Box Score - Tennessee State 74, South Alabama 69 (.pdf)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After struggling offensively in the first half, the University of South Alabama women’s basketball team posted its best half of the season in the final period of action, but it wasn’t enough as the Lady Jags dropped a 74-69 decision Saturday afternoon at the Gentry Center to close out its four-game road trip.  In the second half, South Alabama shot a season-best 57.1 percent from the field and scored 40 points.

“Tennessee State deserves all the credit tonight,” South Alabama head coach Rick Pietri said.  “They played three times harder than our kids did, they wanted it more than our kids did and they played with more energy than our kids did.  We played on our heels the whole game.  I think our team underestimated the opponent.  I think that is an understatement.  That’s the problem with looking at scores that other teams have posted before you play them.  Unfortunately, I think our team bought into the fact that they were just good enough to show up and win the game.  Clearly, Tennessee State showed us that was not the case.   This is a whole-heartedly disappointing loss and hopefully we’ll learn from it and hopefully we’ll get better.”

USA (5-2) now heads home to play the first of two-straight games at the Mitchell Center when Lady Jags host Spring Hill on Wednesday night.  Tip-off versus the Lady Badgers is set for 5:05 p.m.

Mansa El led all scorers with a career-high 23 points in the loss. The red shirt junior was 6-of-12 from the field and 9-of-12 at the free-throw line.  She also pulled down seven rebounds and dished out five assists.  Joining her in double figures were Jennifer Johnson with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, while Camille Reynolds and Sarda Peterson each added 11 points in the loss.

Tennessee State (4-5) also placed four players in double digits in the victory, led by Kim Haynes 16 points off the bench.  Haynes was 5-for-11 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from beyond the three-point line.  Destiney Gaston – who had not started the last two games for the Lady Tigers – finished the contest with a double-double, recording 15 points and 10 rebounds.  

Kesi Hess and Jasmin Shuler were the other two Lady Tigers to end the night in double digits with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Three-point shooting was a key stat for TSU against the Lady Jags.  The Lady Tigers – who entered the game shooting just 27 percent from the arc – were 9-of-18 against USA.  The nine three-pointers by TSU were the most by an opponent versus South Alabama which ranked second in the Sun Belt Conference in three-point defense coming into the contest.  The Lady Jags were just 6-of-23 from long range for 26.1 percent.  

Both teams came out slow offensively to start the game.  USA was the first to jump out and take the early advantage as it built as much as a five-point lead with 14 minutes, 33 seconds remaining in the half.  South Alabama was able to take the 10-5 lead when Cylenthia Kennon found Reynolds cutting to the basket for a layup.  Peterson also added a pair of early three-pointers during the opening minutes to help the Lady Jags.  She would finish the game with three.

Trailing with just over 14 minutes on the clock, TSU’s Hess ignited a 13-0 run for the Lady Tigers over the next three minutes.  On USA’s ensuing possession, Tennessee State’s Tayla Foster deflected a Lady Jag pass and raced down the floor for a layup to tie the contest us at 10-10.  At the 11:21 mark, Shuler capped off the run and put the Lady Tigers out in front 18-10 when she connected from the left side of the arc in transition for Tennessee State’s third trey of the run.

Reynolds ended the scoreless drought for South Alabama with pair of free throws at the 10:45 mark.

Later in the half with the Lady Tigers holding a 27-19 lead with four minutes, 35 second to go in the opening half after Hess’ second trey of the game, but USA began to chip away at the deficit.  El found Johnson open in the post for a layup on the Lady Jags’ next trip down the floor and Peterson then connected on her third trey of the half, this one coming at the 3:43 mark to trim the TSU lead to 27-24.  With just under two minutes to go before the half, El tied the game up when she drove the left side of the lane and converted the old-fashioned three-point play (27-27) after being fouled.  El led all scorers in the first stanza with 11 of her game-high 23 points.

Tennessee State didn’t let South Alabama hold the momentum long as it quickly retook the lead15 seconds later on an offensive put back by Gaston.  TSU would hold the lead from there and head into the locker room with a 32-29 advantage.  

USA struggled offensively over the first 20 minutes of play, hitting just nine of its 33 attempts for 27.3 percent shooting.  The Lady Jags were also just 4-of-15 from the arc during the period.  

The Lady Tigers shot a little bit better in the first period of play as they were 12-of-33 for 36.4 percent.

Coming out of the locker room, USA was able to cut the deficit to 34-33 on layup by Mary Nixon just two-and-a-half minutes into the period, but TSU would again answer with a run, this one a 7-0 spurt over a two-minute stretch.  Shuler began the scoring with a three-pointer from the right wing at the 17:12 mark and then after a jumper from Gaston, Shuler knocked down a pull up jumper of her own to give the Lady Tigers a 41-33 advantage.  

Later in the half, Tennessee State extended its lead out to as much as 11 on five occasions, the last coming at the 8:07 mark on a fast-break layup from Hess to give the Tigers a 64-53 lead.  

For much of the remainder of the game, USA was only able to get as close as six until El’s trey in the closing seconds to cut the final margin of defeat to four.

Over the final 20 minutes of action, South Alabama was 15-for-29 from the field, but just 2-of-8 from long distance.  In the second half, USA allowed 42 points to the host Tigers and a 43.3 shooting percent (13-of-30).

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 loss, the series between South Alabama and Tennessee State is now tied 1-1.  The meeting between the two clubs was the first since the 1989-90 season.  South Alabama is 7-5 all-time versus Ohio Valley Conference members, while head coach Rick Pietri is 2-2 against the league. USA is now 5-4 all-time on games played on Dec. 3.  The 23 points by Mansa El were a new career-best for the red shirt junior.  The scoring output also marked the fifth game in her last six in which she has scored double figures.  It was also the third 20-plus point game this season by a Lady Jags –Camille Reynolds (31 vs. Central Florida and Jennifer Johnson (20 vs. Utah). The 57.1 field goal percentage and the 40 points in the second half were both season best for a 20-minute half for USA this season.  The nine three-pointers by TSU and the 50 percent three-point field goal percentage were both the most by an opponent this season.  With the three-point deficit, South Alabama has now trailed in all eight of its games this season. With her three-pointer in the opening minutes of the first half, Sarda Peterson moved into fourth-place on USA's career three-pointer list, passing former Lady Jag Sara Carter.  Her thrid trey of the contest was also historic, as it moved her into a tie with Qiana Mitchell for third on the list.  She now has 127 for her career.

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