MOBILE, Ala. ? The fifth-seeded South Alabama women’s basketball team used a stingy defensive effort the final nine minutes, 27 seconds of the game to earn its ticket to Hot Springs, Ark., and pick up a 50-44 victory over 12th-seeded Florida International in the opening round of the 2009 Sun Belt Conference Tournament held at the Mitchell Center.
“This is about survival and tonight we survived,” South Alabama head coach Rick Pietri said. “You have to credit Florida International. They came out with great energy. FIU played very relaxed tonight, because they had nothing to lose. They were the aggressor for much of the game and I think that we came out tight. That showed in our shooting percentage, especially in the first half. The good news though was at crunch time; we stepped up and made the plays that we needed to make to win the game.”
With the win, the Lady Jags will now take on the winner of the Troy (Seeded fourth)/Louisiana-Lafayette (Seeded 13th) game on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. at the Summit Arena.
The win also gives USA (20-10) the program’s eighth 20-win season and the first back-to-back 20-win seasons in 21 years. With the loss, the Golden Panthers end their season with a 6-24 mark.
“I am really excited for this group of players to be able to say that they were part of a team who won back-to-back 20-win seasons which hasn’t been done here in 21 years,” Pietri added. “I am very glad that they get to write that as part of their legacy. Hopefully, we have some more writing to do.”
South Alabama’s Shakira Nettles was one of three Lady Jags to end the night in double figures, as she recorded a game-high 15 points13 of which coming in the second half. Jessica Starling and Morriah Smith also chipped in with 12 and 10 points, respectively. FIU was paced by Ashley Traugott’s 11 points and Monika Bosilj’s 10.
Florida International came out of halftime and out-hustled the Jags during the first few minutes, jumping out to a 34-29 lead with just over 16 minutes left. Of FIU’s first seven points, all came as second chance opportunities. Nettles, who had struggled during the first 20 minutes of play, got USA’s offense in gear over the next few minutes and recorded eight of the Jags next 10 points. The Second Team All-SBC performer tied the game back up at 39-39 on a three-pointer at the 12:31 mark.
Following the Nettles’ bucket though, both team went cold over the next several possessions. Traugott broke the tie with her third trey of the night, this one coming with just over 10 minutes to go. Marquita Adley then put FIU back out in front 44-39 the next time down the floor with a layup of her own. Following the two baskets, the Lady Jag defense stiffened and did not allow the Golden Panthers a good look the rest of the way, holding FIU to 0-of-16 shooting the final nine-plus minutes.
“The last ten minutes of the game, we guarded our butts off,” Pietri said of the Lady Jag defense to end the game. “Even when the shots weren’t falling for us, and we had some open looks, we still defended well and gave ourselves a chance. When the shots finally started falling, we kept up the defense. “
Tashley Gaines ended a nearly five minute drought for USA when the freshman drained a jumper just inside the arc at the 7:41 mark. South Alabama was able to get the stops it need at the defensive end, but unable to convert at the offensive end of the floor until with just over three minutes to go, Nettles intercepted a FIU pass and raced down the court for a layup. The Mobile native then gave the Lady Jags the lead for good (46-44) when she drained a three-pointer from the corner on South Alabama’s next possession. Smith and Starling then capped off the victory and the 11-0 run with a pair of free throws each in the final minute to seal the six-point victory for USA.
After missing their first five attempts from the floor and allowing FIU to jump out to a 5-0 lead in the opening minutes, Nettles and Starling sank back-to-back jumpers to get the Lady Jags on the board and trim the deficit to one. The Golden Panthers answered right back though with a 9-2 burst over the next three minutes to grab a 14-7 advantage after Adley found Bosilj cutting backdoor for a layup at the 11:21 mark.
South Alabama didn’t help its cause as the Jags could only manage to connect on three of their first 16 attempts. USA also committed six turnovers during that same stretch.
Trailing by six (16-10) with under 10 minutes to go in the period, South Alabama began to claw its way back. Karina Sproal provided a spark of the bench as the senior got an easy layup and then drained a deep trey with eight minutes, 51 seconds left on the clock. USA kept battling back and after a pair of Ra’Shawna Sippio free throws at the 4:40 mark, South Alabama had narrowed the gap again to one (21-20).
After an Elisa Carey putback on FIU’s next possession, Smith again made the Golden Panthers pay from behind the arc as the junior Jag point guard drained her second three-pointer of the half, this one coming from the left wing at the 2:47 mark to tie the contest up at 23. Sippio then gave USA its first lead of the night, hitting one of her two opportunities at the stripe.
FIU retook the lead and jumped back out in front after a pair of baskets with under a minute to go before the intermission, the last coming on a Bosilj layup off a Jag turnover. Starling came up big for the Lady Jags in the closing seconds, draining a trey just as the horn sounded to send both clubs into the locker room tied at 27-27.
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).
-- USA --
