MOBILE, Ala. ? The University of South Alabama women’s basketball team came out of the gates strong in the first five plus minutes and never looked back as the Lady Jags cruised to an 83-30 season opening victory over Nicholls State Friday night at the Mitchell Center.
The Lady Jags (1-0) will return to action on Monday (Nov. 17) when they host in-state rival UAB at 7:05 p.m. The Lady Colonels fall to 0-1 on the young season.
“I was encouraged by the way we started the game tonight with the 16-0 run,” South Alabama head coach Rick Pietri said. “When our second unit came in in the first half, I thought were a little unfocused, but after a six minute stretch, we began to get wired in and execute some of the concepts that we wanted to coming into the game. We were able to get some good looks against their match up zone and the get some layups against it.”
Junior guard Shakira Nettles was one of four players for South Alabama to finish the night in double figures. The Mobile, Ala., native was 7-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc in just 13 minutes of action. Due to USA’s huge lead, Nettles did not play most of the second half.
Jessica Starling (14), Vontrice Dennis (12) and Shaniece Brunner also recorded double digits for USA in the win. Brunner led the Jags on the glass, finishing with a game-high eight rebounds.
USA’s defense caused Nicholls State problems all night long, as the Lady Jags forced 36 turnovers and turned those into 32 points. The Colonels also were a dismal 9-of-45 from the field for 20 percent shooting, including making just three field goals in the second half. Jasmine Hoskins led NSU with nine points.
South Alabama’s full court press caused Nicholls State problems early on as the Lady Jags forced six turnovers within the first five minutes of the game. USA took advantage of the offensive woes of the Lady Colonels and raced out to a quick 16-0 lead. Nettles put South Alabama on the board when the junior guard drained a three-pointer from the left corner a minute and a half into the game. Nettles added two more buckets during the run, while Starling and Brunner also chipped in USA’s other eight points.
NSU finally got onto the scoreboard at the 13:53 mark when Hoskins hit one of her two attempts from the charity stripe. The Colonels then recorded their first field goal eight seconds later when Dominique Washington grabbed Hoskins’ miss and laid the ball off the glass. Prior to the Washington bucket, the Colonels had missed six straight shots.
USA kept its lead at around the 13 point margin for the next eight minutes until, the Lady Jags got things rolling again with their defense. South Alabama closed the opening period strong, outscoring NSU 13-5 in the final five minutes. Dennis sent the Lady Jags into the locker room with the 21-point lead (38-17) when Starling drove the lane and found the freshman for an easy layup in the closing seconds.
Starling (12) and Nettles (9) combined for 21 points to pace the Jags in the first 20 minutes of play. Nicholls was led in the opening half by Washington’s five points
South Alabama’s defense led the way in the first period of play, forcing the Colonels into 18 turnovers.
The Lady Jags came out of the intermission and kept up the defensive intensity, holding Nicholls State without a field goal for the first nine and a half minutes. During that stretch, the South Alabama defense forced 10 turnovers, five of which off steals and blocked six Colonel shots. Nettles picked up right where she left off prior to the intermission, draining another trey on USA’s first possession. The Nettles three-pointer also ignited a 22-2 run in which USA took complete control of the game. The Lady Jags cruised the rest of the way and went on to take the 53-point victory.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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