Game 7 - at Florida Atlantic Game Notes (.pdf)

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women’s basketball team will open up the Sun Belt Conference portion of its schedule this weekend when the Lady Jags head south for a pair of games in Florida.  USA will begin the trip at Florida Atlantic on Wednesday with tip off versus the Owls set for 6 p.m. (CT).  

Live stats and live audio for the game between the Lady Jags and the Owls can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com.

South Alabama comes into its conference opener with a 5-1 record thus far during the 2012-13 campaign.  After suffering its first set back on Friday, USA bounced back to pick up a 59-56 victory over Detroit on Saturday in the consolation game of the Radisson Hotel Chatsworth Thanksgiving Basketball Classic in Northridge, Calif.

Mary Nixon - who had missed the previous two games due to a concussion - returned to action against the Titans and recorded a game-high 19 points and tied a career-best with four steals.  Nixon was 5-of-11 from the field - 3-for-5 from the three-point line - and also hit six of her eight attempts at the charity stripe.  Her free throw with under five minutes to go gave USA the lead for good and with less than a minute to play, her steal on an inbounds play gave the Lady Jags an extra possession, setting up a key three-pointer from Veronica Cherizol.

The senior guard has led USA offensively and recorded double figures in all four of her games this season.  She currently ranks among the league leaders in scoring with 19.3 points per outing.  Nixon is also shooting 51.5 percent from the floor and 61.5 percent from the arc.  Had she not missed the two games due to injury, she would rank ninth in field-goal percentage and lead the league in three-point shooting.

Fellow senior and preseason all-conference selection Mansa El also comes into the contest versus the Owls after posting a season-high 17 points.  She is averaging 9.0 ppg - second on the club - and leads the team in assists with 21.  El also paces the club at the foul line, hitting 84.2 percent of her attempts - third in the Sun Belt.

The post trio of Cherizol (6.5), Ronneka Robertson (6.3) and Brianna Wright (6.0) have been solid on the glass this season for USA.  All three rank among the league leaders in the conference in that category.

As a team, South Alabama continues to lead the league in scoring defense, allowing just 51.2 points per game.  USA is also among the conference leaders in several other categories.  The Lady Jags rank second in field-goal percentage defense (.361), three-point field-goal defense (.236) and assists-turnover ratio (0.8) and third in three-pointers (7.0) and scoring margin (+11.0).

Florida Atlantic enters Wednesday’s game versus the Jags with a 3-2 record through the Owls first five games.  On Saturday, FAU defeated Southern Illinois 85-81 in the consolation game of the Miami Thanksgiving Classic at the University of Miami’s BankUnited Center.

Under first-year head coach Kellie Lewis-Jay, the Owls rank as the second-highest scoring team in the Sun Belt this season, averaging 75.6 points per game.  FAU has used a balanced offensive attack as four players are averaging double figures.

“We knew FAU was talented based on what they had returning this season,” South Alabama head coach Rick Pietri said.  “Coach Lewis-Jay has done a nice job with those pieces and has installed both a defensive and offensive system that is different from what FAU had done before, but there are talented players there that she got to manipulate into those systems.  She also has some newcomers that fit well with what she’s doing.  They are playing a lot of people and are applying a lot of pressure.  They’re playing at a high level of speed with kids who have some skills.  Their best player is the one in the middle.  (Chenise Miller) attracts a lot of attention because she’s a stud.  She’s an excellent player in our league and she puts a lot of pressure on defenses on the interior.  She can also do it stepping out.  This will certainly be a great test for us.”

Junior forward Chenise Miller - a preseason second-team all-SBC selection - leads the attack with 14.0 ppg - eighth-best in the league.  Miller also paces the club and is second in the SBC in blocks with 11 total and 2.2 per game.  

Fellow junior Takia Brooks is just behind Miller in scoring with 13.4 ppg.  Brooks is the top threat from the outside for the Owls as she has 10 treys and is knocking down 41.7 percent of her attempts from the outside - tied for fifth-highest in the conference.

Latavia Dempsey (12.4) and Breana Turner (11.0) are also averaging double figures for Florida Atlantic.  

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 15th meeting between the two programs in the all-time series.  South Alabama holds a 9-5 advantage in the series and is 8-4 under head coach Rick Pietri versus the Owls.  The two teams have met in Boca Raton on seven occasions, with FAU holding a 4-3 advantage in those meetings.  Last season Florida Atlantic picked up a 41-40 victory over USA in Boca Raton.  The meeting between Pietri and Florida Atlantic head coach Kellie Lewis-Jay will be the first between the two coaches.  Lewis-Jay is in her first season with the Owls.  South Alabama holds an all-time mark of 15-13 in Sun Belt Conference openers on the road.  Pietri is 7-5 in league road openers as well.  The Lady Jags have won six of their last nine road conference openers, with the only losses during that stretch coming at Western Kentucky (2006-07), at Arkansas State (2010-11) and at Middle Tennessee (2011-12).  

-- USA --