HOT SPRINGS, Ark. ? The South Alabama women’s basketball team used a solid defensive effort Saturday afternoon to defeat fourth-seeded Troy 52-39 in the quarterfinal round of the 2009 Sun Belt Conference Tournament at Summit Arena and advance to the semifinals. The win marks the first time South Alabama has advanced to the semifinal round since the 2003 tournament and is just the second time since1989.
Fifth-seeded USA (21-10) will now take on top-seeded Middle Tennessee at 12:30 p.m. on Monday. Troy falls to 16-14 with the loss.
Jessica Starling and Shakira Nettles led the way offensively for the Lady Jags, each recording 13 points apiece. Senior Shaniece Brunner also finished with seven points and 10 rebounds, all of which coming in the second half.
Kylie Morrissy paced Troy with 18 points, while Alyce Shearing chipped in with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
For their play, both Nettles and Morrissy were named State Farm Player of the Game for their respective teams.
The 39 points by Troy are the second fewest every surrendered by the Lady Jags in an SBC Tournament game. The Trojans also scored just 18 points in the second half.
Holding a seven-point lead coming out of the intermission, South Alabama did not allow the Trojans to pick up any momentum and quickly pushed its advantage out to double figures. Nettles capped off a 7-1 run to for the Lady Jags to begin the half with a three-pointer at the 16:53 mark that put USA up 35-22.
For the remainder of the second stanza, the Trojans were only able to get as close as nine, as South Alabama’s defense always seemed to come up with the stop when needed. With USA leading 42-29 at the 7:23 mark after a pair of Starling free throws, the Trojans mounted one final charge as Donette McNair recorded four straight points and trimmed the deficit to nine (42-33) with less than six minutes to go. The Lady Jags answered and pushed the lead back out to 14 (47-33) three minutes later when Starling drained a 12-foot jumper along the right baseline, just as the shot clock was about to expire. South Alabama clamped down at the defensive end as it had most of the half, and went on to pick up the 13-point victory. Starling was nearly perfect at the charity stripe in the final minute, sinking five of her six attempts and eight of her 10 in the contest.
Morrissy led the way early on in the opening period of play, recording six of the first nine points to lead Troy to a four-point lead. Morriah Smith then got USA going when the junior guard from Chicago, Ill., deflected a pass and drove the floor for a layup with just under 15 minutes. Four minutes later, Nettles caught the Trojans sleeping on an inbounds play and laid the ball off the glass to give USA its first lead of the afternoon at 10-9.
On Troy’s next possession, Kristen Smith put the Trojans back out on top, but South Alabama had the answer, reeling off eight unanswered points to grab a 20-13 advantage. Brunner capped off the Jaguar run with her second trey of the half, this one from the right wing at the 5:42 mark. With less than three to go before the half, USA was able to take the eight-point lead on Sarda Peterson’s jumper just inside the arc.
Just before the intermission, Morrissy closed the deficit to 26-21 when she hit a pair of free throws after being fouled with 7.3 seconds remaining, but on the ensuing possession, Nettles was fouled of her three-point attempt just before the clock hit zero. The junior guard stepped to the line and hit two of her three attempts at the charity stripe to send South Alabama into the locker room with a 28-21 advantage.
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).
TOURNAMENT NOTES: Prior to the tip-off Lady Jag players Karina Sproal (Commissioner’s List recipients) Brittney Rutledge and Jessica Starling (Academic Honor Roll). Shakira Nettles and Starling were also presented with their Second Team All-Sun Belt awards.
