DENVER - Coming off its first Sun Belt loss of the season, the University of South Alabama women's basketball team will look to rebound versus West Division leader Denver when the Jags take on the Pioneers on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. (Central Time) at Magness Arena.
"Denver is an incredibly balanced scoring offense with the ability to shoot from the perimeter, as well as score inside," South Alabama head coach Rick Pietri said. "Defensively, they are very solid and in order for us to win this game, we are going to have to make open shots. We had some good open looks in our prior game, but we weren't able to make a good percentage of them. We are going to have to make open perimeter shots for us to have a chance to win this game."
Live stats and the web cast of the game between South Alabama and Denver can be accessed through Jaguar Nation at www.usajaguars.com. Fans can subscribe to Jaguar Nation for either a monthly fee of $7.95 or for an annual fee of $69.95.
South Alabama (12-7, 7-1 SBC) enters the game against Denver after suffering its first conference loss of the season - a 78-66 defeat to North Texas on Wednesday. With the score tied at 55-55 in the second half, the Mean Green used a 12-2 run to grab the lead for good and eventually pick up the 12-point victory.
Shakira Nettles led all scorers in the loss with 21 points - her second 20-point outing of the season. Nettles, along with Christian Shelter, leads the Jags offensively, each averaging 11.6 points per game. The duo ranks 18th in the Sun Belt in that category. Nettles also ranks among the league leaders in both three-point shooting and three-pointers made. The senior has knocked down 38.1 percent from beyond the arc this season - sixth in the SBC - and is averaging 1.8 treys per contest - tied for fourth-most in the conference.
Along with Nettles and Shelter, sophomore guard Tashley Gaines has been solid off the Jaguar bench. Gaines comes into the match up versus the Pioneers averaging 10.8 ppg. The West Memphis, Ark., native has been solid both shooting from the field and from the free throw line. Coming into Saturday's action, Gaines is shooting 50 percent from the field - tied for fifth - and 78.2 percent from the charity stripe, also fifth in the conference. She has posted double figures in 10 of her last 13 games.
As a team, South Alabama has been one of the top free throw shooting teams in the Sun Belt all season - ranking second in the league at 73.7 percent, just behind Denver. Along with Gaines, Siedah Banks and Morriah Smith also rank among the SBC leaders individually. Banks (.814) is second, while Smith has hit 71.4 percent of her attempts.
The Pioneers come into this weekend's action leading the West Division with a 16-6 overall mark and a 7-1 record in conference play. The game versus the Jags will be the first for Denver since picking up a 62-56 win at Louisiana-Monroe a week ago. In the second half, DU was nearly perfect from the field, hitting 15 of its 21 attempts from the field for 71.4 percent. Britteni Rice and Kaetlyn Murdoch led the way for the Pioneers with 16 points apiece.
Rice and Murdoch rank fifth and sixth, respectively in the league in scoring, averaging 15.3 ppg and 14.2 ppg. Brianna Culberson (eighth) also ranks in the top 10 in scoring with 13.3 points per game. Murdoch leads the conference and is fifth nationally in shooting, knocking down 62.5 percent of her shots. The sophomore forward also leads the league in blocks with 3.0 per game and is pulling down 7.2 boards per outing.
Ashly Robinson leads the team on the glass with 7.8 per game - tied for ninth in the SBC. As a team, Denver is shooting 46.7 percent from the field - first in the Sun Belt and eighth nationally. The Pioneers also rank sixth in three-point shooting in the latest NCAA rankings, as they are hitting 40.3 percent of their attempts from behind the arc.
Like USA, Denver has been strong at the foul line. The Pioneers are currently tops in the conference at the line, hitting 74.1 percent of their attempts. Defensively, DU ranks third in the Sun Belt in scoring defense and second in field goal defense. In league play, Denver has been even better, holding opponents to just 35.4 percent shooting- first in the SBC.
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: Denver leads the all-time series, holding a 13-7 advantage. Head coach Rick Pietri is 5-11 against the Pioneers during his tenure. DU holds a 7-2 lead in the series in games played in the "Mile High" City, including a 6-2 mark during Pietri's time at USA. South Alabama's Pietri and Denver head coach Erik Johnson have met only once throughout their careers. Johnson holds a 1-0 advantage in that lone meeting - a 62-56 overtime victory in Denver season. South Alabama has played nine times on Jan. 23 and is4-5 in those games. The last time the Jaguars faced a team on this date was back during the 2007-08 season - a 76-65 win over Louisiana-Lafayette in Mobile USA is 1-1 on this date under Pietri. South Alabama and Denver have met once on this date with the Pioneers picking up a 76-64 in Denver back during the 2002-03 season.
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