MOBILE, Ala. - The University of South Alabama women's basketball team outlasted Arkansas State and picked up a 68-67 Sun Belt Conference victory Sunday afternoon at the Mitchell Center to win its fifth-straight league game and tie the program's best conference start.
"To have matched the best conference start in the history of the program, there's no question that a positive feeling comes with that," South Alabama head coach Rick Pietri said. "The five wins we have are ours and no one's going to take those from us. We've got 13 games left to play and there's a long way to go."
With the win, USA improves to 10-6 overall and 5-0 in the Sun Belt. The Jags will now travel to Monroe, La., to take on Louisiana-Monroe on Wednesday (Jan. 13) at 7:05 p.m. at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
South Alabama placed four players in double figures in the win, led by Sarda Peterson's 12 points. Morriah Smith and Tashley Gaines each chipped in with 11 points, while Siedah Banks added 10 and five assists.
ASU (6-10, 1-4 SBC) was paced by Ebonie Jefferson's game-high 18 points. Jefferson did most of her damage at the charity stripe, sinking 10 of her 11 attempts. Sherina Scott recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Like Jefferson, a majority of her points came at the foul line, as she was 10-of-12 at the stripe in the loss. Shania Hurst also finished in double digits with 13 points of her own.
South Alabama held the Red Wolves to just 26 percent shooting (19-of-73) for the game, but USA struggled on the glass, particularly at the defensive end, allowing ASU to pull down 25 offensive boards. Arkansas State took advantage of those extra opportunities, outscoring USA 24-8 on second chance points. Both the 25 offensive rebounds and the 59 total rebounds by the Red Wolves were the most allowed by the Jags to an opponent this season.
"We pretty much executed what we wanted to do from a defensive standpoint, with one exception, we didn't finish possessions," Pietri said. "We got challenged shots, but then we just let them keep rebounding, especially in the second half. In the first half, we weren't that bad, but all the credit goes to Arkansas State. They battled to the very end to try to win this game."
The Jags did hold a key advantage in one category contributing 39 of the Jags' 68 points, while the ASU reserves were only able to score eight points.
With 12 minutes remaining in the second half, Smith's conventional three-point play gave USA a 44-37 advantage, but as they would do throughout, Arkansas State battled back. ASU was able to make it a one-possession game ((44-41) after a pair of Linsay Henke free throws and a layup by Jefferson at the 10:25 mark.
ASU kept chipping away at the Jaguar lead and was able to cut the deficit to 48-46 on an offensive put back by Hurst with less than eight minutes to go.
Still leading by four (52-48) after a Lydsay Schlup bucket with six minutes, 16 seconds left on the clock, Banks and Bobbi Taylor combined to score USA's next 11 points and stretch the Jags' lead out to 63-52 with just over three minutes remaining. Taylor ignited the scoring for USA with a pair of buckets. Banks then hit three-straight baskets, including a trey from the left win at the 3:46 mark. Banks gave the Jags the double-digit lead with a jumper in the lane 40 seconds later.
Throughout the season, South Alabama has been solid late in games at the free throw line, but in the final two minutes against the Red Wolves, USA only hit four of its eight opportunities. Arkansas State took advantage of the misses and narrowed the gap to three after a Quinishia McDowell jumper with 29 seconds, but Gaines was able to hit one of her two attempts at the line to make it a two possession game with 15 seconds left. The free throw by Gaines proved to be the difference as Meghan Lewis drained a three-pointer with two seconds remaining. USA was able to inbound the ball and run out the clock to preserve the one-point victory.
The Jaguars jumped out to a 10-4 advantage during the first five minutes of the game, but the Red Wolves quickly trimmed the South Alabama advantage to one (11-10) after a Breaunna Ellison bucket at the 13:16 mark. After missing six-straight shots, USA used its transition game to battle back. Peterson ignited a 13-0 run with a layup and led the way with seven of USA's 13 points. Her three-pointer from the right corner with 8:39 left on the clock gave South Alabama its largest lead of the day at 24-10.
The momentum didn't stay lone with the Jags as Arkansas State answered right back with a 19-4 run of its own. McDowell and Jefferson got things started for the Red Wolves, combining to reel off 11 unanswered points. After a Lauren Walker basket and a pair of free throws from Nettles, Arkansas State again went on a run, this one a string of eight-straight points - six coming at the free throw line. Sherina Scott's layup with just under two minutes to go in the period gave ASU its first lead since the opening minutes of the contest at 29-28.
During the seven minute run by the Red Wolves, USA struggled to find the range, hitting just one of its nine attempts from the floor. ASU also did a good job of getting to the line during that same stretch getting to the foul line nine times. Of those nine opportunities, Jefferson was a perfect 7-for-7 at the stripe.
Following a missed ASU three-pointer, USA's Smith grabbed the rebound and drove the court. With just over a minute remaining before the half, Smith knocked down an off-balanced jumper to help the Jags retake the lead at 30-29. Smith was fouled on the play, but didn't convert the bonus shot, but on South Alabama's next possession, Peterson drained her second trey of the half. Lauren Walker was then fouled with 0.4 seconds on the clock, while grabbing a defensive rebound. Walker calmly stepped to the line and sank both of her attempts to send the Jags into the locker room with a 35-29 lead.
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).
NOTES: With the win, South Alabama improves to 5-0 in Sun Belt play for the first time since the 1987-88 season. The start also marks just the third time in the program's history that the Jags have been perfect after their first five games. The 59 rebounds and 25 offensive rebounds given up by USA were both season-highs by Jaguar opponents. The win also improved USA's all-time record in televised games to 5-12.
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