Lady Jags Defeat Tennessee State 59-43 Monday Night
Lady Jaguar Head Coach Rick Pietri
The South Alabama Lady Jaguar basketball team defeated Tennessee State Monday night at the Mitchell Center. They used a 16-0 run over a five minute span late in the second half to secure the 59-43 win.
South Alabama’s record improves to 2-0 on the season behind a game-high 16 points by Mary Nixon. She shot 5-of-12 and was 2-of-3 from three point range and 4-of-6 from the free throw line. Camille Reynolds added nine points, all in the first half. Jennifer Johnson had eight points, six of them during the Jaguars late run. Brianna Wright pulled down 11 rebounds, 10 of the defensive.
“I give a lot of a lot of credit to Tennessee State for making this a really ugly game,” South Alabama Lady Jaguar head coach Rick Pietri said. “It’s coach (Joe) Inman’s 29th year as a coach in Division I, his third program. He’s won conference championships and been to the NCAA Tournament. With this team, he’s decided they are a relentless pressure team. Full-court, half-court, it doesn’t matter. They sell out. They completely sell out under pressure and we struggled with it early. We had 16 turnovers at halftime and that’s not characteristic of our teams and how we play. We were very defensive on offense, and it led to some problems.”
“One of the fortunate things for us is that we guarded them,” Pietri continued. “Even while we were struggling to take care of the ball and struggling to score, we were defending well enough that we could muddle through and still, somehow, be up at halftime. In the second half, we did a better job of managing how they were playing us. We started to make them pay in some areas where they got extended and we were able to make some plays under the goal. We were also able to make some plays beyond the arc. In their frenzied rotation, somebody was left open. Jennifer Johnson hit some big shots for us at one point. In the first half, Camille Reynolds was the one who kept us in the game. She stayed composed while everyone else was losing their minds and she made some big plays for us. We won by 16, but it sure doesn’t feel like it. We are 2-0 and we’re moving forward.”
The Lady Jaguars host Southern Miss on Friday night at the Mitchell Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05pm.
Go Jags!
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.
South Alabama Basketball Fan Day On Wednesday
Come out and meet Head Basketball Coaches Ronnie Arrow and Rick Pietri and the rest of the Jaguar Basketball teams for Fan Day on Wednesday, October 24th from 5-7 p.m.
The event will take place on the main floor of the Mitchell Center. This event will feature an autograph session with the coaches and players so we encourage all fans to bring memorabilia to be signed and cameras for pictures of your favorite Jaguar players, SouthPaw and the Jaguar Cheerleaders. The USA Dance Team “the Prowlers” will also be performing.
This is a FREE event and open to the public. Parking is also free and available at the Mitchell Center in the south lot off of Old Shell Road. “Select your seats” for the 2012-13 Jaguar Basketball season as the Athletic Ticket Office will be on-site with information on Season Tickets, Flex Plans, Group Outings and Individual Game Tickets.
The 2012-13 Men’s and Women’s basketball teams will be introduced and they will participate in free throw, three point shooting and dunk contests versus our very own USA student organizations.
Immediately following Fan Day the South Alabama Volleyball team will be in action versus Jackson State at 7 p.m. in Jag Gym.
Go Jags!
Basketball Fan Day Announced
The University of South Alabama announced the schedule for Fan Day for the basketball programs.
On Wednesday, October 24 from 5-7pm the fans will be able to meet head coaches Ronnie Arrow, Rick Pietri and the student-athletes for the coming season.
Both teams will be introduced and coaches Arrow and Pietre will address the crowd. Afterwards the players will be available to meet fans and sign autographs.
Southpaw, cheerleaders and prowlers will be there as well. There will be a 3-point shooting contest, a game of “knockout” and a dunk contest by the players. The USA Bookstore will be there selling merchandise and representatives from the ticket office will be on hand to sell season tickets, flex plans and single-game tickets.
Additionally, USA Students will receive a free hot dog and pepsi and will have a chance to win an iPad and a big-screen television.