MOBILE, Ala. ? The South Alabama women’s basketball team placed six players in double figures Monday night as the Lady Jags remained perfect on the season with a 96-82 victory over Mercer at the Mitchell Center.
USA (4-0) will next head to Washington D.C. to compete at the GW Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 28-29. The Lady Jags will open tournament play on Friday when they take on the host Colonials at 4 p.m. (CT). Mercer falls to 2-2 on the year with the loss.
Jessica Starling was 7-of-13 from the field, including four three-pointers. The Jag senior also recorded four rebounds and four assists. As a team, USA ended the night with 24 assists led by Siedah Banks’ game-high six. Also finishing the evening in double digits for South Alabama was Shaniece Brunner with a career-high 18 points, Karina Sproal with 13, Morriah Smith with 11 and Shakira Nettles and Cylenthia Kennon with 10 points apiece.
The 14 three-pointers by the Jags set a new Mitchell Center record and were the most by South Alabama since Jan. 7, 2006 when USA hit a school record 16 at Troy.
LaToya Jackson led all scorers with 23 points in the loss. Jackson was 8-of-13 from the field, including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Dominique Chism (17) and Courtney Ford (15) also finished in double digits.
For the game, USA was 35-for-59 from the floor (.593), including connecting on 70.8 percent of its shots in the second half, both season-highs. The 96 points were also a season-best and just two points shy of tying the all-time mark at the Mitchell Center.
South Alabama set the tone early in the opening period of play, knocking down 11 of its first 18 shots from the floor. With the contest tied up at 9-9, the Lady Jag defense turned things up, forcing the Bears into several contested shots. During that time, Nettles and Brunner led the charge, combining for 13 of USA’s next 16 points. Nettles drained a trey from the top of the key at the 15:33 mark to ignite a 16-2 run over the next five minutes for South Alabama. During the run, Nettles was perfect from the floor, connecting on all three of her attempts.
Chism’s jumper at the 9:24 mark of the first half ended a five and a half minute drought for the Bears. Mercer closed the deficit to 30-20 after a Ford basket with five minutes, 28 seconds left in the period, but that was as close as the Bears got during the half, as USA took a 47-35 lead into the locker room.
The Lady Jags were a blistering 18-for-35 (.514), including 7-of-15 from long range. Brunner (12) and Nettles (10) paced USA in the opening 20 minutes of play, combining for 22 of the Jags 47 points. The 47 points in the first period of play was also a season-high.
Mercer was led offensively by Ford’s 11 first half points.
Like in the first half, South Alabama came out of the intermission and got off to a quick start, opening the second stanza, starting the frame off on a 16-3 run over the first four minutes. After struggling offensively for most of the first half, Starling found her shooting touch in the second half. Over the first five minutes of the period, the Jags senior matched her total from the first half. Starling put the Lady Jags up 65-40 with another jumper with just over 15 minutes left on the clock. After the Bears had cut into the South Alabama advantage and trimmed it to 65-46 with three-straight baskets, USA used the three-point shot to stretch its lead back out to 25 (71-46). With the shot clock about to expire, Starling drained a trey from the left wing at the 12:42 mark and then on USA’s next trip down the floor, Kennon connected on a three-pointer of her own as the shot clock was again winding down to push the Jag advantage back out.
Mercer took advantage of South Alabama’s sloppy play down the stretch away and got as close as 12 late, but the Lady Jags held on for the 96-82 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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