekend with a 13-15 record (6-7 SBC) and on a four match losing streak.
Offensively, sophomore Melissa Waelter leads the way for the Jags. She is eighth in the Sun Belt with an average of 3.17 kills per set. She is also in a three-way tie for fourth in the conference in aces with 0.3 per match. She recorded 17 kills against MTSU on Friday night.
Savannah Stewart, a true freshman, leads the team in kills with 288 and ranks second on the team in kills per set with 2.72. She has also earned eight double-doubles this season.
The Jags are third in the conference in digs with 15.23 per match. Junior libero Jenna Hassell is seventh in the conference in digs with an average of 4 per match.
FAU is 6-18 on the season and 1-12 in the Sun Belt and have lost their last seven matches entering this week. They lost a straight set decision to FIU last weekend 3-0. They are 3-5 at home this season and have only one conference win against ULL back on October 5.
FIU is 8-17 on the season (5-8 SBC) coming off of their win over FAU last weekend. They have won three of their last five matches in a late push to try to earn a berth in the SBC Tournament.
Heading into this weekend they are seventh place in the conference and only needed a win in one of their two matches this weekend to lock up their bid to the tournament.
Jags Practice In Shells For Second Straight Day Wednesday
Head coach Joey Jones is preparing his team for what he says will be a physically challenging team on Saturday. Jones said that North Texas likes to come right at the teams they face, especially on offense, to see how they handle it.
Coach Jones said that the team will have to be both physically and mentally prepared for the Mean Green’s attack. “Defensively, we better realize it’s going to be a very physical game and we better step up to the challenge,” Jones said following Wednesday’s practice. “They’re going to run the football right at you and find out if you can stand up to them.”
“Offensively, they’re the same way,” he continued. “They’re physical inside and they’re going to try to take the run away and we have to be physical to match up with their physicality. We better be ready for that type of game.”
The Jags practiced in shells for the second consecutive day. On Tuesday coach Jones said that practice sessions are not being altered as to how they prepare, but that they are just not dressing out in full pads.
However coach Jones was not impressed by the teams two hour practice Wednesday morning. He described the practice as being “Average.” He continued by saying, “I didn’t think we had a great day. I thought we had an average day. We were up and down a little bit and not as consistent as I would like to be.”
The WNSP morning show talked to Mean Green head coach Dan McCarney on Wednesday. He was very complimentary of South Alabama and coach Joey Jones. It was mentioned that the North Texas offensive line ranks first in the conference in sacks again by only allowing six sacks through nine games. While the Jaguar defense is ranked second in the conference with 20 sacks in nine games.
McCarney also mentioned how good the defensive line and linebackers are for the Jags. But he thinks the UNT offensive line will be ready since they were able to hold up against the likes of LSU, Kansas State and Houston along with the rest of the Sun Belt schedule while only allowing six sacks.
It could come down to who gets the early advantage in the game. Both teams are slow out of the gate but finish games strong. South Alabama has been outscored 175-75 in the first half while North Texas has been outscored 143-80 in the first half. But both have outscored their opponents in the fourth quarter.
Weaver: Evolving media landscape expands Thunderjags coverage in 2012
Guess who’s back –
Not Domonic Tilford but wouldn’t that be a charm? No, I’m something a little less fulfilling but just as provocative — or at least, that’s what I hope.
My name is Matt Weaver and you may remember me as the former sports editor of some student newspaper at the corner of Old Shell and University, and I’m here to alter the face of Thunderjags and South Alabama reporting. Kind of like the President of the United States, CM Punk and that cute bank teller, I’m here to offer change.
That’s no disrespect to Brian and everyone else who has legitimized Thunderjags over the years. That’s a large part of why I’m here. I just want to see if I can take this little slice of the internet and be a part of something special and ultimately revolutionary.
So here’s the deal. The media landscape at South Alabama is much different than what it was the last time I wrote about Jaguar athletics — the end of the 2011-12 basketball season.
The Mobile Press Register fired over half of their newsroom including long-time South Alabama beat reporters Kim Shugart and Cassandra McAboy — professional friends of mine. So while it saddens me to write that, it definitely opens up the possibility that a new form of journalism can arrive and thrive at Ladd-Peebles, the Mitchell Center, Stanky Field and wherever South Alabama athletes compete. While blogging is a relative accepted art form in 2012, it hasn’t yet taken root at South Alabama.
We at Thunderjags expect to change that.
We hope to be more interactive with the fans. We plan to site courtside in the student section and provide live feedback to the webpage following every game, providing live content that no one else cares to acquire or devote appropriate time to. When it comes to college athletics, we endeavor that Thunderjags can and will become the top reporting body on all things red, white and blue. The current media landscape gives us that opportunity and we’re going to take it.
This is just the beginning and we hope that you guys provide us a lot of feedback. For example, what sort of content are you not receiving and what kind would like us to provide? Consider yourself our boss. You can opine by either dropping a comment in the appropriate section below or giving us a note on Twitter @USAThunderjags.
Let’s rock.
Jags Look For Complete Game Against Mean Green
As the remaining games dwindle down this season the Jags continue to work hard to add more wins to their season total. A few weeks ago South Alabama notched their first win against an FBS team and a Sun Belt team when they defeated Florida Atlantic in double overtime.
While the Jags record is 2-7 (1-4 SBC) it does not show how close they are to a much better record. In recent weeks they have dropped games by a margin of one possession to FIU last weekend and Arkansas State a few weeks back. They also dropped the season opening game to UTSA by a field goal in the final minute of the game. If those game swing the Jags way the record would be 5-4 overall.
But those games did not go the Jags way and the team is eager to add more to the win column.
“We’ve played some good games, but I don’t know that we have played a four-quarter game yet, I really don’t,” Jones said. “I think we have played three quarters, we have played two, we have played three-and-a-half against Louisiana-Monroe and Arkansas State. We are doing some good things. For where we are in our program, we have to play four quarters to have a chance to win.”
“I think we have gained some respect from the other coaches and the teams we have played against,” Jones continued. “That’s gratifying in some ways because when you walk across the field and shake a guy’s hand, you can tell that they respect what you are doing. But it still wasn’t a win on the scoreboard, and until we start getting some of those it’s going to sting.”
While the totals in the Win and Loss columns may not show it, but the Jags have improved from game one through game nine this season. Yes they have had letdowns in certain facets of their game from week to week, but they still improve from week to week.
South Alabama dug themselves a big hole against FIU, yet put up attention-grabbing numbers on both sides of the ball against FIU, the preseason pick to win the Sun Belt title. The Jags posted a season-best 458 yards of total offense and averaged six yards per play. Defensively the Jags held FIU to a mere 31 yards of offense in the second half with only two first downs.
The Jags also scored 13 unanswered points in the second half including a 75 yard touchdown pass to open the half from Ross Metheny to Corey Besteda. They also had three drives that crossed midfield in the fourth quarter and had a third and goal from inside the one yard line in the fourth quarter but could not get in the endzone after a false start penalty back them up five yards.
“We’re a much better football team now than we were the first year,” Jones said. “It’s probably the biggest improvement that any team we have had these first four years has made within the season. Is it showing up in the conference standings? No, because we still see some L’s over there on our side. Did we play really well? Yes, but this game is all about winning.”
South Alabama will be looking to put together a complete, four quarter game against North Texas this weekend.
The Jags gave up 334 yards of offense to FIU to rank second in the Sun Belt with an average of 364.7 yards per game. Metheny put up a game-record of 326 yards of total offense against FIU as he threw for 270 yards and rushing for 56 more yards.
North Texas enters the game averaging 405.8 yards per game including an average of 175 yards rushing per game. The Mean Green ranks fourth in the conference in rushing with two backs in the top 10 individually. Brandin Byrd has 572 yards on 152 carries with two touchdowns while Antoinne Jimmerson has 522 yards on 105 carries with five touchdowns.
UNT quarterback Derek Thompson has thrown for over 200 yards in seven consecutive games with a 316 yard game against Arkansas State last weekend. He averages 229.3 yards per game passing for the season to rank fifth in the conference.
However the Mean Green is missing Breland Chancellor to a season-ending injury. He had 966 all-purpose yards including 25 catches for 450 yards and five touchdowns.
“The thing that is dangerous about them is that they will run, run, run, run and all of a sudden run play action and throw it deep over the top,” Jones explained. “We have to be smart and not give up the big throw. Our cornerbacks and safeties are really going to have to do a good job this week. We have to be disciplined in the secondary, especially this week.”
UNT has allowed an average of 410 yards per game and over 250 yards per game passing. In the last four games opponents are averaging over 315 yards per game through the air.
“North Texas is a very physical team, they play power football offensively,” Jones said. “Defensively they don’t run a lot of things, but they do them extremely well. They have big guys up front who are 330 and 300 pounds inside. They play very good fundamental football and are very well coached. They beat Louisiana-Lafayette on TV three weeks ago, they got after them. They play with a physical nature that they bring to every game.”
The Jags will kickoff against North Texas in Denton, Texas at 4pm. The game can be heard on WNSP and viewed through the University of North Texas’ online video service.
Jags Practice In Shells On Tuesday
Enrique Williams combines with another Jaguar to tackle a FIU runner.
South Alabama deviated from their usual schedule on Tuesday morning by practicing in shells rather than full pads. Coach Joey Jones mentioned conserving energy in a long season as a reason for doing that. Though the intensity and work was the same as if the team had actually wore full pads.
“We just felt like we’re at least 13 or 14 weeks into practice, and this just gives them a little (break),” Jones said. “We didn’t practice any different, we just took the pads off. A lot of teams go to that late in the year to just give them a little mental break.”
One area of concentration was to make sure to get reps for backup players in every phase of the game. Jones noted that it was very important for those players who don’t get to see as many reps in practice as the starters to be ready in a moment’s notice.
“I thought we had pretty good focus,” he said of the practice. “We’ve got to make sure that our back-up guys, guys that are on our second string, are ready to go too. I think that sometimes you lose focus as a back-up but you’re one injury away from playing. We’ve got to get with those guys and make sure that they’re ready to go. Other than that, I think we had a good practice.”
Linebacker Jake Johnson did not practice on Tuesday as his right arm is in a sling. Though the injury is not serious and is expected to be back at practice on Wednesday. Johnson continues to be the leading tackler in the conference with 92 as he collected 15 total against FIU, 12 of them solo. He average 10.2 tackles per game.
Randon Carnathan’s season is over as Coach Jones said during his radio show that he had a torn ACL.
Linebacker Enrique Williams ranks 4th in the conference with 82 tackles and averagind 9 tackles per game. Alex Page is ranked #2 in the conference with five sacks. Pat Moore is tied for 4th in the same category with four in eight games.
Moore also ranks #7 in the conference in tackles for loss while Page ranks 8th in the same category.
Monday Press Conference
Head coach Joey Jones speaks with Pat Greenwood as the team heads into the locker room for halftime against Florida International on Saturday, November 3, 2012.
South Alabama held it’s weekly press conference on Monday with head coach Joey Jones, offensive lineman Chris May and defensive back Charles Watson. They spoke about the Jaguars game against Florida International on Saturday and previewed their trip to Denton, Texas to face the Mean Green of the University of North Texas.
Below are some highlights from the press conference.
Coach Joey Jones began with his opening statement. “North Texas is a very physical team, they play power football offensively. Defensively they don’t run a lot of things, but they do them extremely well. They have big guys up front who are 330 and 300 pounds inside. They play very good fundamental football and are very well coached.”
“They beat Louisiana-Lafayette on TV three weeks ago, they got after them. They play with a physical nature that they bring to every game.”
Jones then spoke about the Florida International game. “I walked into the locker room and for the first time I felt like we weren’t ready to play. I don’t mean that they didn’t care, they weren’t emotionally into the game. They were prepared mentally as far as X’s and O’s went, but when you play the game of football you have to bring some passion to it and I don’t think we did that early.”
“We gave up 303 yards of offense to them in the first half and in the second half they got two first downs, I think that tells you something,” Jones continued. “We brought our focus back in the second half and played defense the way we are supposed to play it. Offensively, we scored one touchdown in the first half as we sputtered around a little bit. We played much better in the second half, and had 460 yards of offense, the most we have had in the Sun Belt [Conference]. Offensively I thought we played well other than when we got down in the red zone. We got on the one-foot line, jumped offsides and didn’t get a play call in and had to call timeout, that was frustrating. Ross played well, he scrambled around and made some runs, he did some good things.”
“When you get behind 28-7, you better do everything perfect to have a chance to win and we didn’t. I think if we played the first half maybe the score is tied and it isn’t so critical that you have to make every play. We made a ton of plays to get into the game, people forget about those. Third-and-longs, throws across the middle. But when we got down on the goal line we really didn’t do well.”
On the subject of matching up with a physical team like North Texas, coach Jones had the following to say. “I don’t know which one I would choose, but I know that most of the conference are spread teams and this is one of the first teams we’ll play that I would call a power football team. It will be interesting to see how the kids match up against it.”
“The thing that is dangerous about them is that they will run, run, run, run and all of a sudden run play action and throw it deep over the top,” Jones explained. “We have to be smart and not give up the big throw. Our cornerbacks and safeties are really going to have to do a good job this week. We have to be disciplined in the secondary, especially this week.”
Jones commented about North Texas’ offensive style. “They are much like us last year, they run power and run zone and play action. They do a lot of different things with their sets and formations, but they are basically trying to set up the run. It’s not simple, they do a lot of different things, but their belief is that they are going to run the football and play-action pass.”
Jones then answered a question about how the Jaguar defense reacts to the style of play used by North Texas. “You would think looking at us that we would react pretty well to that, our defensive linemen are big guys on the inside with some size to them and they are pretty strong. But until you go out there and play a team that is this physical play after play after play, you don’t know. I don’t know that we have played against a team that is going to be this physical running the football.”
“We’re going to see how we match up this week for sure because they are going to pound you every play.”
He then spoke about how the team reacted to the loss to Florida International. “We met this morning, and the thing that was disappointing was the first half. Overall, we didn’t come to play and were down 28-7.”
“I asked them to tell me the difference between the team in the first half and the second half, and of course they didn’t have an answer for that. I don’t either, other than the fact that we weren’t ready to play, and we do that at this level we’ll get beat.”
“We’ve played some good games, but I don’t know that we have played a four-quarter game yet, I really don’t. I think we have played three quarters, we have played two, we have played three-and-a-half against Louisiana-Monroe and Arkansas State. We are doing some good things. For us where we are in our program, we have to play four quarters to have a chance to win. I thought our kids understood that going into this game, and they didn’t, if that’s not getting across to them, that’s my fault.”
Jones also answered a question about how the team’s improvement not being reflected in the overall record this season. “We have played some really good games, I think we have gained some respect from the other coaches and the teams we have played against. That’s gratifying in some ways because when you walk across the field and shake a guy’s hand, you can tell that they respect what you are doing. But it still wasn’t a win on the scoreboard, and until we start getting some of those it’s going to sting.”
“We’re a much better football team now than we were the first year. It’s probably the biggest improvement that any team we have had these first four years has made within the season. You look at the games against Nicholls and UTSA and N.C. State, we are a way better football team, especially on offense, than we were back then.”
“Is it showing up in the conference standings? No, because we still see some L’s over there on our side. Did we play really well? Yes, but this game is all about winning.”
Offensive lineman Chris May spoke about his progression this season. “Coming into the season, Ucambre Williams and I were rotating out the first couple of games. Then he went down in the Arkansas State game, and I had to step up and fill in. That’s some pretty big shoes to fill. He was playing really well before he went down. We’ve improved a lot as an offensive line, as a unit, since the beginning of the season.”
May, speaking about the FIU game, echoed coach Jones’ talk about how the Jags have not put together a full game effort. “We really haven’t played all four quarters in a game. We came really close against Arkansas State and Louisiana-Monroe. If we would have come out with higher intensity in the first half than we did Saturday, then we would have had a better chance of pulling a ‘W’ out. We just have to learn as a team to come out and play all four quarters instead of just two or three.”
He then spoke about how the team measured up against Sun Belt opposition. “All of our conference games, except for Troy, we were right there in them until the end. I feel like that’s making a statement as what we’re going to do in the Sun Belt in the next few years. Those losses at the end [of the game] do sting, but it’s a statement for us as well.”
When asked about the offensive line play so far this year May said, “We’ve improved a lot from the beginning [of the season]. We’re so much better now than we were in the UTSA [Texas-San Antonio] game. We’re a little banged up right now, and have had people step up to fill in. As a unit, I feel like we’ve played pretty well this year.”
May then spoke about going from playing minimal snaps to starting. “I started cramping up at halftime of the Arkansas State game. I was only expecting to play a few plays, then Ucambre [Williams] goes down and I had to step in. You have to prepare a lot differently from the mental aspect of the game as a starter, compared to when you are just rotating in.”
Finally, May spoke about their opponent this weekend in North Texas. “They have some pretty big guys up front, and have a couple of good safeties. Their outside rushers are good, but I feel like we match-up with them athletically.”
Defensive back Charles Watson spoke about the defense’s halftime adjustments in the game against FIU. “We were open to a challenge. [Defensive coordinator] Coach [Bill] Clark told us that we could either get embarrassed or we could come back, play our ball and do what we normally do. If we start fast, then the sky’s the limit for us. And that’s the same for the offense. As long as we get them [offense] the ball, I have faith in them. I feel like we’ll have a better finish to the season than how we started, and we’ll finish strong.”
“We just had to go back to the basics,” Watson also stated about the second half performance against FIU. “We started off slow, but once we got things going we started playing our ball. We pretty much just preached shutout from then, and that’s what gave us the momentum from then on.”
Watson also spoke about North Texas. “Our coaches know what they [North Texas] like to do in certain situations. The coaches have a great plan for everything. We have a good defensive line and good linebackers. Our coaches want us to be able to stop the run. We have a good scheme [for this weekend], and as long as we [defense] pull together then we’ll be alright.”
South Alabama and North Texas kickoff in Denton, Texas at 4pm according to the UNT Football website. Video will be available through their website for a one month access fee of $10.95.
Lady Jags Win Preseason Exhibition Against West Florida 75-33
The South Alabama Lady Jaguar basketball team defeated West Florida Monday evening at the Mitchell Center 75-33. Junior College transfer Meghan Dunn scored a game-high 20 points off the bench to lead the Jags to the win the preseason exhibition game.
“The things she did out there in the game tonight, she’s also been doing in practice,” lady Jag head coach Rick Pietri said. “The fact that she’s now done those things in practice and in a game gives her the sense of being able to do them every day. She was very good tonight that’s for sure.”
Dunn finished the game 8-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-9 from the three point arc. Dunn also added three assists and three steals in the win. Mary Nixon added 14 points and lead the team with nine rebounds. Camille Reynolds knocked in 10 points as well. All 12 players on the team saw the court and contributed with 11 of them recording at least two points in the game.
Actually, the Lady Jag reserves had a 43-9 advantage in the game. The Jags were 30-of82 as a team and shot 36.6% from the floor and 28.1% (9-of-32) from three-point range.
“There were some positives and there were some things we needed to work on and that’s what an exhibition provides for you” coach Pietri said. “I wish we would’ve shot it from the perimeter better. Our team is a very good three-point shooting team. By percentage, we weren’t that tonight. We had a bunch of open looks, but we were able to finish some plays too. Defensively, we were solid. We did some good things in team defense. There are some things in team defense we need to work on and the film will show us. West Florida had some opportunities to finish play and didn’t. A better team might have finished those plays. Overall, it was a positive. We just have to build on it for the ones that count.”
With under 12 minutes left in the first half, the Jags held a slim 9-8 lead before they went on a 21-5 run over the next six-and-a-half minutes to break open the game. Two Jaguar freshmen got it started with Sharon Sanders and Brittany Webb each nailing long range shots from the left corner. Dunn then connected on a three-pointer from the right wing to extend the lead to 18-9. Dunn actually was the big spark during the run by scoring 11 of her 20 points during the run while connecting on three three-point shots.
The Lady Jags will open the season on the road against Houston Baptist on Friday. Tip off is set for 7pm.
USA Men Defeat Spring Hill 73-40
The Jaguar Men’s Basketball team defeated the Spring Hill Badgers 73-40 in an exhibition game Monday night at the Mitchell Center. The defense led the way as the Jags held their opponents to 21.7% shooting in the second half and 28.3% for the game.
“I think that our defense was really good tonight,” Jaguars Men’s Basketball head coach Ronnie Arrow said. “We held them to 28 percent. Last year we beat them by 24 and won 17 games. We’ll use it as a measuring stick. We’ve got to go to work because the next game is a big game for us and we’ve got a lot of work to do as far as taking care of the ball.”
Sophomore Mychal Ammons scored 17 of his game-high 21 points in the second half while pulling down eight rebounds. He scored 10 in a row late in the second half. “I thought late in the game Mychal came up with some big things for us,” Arrow said.
Neither the Jags nor the Badgers shot well in the game. The Jags only converted 34.5% of their shots from the floor including 29% in the first half.
The Jags began on a shooting slump by going 0-for-10 with five turnovers in a stretch that spanned nearly eight minutes. That stretch allowed the Badgers to cut the Jaguar lead to 21-17, a mere four points, with 3:55 left to play in the first half. But the Jags defense turned up the heat and allowed the Jags to close the half with a 10-1 run.
“The press early was good but our half-court defense limited them and held them to 28 percent,” Arrow commented. “Any time you hold a team to 28 percent I think that’s pretty good.”
Mychal Ammons lead the Jags with 21 points going 8-of-11 from the field and 2-of-3 from three point range. Freddie Goldstein and Xavier Roberson both scored 13 points each. Goldstein added eight rebounds. Augustine Rubit chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds for the game. Three other Jags scored for the Jags as well.
The Jags wrapped up their preseason exhibition schedule with a 3-1 record. They will open up the regular season with a trip to Florida State on Friday with a game against the Seminoles set to tip-off at 6pm.