Lady Jags Split A Pair Of Games Over The Weekend
The Lady Jags suffered their first loss of the season on Friday when they played Cal State Northridge. Cold shooting lead to the Jags first loss in a 47-40 decision in the opening round of the Radisson Hotel Chatsworth Thanksgiving Basketball Classic at the Matadome.
The lady Jags shot a season-low 22.1 percent from the field in the game. “It really didn’t matter where the shots were coming from tonight, we just couldn’t score,” Jaguar head coach Rick Pietri said. “You have to give part of the credit to that to Cal State Northridge’s defense. In the second half, we were able to make some adjustments. We attacked them and got some open looks on the perimeter and some plays close to the goal. But we just couldn’t make plays. We were able to cut it to five late in the second half after being down by 12 or 13, and we just couldn’t make that one extra play offensively and (Cal State Northridge) responded. They’re a good team and were picked to win their league for a reason. They’re expected to be in the NCAA tournament. When they had to make a play, their players stepped up and finished. When we had to close the gap more, we just couldn’t finish.”
That dropped the Jaguars record to 4-1 on the season and took on Detroit on Saturday in the consolation game where they bounced back with a 59-56 win.
That win improved the the Jaguars record to 5-1 on the season before the Jaguars open up Sun Belt Conference play at Florida Atlantic on Wednesday.
Mary Nixon’s return to the lineup had an immediate impact for the Jags. She led the way with 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting and was also 6-of-8 at the foul line.
“Mary Nixon clearly is a difference maker for us,” Coach Pietri said. “She sat out the last two games for us and today was available to play and was excellent. She not only does things individually, but her presence has a positive effect on the rest of our group. Mansa El also played very well today and I think she was able to do that because of the presence of Mary on the court. When we are fully stocked, I feel really good about where we are as a team as we move forward.”
The Jags tip-off against Florida Atlantic at 6:05pm Central time.
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!