Game 20 - at UALR Game Notes (.pdf)


LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The University of South Alabama women’s basketball team will head back out on the road when it travels to take on UALR on Wednesday evening at the Jack Stephens Center.

Tip-off between the Lady Jags and the Trojans is set for 7 p.m.  Live stats and web streaming for the contest can be accessed at www.usajaguars.com.  Fans can also follow the action on twitter at www.twitter.com/#!/USAJaguarSports.

South Alabama (11-8, 4-3 SBC) comes into Wednesday’s match up after dropping its last two games at home by a combined nine points.  

Over the weekend, USA came up just short of handing SBC East Division leader Middle Tennessee its first conference loss of the season, falling 60-53.  After being outscored in each of the previous three games, the Lady Jag reserves came up big against MTSU, holding a 28-0 advantage.  Leading the way off the bench was junior forward Veronica Cherizol - who recorded a career-high 12 points in the loss.  

Mansa El continues to pace the club offensively for the Lady Jags this season as she is averaging a team-best 11.2 points per game.  El has recorded double figures in 11 of her last 17 games.

Senior guard Sarda Peterson ranks second on the team in scoring with 9.7 ppg.  Over her last six conference games, Peterson is shooting 17-of-38 (.447) from beyond the arc and averaging 12.5 ppg.

Mary Nixon has also played well during the Sun Belt portion of the Jaguars’ schedule.  Through the first seven SBC games though, Nixon has provided the scoring that the coaches had looked for as she has registered 72 points for a 10.3 ppg average and finished in double figures in four of her last six outings.

Senior Taylor Ammons has been outstanding on the glass in league play.   In her seven Sun Belt games, Ammons is averaging 11.0 boards per game - which ranks first in the league.  She has now recorded nine rebounds or better in six of USA’s seven league games - finishing in double figures three times.  Her 8.7 rpg currently rank second in the SBC.

UALR comes into the midweek match up with a 10-10 overall record and a 5-2 mark in the Sun Belt and have won six of its last seven games.  

“(UALR) is playing really well right now,” South Alabama head coach Rick Pietri said.  “They are 5-2 in the league and have won a bunch of road games in the league.  They are very good at home and have been good at home in the past.  They are very well coached and disciplined, both offensively and defensively.  They are simple in what they do, but excellent in how they do it.  So we are going to have to be as prepared as we can be to give ourselves a chance to win.”

On Sunday, the Trojans picked up their third-straight win with a 61-50 road victory over Western Kentucky.  Against the Toppers, UALR trailed by two a the break, but coming out of the intermission, the Trojans shot 50 percent from the floor and outscored WKU 39-26 to take the 11-point victory.  In the win, UALR placed four players in double figures, led by Taylor Gault’s 17 points.

Defense has been the key for the Trojans during the last seven games.  Since its 64-57 loss to North Texas, UALR has not allowed an opponent to score more than 57 points and during that time, four have been held to 50 points or less.  The Trojans are allowing opponents just 59.2 ppg.  During league action, that average has dropped nearly 10 points as SBC foes are averaging just 51.9 ppg.

As a true freshman, Gault has made an immediate impact for UALR in trying to replace SBC Player of the Year Chastity Reed, who graduated last season.  This season, Gault leads the club and ranks fifth in the Sun Belt in scoring with 16.2 points per game.  She is the main offensive threat for UALR as she has taken 337 shots - almost half as many as any other player on the Trojan roster.  She has also made 132 of those attempts and is shooting 31.7 percent from the field.

Senior Marian Kursh has had a solid final season.  She ranks second on the team in scoring with 12.9 ppg and third in the Sun Belt in rebounding with 8.4 boards per game.  Kursh has hit 51.5 percent - fourth in the Sun Belt - of her field-goal attempts.  As a team, UALR is shooting 41.3 percent from the floor and 31.9 from the arc - tops in the SBC.  The Trojans also lead the league in three-point field-goal defense (.252) - 16th lowest in the NCAA.

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: The meeting between South Alabama and UALR will be the 17th in the all-time series. USA holds an 11-5 advantage in the all-time series.  Last season, the Trojans picked up a pair of victories, defeating the Lady Jags 75-66 in Mobile and 74-53 in the quarterfinal round of the SBC tournament.  (Recap on page 5) USA is 9-4 against UALR under head coach Rick Pietri and 2-1 in Little Rock during his tenure.  The meeting between Pietri and UALR head coach Joe Foley will be the 11th between the two coaches. Pietri holds a 6-4 advantage in those previous meetings. All 10 meetings have come at the two coaches’ current schools. Jaguar senior forward Taylor Ammons is just three rebounds shy of eclipsing the 400-rebound mark for her career.

-- USA --