Game 22 - vs. Florida Atlantic Game Notes (.pdf)
MOBILE, Ala. – Coming off a dominant victory over the weekend, the University of South Alabama women’s basketball team will host second-place Florida Atlantic Wednesday morning at the Mitchell Center in a key Sun Belt Conference East Division battle.
Tip-off between the Lady Jags and the Owls is set for 11:30 a.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.
Admission is free for the contest versus FAU as the game is part of the NCAA’s “Pack the House” promotion. It will also be USA’s “School Field Trip Day” as over 2,500 students from Mobile County public and private schools, as well as schools from the surrounding area are expected to be in attendance. There will be lunch specials that are $3.00 combo (includes a hotdog, chips or cookie, and a drink) and a $5.00 combo (includes a slice of pizza, chips or cookie, and a drink).
South Alabama comes into the midweek contest versus the Owls after snapping a three-game skid and improving to 12-9 and 5-4 in the Sun Belt with a dominant 63-26 victory over in-state and divisional rival Troy on Sunday.
The Lady Jag defense was stifling all day long as they held the Trojans to a school-record nine first-half points and just 16.7 percent shooting in the period. The 26 points were also the third-fewest ever surrendered to an opponent and the fewest allowed to a Division I foe in the program’s history.
USA also used the long-range shot versus the Trojans early on as eight of the Jaguars’ first 10 field goals were from beyond the arc. South Alabama finished with 11 in the game - its second highest tally this season - eight of which coming from the duo of Sarda Peterson and Mansa El. The two Jag guards - Peterson (17 points) and El (15 points) - combined for 32 points in the win.
El leads the club with 11.4 points per outing - 14th in the Sun Belt - and has now recorded double figures in 13 of her last 19 games. Over the last several games, El has raised her three-point shooting percentage to 31.3 percent. The redshirt junior ranks fourth in the league in treys per game with 1.7.
Peterson - who also averages double figures with 10.0 ppg - has played well as of late. She leads the club with 45 three-pointers, but during conference play, the senior guard is shooting 38.3 percent from the arc. In her nine league games, she has paced South Alabama with 11.9 points per game.
On the glass, fellow senior Taylor Ammons continues her strong play. With her 11 rebounds versus the Trojans, she has now pulled down nine rebounds or better in seven of her nine SBC games and recorded double figures in four of those contest. She ranks second overall in the conference in rebounding with 8.8 boards per game and leads the league in defensive rebounds with 5.9 per game. Her 10.6 rpg in conference action are also tops in the SBC.
As a team, USA ranks first in the Sun Belt in scoring defense (54.8 ppg) and second in the league in field-goal percentage defense (.369) - just .001 behind Florida International.
Florida Atlantic comes into action this week after improving to 11-8 and 6-2 in the SBC with a 60-58 win over Western Kentucky in Boca Raton, Fla., a week ago. FAU has won five of its last six games, including three-straight. Of their last four wins, three have come on the road. The Owls are 4-1 in league road games this season – the lone SBC road loss being at UALR.
Against WKU, FAU led by 11 at the break, but had to hold off a rally and hit a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to defeat the Lady Toppers to pick up the two-point victory.
Senior forward Chenise Miller led the Owls with 18 points and 12 rebounds - tying a career high in both categories - against the Toppers. Miller is averaging a team-best 10.4 points and 7.8 rebounds a game, the fourth-best mark in the conference.
Fellow post player April Goins is averaging 8.2 points per game, but the senior has scored double-figures in each of the last four games and six of the last seven contests. Terri Stamps and Latavia Dempsey also add to a balanced attack, each averaging 8.4 ppg
The Owls are allowing just 52.8 ppg to Sun Belt opposition. League foes are also shooting just 23.2 percent from the arc. FAU ranks third in the SBC in perimeter shooting, hitting 30.3 percent of its attempts from the three-point line.
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 Florida Atlantic will mark the 13th meeting between the two programs in the all-time series. South Alabama holds a 8-4 advantage in the series and is 7-3 under head coach Rick Pietri versus the Owls. The two teams have met in Mobile on six occasions, with USA taking five of those meetings. Last season, USA swept both meetings, winning 65-53 in Boca Raton and 53-40 in Mobile. The meeting between Pietri and Florida Atlantic head coach Chancellor Dugan will be the 11th between the two coaches. Pietri holds 7-3 advantage in those meetings. All nine of the previous meetings have come at both coaches’ present schools. Sarda Peterson (793) sits just seven points shy of eclipsing the 800-point mark for her career. Peterson (158) is also just 17 three-pointers shy of tying former Lady Jag Stephanie Richardson’s (175) program-mark for career three-pointers.
-- USA --
