MOBILE, Ala. ? The South Alabama women’s basketball team sank the first basket of the game, but that was the last time the Lady Jags would hold the lead as Middle Tennessee exploded for a 25-8 run over the next seven minutes en route to an 80-57 Sun Belt Conference victory Sunday afternoon at the Mitchell Center.

USA (11-4,  2-2 SBC) will continue Sun Belt play when the Lady Jags head to Monroe, La., to take on Louisiana-Monroe on Wednesday evening.  Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m. at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.  The loss for the Lady Jags at the Mitchell Center was the first home-loss of the season.

The story of the game was the hot shooting of Blue Raiders.  For the game, Middle Tennessee shot a blistering 45.2 percent (28-of-62) from the floor.  The Blue Raiders, who entered the game as the league's top three-point shooting club didn’t disappoint as they connected on 12 of their 22 attempts (54.5 percent) from beyond the arc.  The 12 three-pointers by the Blue Raiders were the most by a Jag opponent at the Mitchell Center since New Orleans’ 11 trey’s back on Jan. 13, 2000.  Brandi Brown led the MTSU long-range attack with a game-high five three-pointers.

South Alabama was led offensively by Jessica Starling ?s 18 points.  Shakira Nettles, the Lady Jags’ second-leading scorer who was averaging 14.0 ppg coming into the game, was held without a field goal and to just one point. 

The Blue Raiders placed four players in double-figures led by Alysha Clark’s 23 point and 18 rebound performance.  Also joining Clark in double digits was Brown (17), Jackie Pickel (14) and Chelsia Lymon (11).

Middle Tennessee came out on fire in the opening minutes of the first half, connecting on all seven of their first attempts, including a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.  In contrast, South Alabama was just 2-of-9 from the floor during that same stretch.  Clark’s bucket with 16:52 left on the clock gave the Blue Raiders their first double-digit lead at 16-6. 

A little of three minutes later with Middle Tennessee leading by seven (18-11), Clark and Pickel quickly pushed the Blue Raider advantage out to 14 with when the duo combined for seven straight points within a 30 second span.  Clark knocked down back-to-back jumpers and Pickel then drained her second trey of the half, this one coming from the left wing, to put MTSU up 25-11 with just over 13 minutes left in the half.

The Blue Raiders continued to fire on all cylinders from long range for the remainder of the half.  With less than four minutes remaining before the intermission, it was Lymon’s turn to heat up from beyond the arc.  The junior guard connected on a three at the four minute mark and then gave Middle Tennessee its largest lead of the period at 19 (40-21) with another trey.  Lymon then sent the Blue Raiders into the locker room with a 19-point advantage, when her third trey bounced around the rim and dropped in right as the horn sounded. 

Lymon’s three-pointer at the buzzer was Middle Tennessee’s ninth of the first half.  For the period, Middle Tennessee was 18-of-35 from the field for 51.4 percent shooting, and a blistering 9-for-13 from beyond the arc for an astounding 69.2 percent.

Clark and Brown each led the Blue Raiders with 12 points apiece, while Lymon added 11.  Clark also pulled down 11 rebounds during the first 20 minutes of play to give her her sixth double-double of the season. 

Senior guard Jessica Starling tried to keep the Lady Jags in the first half, recording 13 first half points.  As a team, USA shot just 28 percent from the floor and was just 5-of-18 from three-point range.

Early in the second half, the Lady Jags tried to mount a rally chipping into the Blue Raider lead a couple of times within the first five minutes of play.  Starling’s three-pointer from the trimmed the deficit to 15 (50-35) at the 15:26 mark, but Clark would not let USA capture any momentum, recording the Blue Raiders’ first seven points. 

South Alabama could draw no closer the rest of the way as Middle Tennessee went on to lead by as many as 30 before taking the 23-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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