MOBILE, Ala. ? Despite Ra’Shawna Sippio’s third straight double-double Wednesday evening, the South Alabama women’s basketball team dropped a 53-44 decision to Sun Belt Conference West Division leader UALR at the Mitchell Center.
USA (13-6, 4-4 SBC) will look to rebound from the loss when it heads to Lafayette, La., to take on the Ragin’ Cajuns on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. at the Cajundome and will be game one of a double header.
UALR improves to 15-4 on the season and 7-1 in league play with the win.
Sippio tied a career-high with her 22 point effort and also finished with 10 rebounds. South Alabama, which came into the game averaging 8.2 three-pointers per game ? second best in the Sun Belt - was limited to just 2-of-15 shooting from beyond the arc against the Trojans.
The Trojans were paced by Chasity Reed’s game-high 28 points and 13 rebounds in the win. Anshe Cooper also finished in double digits with 11 points, while Kim Sitzmann chipped in with nine points and four steals.
The 44 points for the Lady Jags were also a season-low.
After a pair of Reed free throws to open the second half, South Alabama rattled off eight unanswered points over the next four minutes to grab its largest lead to that point at 33-27. USA got things started with a pair of conventional three-point plays from Tashley Gaines and Sippio. Sippio then capped off the run with a running one-hander in the lane at the 15:24 mark.
The six-point lead for the Jags would be the last as the Lady Trojans responded right back with a run of their own, this one an 11-2 spurt over the next five minutes. Reed continued her hot shooting and drained back-to-back jumpers to spark the run. Asriel Rolfe then put UALR back on top when the sophomore point guard hit a three-pointer from the top of the key with 11 minutes, 25 seconds remaining. Reed followed the Rolfe trey with another bucket ? her 20th point of the contest ? to push the Trojan advantage out to three (38-35).
After a Shakira Nettles free throw, the Lady Jags tied things back up at 38 when the junior guard drove the lane and dished off to a wide open Shaniece Brunner underneath for a layup with nine minutes, 38 seconds left.
From that point on, UALR took over the game, closing things out on a 17-6 run over the final seven minutes, 35 seconds of the game en route to the nine-point victory. Cooper and Reed took over down the stretch, combining for UALR final 17 points, 10 coming from Reed and seven from Cooper. During the Trojan run, South Alabama was also held to just one made field goal. Sippio recorded all six Jaguar points in the closing minutes ? a jumper and four free throws.
UALR’s Reed was the story early on for the Lady Trojans, recording 10 of their first 12 points. After a Cooper basket during the opening minute, Reed went on to knock down UALR’s next five shots, helping the Trojans build as much as a four point advantage during the first 12 minutes of the game.
After a Sarda Peterson trey from the top of the key trimmed the Lady Jag deficit to one (12-11) with just under eight minutes to go, UALR reeled off six of the next eight points and took a 18-18 lead on a pair of Copper free throws at the 4:56 mark.
Sippio then answered the Trojan scoring run when the senior post player converted a three-point play at the 4:41 mark.
For Sippio, it was her 11th point of the half. Gaines then tied the contest back up at 18 with a pair of free throws on the Jags next possession.
After UALR retook the lead on a Sitzmann trey with three minutes, 24 seconds left on the clock, Nettles knocked down back-to-back buckets to give South Alabama its first lead of the game. Nettles pulled USA to within one with a 17-footer along the baseline and then with two minutes to go in the period, drove the lane and laid the ball off the glass to put the Lady Jags up 22-21.
The Lady Trojans pushed the lead back out to three on a Cooper bucket and a Stizmann steal and layup ? her second of the game, but Jessica Starling drained a three-pointer with under a minute to go to send the two clubs into the locker room knotted up at 25-25.
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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