Lady Jags Fall To Louisiana-Monroe 67-58
The Lady Jags played hard in the second half to cut the lead from 16 points to a single point but ULM proved to have too much left in the tank and won the game 67-58.
The Jags came out and struggled from the field for most of the first half and would only hit three of its first 13 shots. But with about eight and a half minutes left in the first half, the Jags would pull within three points when Jessica Starling would be fouled while shooting a 3-pointer. She would hit two of the three foul shots and those would prove to the their only points for the next four minutes. ULM would take advantage and go on a 13-2 run that would finally end with a Karina Sproal layup with just under four and a half minutes left.
Siedah Banks and Jessica Starling would help to pull the Lady Jags within nine points but would be stretched back out to 11 at halftime, 33-22.
The second half started off like the first half started, slow like molassas. ULM would take advantage and increase their lead in the first 3:15 of the second half to 41-25, a 16 point lead. But Nettles would awaken from her slump where she was held without a field goal against MTSU and for the first 20 minutes of the ULM game. She would hit two 3-pointers in the first six minutes of the second half and back-to-back ones with less than 14 to go to help USA close the gap to 41-31.
Both teams would trade a few shots over the next few minutes to again increase the lead to 13 at 46-33 with under nine and a half minutes to go. This is when the Lady Jaguars started to make their run. A 15-5 run over about a five minute stretch would would pull USA within 3 at 51-48 with under five minutes to go. A layup by Jessica Starling would then close the gap further to a single point, 51-50.
But ULM would outscore the Jags 16-8 the rest of the way with most of it coming from foul shots when USA was forced to foul.
Coach Pietre was quoted saying, “There are peaks and valleys in a season and we are definitely in a valley right now….we couldn’t make the plays we had to make to go ahead and finish it off once we got it to one possession.”
Jessica Starling would lead USA in scoring with 18 on 5-15 shooting and going 3-8 from outside the arc. The only other double digit scorer for USA was Shakira Nettles with 14 on 5-14 shooting while going 4-6 from 3-point range.
ULM had three to score in double digits, Lottie Moore would lead all in scoring with 21 on 6-17 shooting with 1-3 from 3-point range and 8-15 from the free-throw line. next was Ashley Wallis with 19 on 7-8 shooting and hitting all five free-throws. Then Jesse Carrier would score 11 on 1-8 shooting and going 1-3 from 3-point range but would hit all eight free-throw attemps.
USA would go on to shoot an abysmal 29% for the game, hitting only 24% in the first half. While ULM would shoot 37% for the game and 39% for the first half. ULM would also hit 73% of their free-throw attempts, having 25 attempts in the second half alone.
The other statistical categories were a dead heat between the two teams: Pts in the paint ULM 20, USA 18; Pts off turnovers USA 14, ULM 11; 2nd chance points USA 14, ULM 12; Fast break pts USA 4, ULM 0; Bench pts USA 8, ULM 5. Rebounds ULM 48, USA 42.
The Lady Jags will be in action again on Wednesday, January 14th when it hosts Troy, their in-state rival. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05pm at the Mitchell Center.
Come out and support your Jags! Bleed it red!