01/12/06– FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LADY JAGS COME UP SHORT DOWN THE STRETCH AND FALL TO ULL, 60-56

CONTACT: Kevin Beasley

Box Score

MOBILE, Ala. - The University of South Alabama women's basketball team (7-7, 1-1 SBC) came up short Thursday night in its rally attempt versus Sun Belt West Division foe Louisiana-Lafayette (12-3, 2-1 SBC), as the Lady Cajuns captured a 60-56 victory at the Mitchell Center.

The Lady Jags will continue Sun Belt play as they host New Orleans on Saturday with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.

"This is a very disappointing loss for us tonight," said South Alabama women's basketball head coach Rick Pietri. "Unfortunately this game was just a microcosm of how the season has been. We just can't do the right thing for long enough and that is one of the reasons why we have been on a roller coaster ride this season. We did a pretty good job in the first half of protecting the defensive glass. In the second half, Louisiana-Lafayette just controlled the offensive glass, giving them multiple opportunities. We clearly had no answer for Yolanda Jones. She absolutely just took it to us and we didn't do enough to prevent her from having the kind of night that she had."

After battling back and forth for much of the first half, South Alabama was able to reel off eight straight points and grab a 22-15 lead at the 6:35 mark on a JoAnna Williams three pointer. South Alabama went on to lead by as many as eight on two occasions, before heading into the locker room with a 26-20 lead. Williams led all scorers with 10 first half points.

ULL came out of the intermission and took control right out of the gate in the second period of play. The Ragin' Cajuns quickly erased the Jaguar halftime advantage and quickly grabbed a 12-point lead of its own, thanks to an 18-2 run to open the half. Yolanda Jones ignited the run with a jumper 18 seconds into the second frame and recorded 13 of her game-high 30 points over the four and a half minute stretch. South Alabama did not go away though and kept chipping away at the Cajun advantage and eventually tied the contest at 47-47 on a Whitney Woodard trey from the right wing with seven minutes, 23 seconds remaining in regulation.

As each of the last five meetings in the series, this one went down to the final minutes. After Louisiana-Lafayette pushed the margin back out to five (53-48) on a Sonora Edwards free throw with just under four minutes to play, the Jags quickly rallied to tie the contest again on another Williams trey with under a minute to play. Jones however gave the Cajuns the lead for good on a pair of free throws and Sherita Anderson knocked down her two opportunities at the stripe to give ULL the four point victory.

The big stat of the game was in the rebounding department where Jones led ULL on the boards with 18 of the Cajuns 44 rebounds to go along with her 30 points. Onna Charles also recorded double figures for the Cajuns with 12 points. The Lady Jags has three players in double digits led by Williams' 18. Woodard had 14 and Cortney Brown finished with 12 point off the bench.

After draining a school-record 16 three-pointers, the Jags were able to knock down just six of its 21 opportunities from behind the arc. The loss is also the first for USA at home this season.