MOBILE, Ala. ? Coming off a long road trip, the South Alabama women’s basketball team returns home Tuesday night to host Houston Baptist at the Mitchell Center.

“Having to make a quick turnaround from a long road trip is going to be a big focus for us,” South Alabama head coach Rick Pietri said.  “We are going to have to be prepared for a team that is well-coached by Todd Buchanan and one that has been very competitive in almost all of their games.  We know Houston Baptist is going to be ready to play and we will need to be ready to play as well.”

The game will also be the last home game for the Jaguar women, until they open Sun Belt Conference play against Western Kentucky on Dec. 17.

Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m.  Admission is $5 for all seats.  USA students, faculty and staff will also be admitted free with a valid ID.  Student guests can also purchase a ticket for $3.  Children under 2 will be admitted free.  Live stats and the internet audio broadcast can be accessed at www.usajaguars.com.  As with all home games, the web cast can be purchased by subscribing to Jaguar Nation for just $9.95 per month. 

The Lady Jags (5-1) enter the game versus Houston Baptist on Tuesday night after going 1-1 this past weekend at the GW Thanksgiving Classic. USA suffered its first loss of the season on Friday when the Jags fell 64-59 to George Washington, but bounced back Saturday and picked up a 65-61 win over Liberty in the consolation game.

Jessica Starling was one of three Jaguar women to finish in double-digits with a game-high 18 points.  Shakira Nettles was close behind her with 16 points of her own, while Sarda Peterson added a career-high 11 points off the bench.

Starling leads the club offensively with 17.7 ppg, while Nettles (15.3 ppg is also averaging double figures for the Jags.  Karina Sproal sits just outside of double figures with 9.7 ppg.  Both Sproal and Nettles have been deadly from beyond the arc so far this season.  Coming into Tuesday night’s match up, Sproal has knocked down 12 of her 26 attempts from long range (.462), while Nettles has converted on 15 of her 34 attempts for 44.1 percent.  Senior center Shaniece Brunner tops the team on the glass with 6.5 rebounds per game.  Sproal is close behind her, pulling down 5.2 boards a game herself. 

The Huskies come into the game against the Jags with a 2-4 record in just their second year of transition to the Division I level.  Houston Baptist has dropped each of its last two contests, falling at McNeese State (71-63) and at Oral Roberts (101-59) on Saturday.

Against ORU, the Huskies trailed by just eight at the intermission, but in the second half, the Golden Eagles outscored Houston Baptist 61-27 and shot 60 percent from the floor.  Oral Roberts also forced the Huskies into 24 turnovers.  On the season, HBU is averaging 26.2 per game.

Senior post player Megan Morris leads the team in scoring with 11.2 ppg.  Fellow senior Jelela Simpson is close behind her with 10.3 ppg.  Fallon Thomas has been solid defensively, averaging 5.2 steals per game.  Houston Baptist’s leading scorer from a year ago, Jasmin Moore, has not seen any action thus far this season.  Moore averaged 16.6 ppg a year ago.

Prior to making the transition to the Division I level, Huskies head coach Todd Buchanan had led HBU to back-to-back seasons of 27 and 28 wins and NAIA Tournament appearances.

Tuesday’s game will be the first-ever meeting in the series between the two clubs.  Pietri has never faced Houston Baptist during his collegiate coaching career.

The meeting against the Huskies on Tuesday will also mark the 16th time the Jags have faced a current Great West Conference member.  The most meetings have come against UT-Pan American (14), a former Sun Belt Conference member.  South Alabama holds the series advantage against both UTPA (10-4) and Southern Utah Valley State (1-0).  The last time the Lady Jags faced a team from the GWC was back during the 1989-90 season, when USA defeated Utah Valley State 99-71 at the Northern Lights Invitational in Anchorage, Alaska.  Pietri has never faced a team from the GWC.

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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