JONESBORO, Ark. ? Adrianne Davie and Rudy Sims combined for 53 points Friday night to hand the South Alabama women’s basketball team a 69-57 loss at the ASU Convocation Center. With the loss, the Jags fall to 6-7 overall and 0-3 in the Sun Belt. ASU improves to 8-4 and 2-0 on the SBC
USA will return home to take on Florida International (Jan. 4) at the Mitchell Center at 5 p.m.
“We did a poor job of managing a set play in the first half which resulted in quiet a few baskets for Arkansas State,” said South Alabama women’s basketball head coach Rick Pietri. The biggest problem for us tonight was intangible plays. We don’t recover enough loose balls or deflected balls and until we play with enough desire to do that, we are going to have problems. Our team has to find another gear to function at to be successful against teams like Arkansas State.”
Senior all-conference forward Adrianne Davie provided the early offense for Arkansas State, recording 10 of the Indians first 14 points of the game. With ASU holding 10-6 advantage after a pair of Davie free throws at the 15:17 mark, the Indians stretched their lead out to 16-8 over the next four minutes after a Rudy Sims jumper from the right elbow of the lane. Monique Jones answered right back for the Lady Jags and trimmed the four (18-14). Still leading by four at 24-20 with just under six minutes remaining in the first half, Davie again provided the spark for ASU reeling off six straight points of her own, including a trey from the left wing at the 5:13 mark, to give the Indians their largest lead of the period at 30-20. Consecutive Jaguar baskets from Jones and Boswell cut the Arkansas State lead to 30-24 with three minutes, 43 seconds remaining , but minutes later, Davie stretched the ASU margin out to nine (33-24) at the 1:28 mark with another jumper. The Indians headed into the locker room with the 35-26 lead.
Davie recorded 22 points in the opening frame on 9-of-11 shooting, to lead ASU. Jones paced USA with 10 points of her own in the opening stanza.
Coming out of the intermission, Sims provided the offense early on for Arkansas State. The senior guard knocked down the Indians first 10 points of the second frame and gave ASU a 45-32 lead with a jumper at the 14:31 mark. Sims later put the Indians up by 18 (56-38) with another basket at the 9:40 mark. Woodard and Boswell sank back-to-back field goals to cut the deficit to 56-42 with eight minutes, 27 seconds remaining in the game, but Arkansas State quickly answered right back. With ASU leading 66-47 with 2:41 remaining, the Jags mounted a late charge and after a Raena Ellis trey, USA cut the deficit to 12 (66-54) but that was as close as the Lady Jags were able to get as Arkansas State went on to take the victory .
Woodard recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Jones finished with 10 points for USA. Of Woodard’s 21 points on the night, 17 came in the second stanza. Davie and Sims paced ASU on the night with 32 and 21 points, respectively. While Davie did much of her damage in the first half, Sims was the offensive weapon in the second half, recording 13 second half points for ASU. With her two blocked shots on the night, Davie also became the all-time shots blocked leader at ASU.
