MOBILE, Ala. ? The South Alabama women’s basketball team held off a second half UAB rally Monday night and remained perfect on the young season with a 77-64 win at the Mitchell Center.
The Lady Jags (2-0) will return to action on Thursday (Nov. 20) when they host Southern Miss at 7:05 p.m. UAB falls to 1-1 with the loss.
Juniors Shakira Nettles and Karina Sproal and senior guard Jessica Starling led the way for the Lady Jags, combining for 48 of USA’s 77 points. Nettles finished the night with a game-high 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Starling added 16 and Sproal chipped in with a career-best 15, all in the first half.
The Blazers were paced offensively by Britney Jones and Fatiha Salaam’s 16 points apiece. Tamika Dukes also added nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
After allowing UAB to jump out to the early lead with two quick baskets, the Lady Jags used the three ball over the next few minutes to reel off a 14-2 run. Sproal got things started when she drained a trey from the left wing at the 17:52 mark. The Sproal three-pointer was one of three-straight for the Lady Jags. Starling later capped off the South Alabama run when the senior drove the lane and converted the old-fashioned three-point play with just under 15 minutes to go in the half.
UAB pulled to within six at 19-13 after an Erica Simpson bucket, but Starling again sparked the Jaguar offense, driving the lane again and laying the ball high off the glass. She was fouled on the play and converted the bonus shot with 12 minutes, 28 seconds left on the clock. Sproal then gave USA its first double-digit lead of the evening (28-15) with a pair of jumpers.
South Alabama kept up the intensity and grabbed its largest lead of the period, 41-23, after a pair of Siedah Banks free throws with three minutes, 18 seconds left in the opening period of play. However in the final three minutes, UAB’s Jones led the Blazers back, recording six of UAB’s points during a 10-4 run to close the half. The Lady Jags headed into the locker room with a 12-point advantage (45-33).
Sproal was on fire for the Jaguars during the first 20 minutes of play, leading the way with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including three three-pointers. Starling finished the half in double figures for USA with 10 points. Jones led the Blazers during the first stanza with 11 points.
The Blazers got off to a quick start again in the second stanza after back-to-back baskets from Jones and Amanda Cox. Jones knocked down a jumper 30 seconds into the period and then Cox rolled in a jumper of her own with just over 18 minutes left to cut the Jaguar advantage single digits at 45-37, the first time for the for the Blazers since the 9:57 mark of the first half.
USA quickly pushed the lead back out to 13 two minutes later when Starling muscled in a running jumper and Nettles drained a three from the right corner with 15 minutes, 49 seconds left on the clock. With South Alabama leading 52-28, Jones and Salaam led a 12-2 run for the Blazers over the next four minutes. The Blazer duo combined to score 10 of UAB’s 12 points during the spurt. Salaam’s running under-handed finger roll trimmed the South Alabama advantage to four (54-50) with just over nine minutes to go.
The Lady Jags didn’t allow the Blazers to get any closer the rest of the way though. With USA leading by five (58-53) at the 7:27 mark, the Jags retook control of the game with a 19-5 run over the next six minutes and pushed their lead out to 77-58. Starling and Nettles came up huge in the final run for South Alabama, recording the final 10 points of it. Nettles hit an eight-foot jumper and then stole the inbounds pass for a layup. Starling then connected on an off-balanced baseline shot in which she was fouled.
The Blazers were able to cut the final margin to 13 with six points in the final minute and a half, but USA held on for the 77-64 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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