MOBILE, Ala. ? The South Alabama women’s basketball team will look to make it two in a row Sunday afternoon when the Lady Jags host Denver at the Mitchell Center. The contest with the Pioneers will be part of a women’s/men’s Sun Belt Conference doubleheader.
Tip-off for the women’s game is set for 1 p.m. with the men’s teams scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first game. The games are part of the “Public Servant Appreciation Games” promotion that USA started earlier this week. South Alabama invites all USA employees and their families and friends to be special guest at this week’s Jaguar basketball games.
Limited lower level tickets for both games for the general public are $12, while all upper level tickets can be purchased for $5. Students 6-17 and senior citizens will be admitted for $3 and children 5 and under will be admitted free. USA students, faculty and staff will also be admitted free with a valid ID. USA faculty and staff and students will be admitted free with a valid ID.
Live stats and the internet audio broadcast can be accessed at www.usajaguars.com.
The Lady Jags (13-6, 4-4 SBC) will be looking for their second straight home win Sunday afternoon when South Alabama welcomes Denver after picking up a 76-65 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette on Wednesday night in Mobile.
Against the Cajuns, South Alabama came out and used a pair of first half runs and then a second half run to lead by as many as 30 with nine and a half minutes in the game. With the huge lead, USA got sloppy on both he offensive and defensive ends of the court and ULL took advantage, battling back and cutting the Jaguar lead to as few as 11. Monique Jones recorded her best game of the season for South Alabama as the senior guard finished the night with a career-high 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting.
After knocking down just 14 of her previous 64 attempts from behind the arc (22 percent), Jones seems to have returned to her old form the past two games for USA, hitting six of her last 13 attempts from long range for 46 percent shooting.
Shakira Nettles continues to pace the Jags offensively this season with 10.4 ppg. Jones sits just outside of double figures at 9.9 ppg. Senior center Patriece Brunner leads the club on the boards with 6.8 rebounds per game and also ranks in the top 15 in four categories (rebounding, blocks, offensive and defensive rebounds). Junior guard Jessica Starling enters the contest versus the Pioneers tied for the league lead in three-point shooting at .449, while Karina Sproal (.407) is fifth and Amanda Leonard (.373) is ninth in the SBC in that category. In Sun Belt Conference play, all three continue to shoot over 40 percent from behind the arc.
As of Jan. 25, USA ranks in the top six in 12 of the 19 team categories, including first in three-point field goal defense, and second in scoring defense, field goal defense, assists, assist/turnover ratio, defensive rebounds and three-point field goals made.
Denver comes into the match up versus the Lady Jags with a 7-11overall record and a 2-5 mark in Sun Belt Conference play. On Thursday night, the Pioneers picked up their second straight conference win with a 69-53 victory at Florida Atlantic.
FAU was able to pull within two in the second half, but DU answered back with an 18-4 run to pull away for good. Denver was led on the night by Sara Benham’s season-high 18 points in the win. Benham was one of four Pioneers to finish in double digits in the win.
“Denver is an exceptionally well coached team,” South Alabama head coach Rick Pietri said. “They play very hard and are very disciplined in what they do. Denver is playing probably the best right now that they have all season and we’re going to have to step up to meet the challenge.”
Nnenna Akotaobi comes into the contest leading DU in scoring with 12.4 ppg, while Benham is also in double figures with 10.6 ppg. In Sun Belt action, senior guard Alisha Godette has stepped up her game, ranking second on the team in conference games with 10.1 ppg. Godette also leads the club on the glass, pulling down 6.1 rebounds per game in Sun Belt play.
As a team, Denver ranks third in the league in both three-point shooting (.339) and free throw shooting (.708). The Pioneers have also been tough on the defensive end, ranking fourth in the league in steals with 9.5 a game.
The three common opponents between USA and DU have all been in conference play. The Pioneers, like the Jags, hold a victory over FAU, while both teams lost to UALR. The difference between the two is against New Orleans. USA defeated UNO (68-65) in overtime on the road, while Denver fell 54-53 to the Privateers.
Denver leads the all-time series 12-6 and the Pioneers have won the last two meetings, including a 54-34 decision in Denver last season. In Mobile, Denver has take five of the eight previous meetings in the series.
