Game 13 - vs. Arkansas State Game Notes (.pdf)

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women’s basketball team will look to pick up its first Sun Belt Conference win Saturday afternoon when the Lady Jags welcome Arkansas State to the Mitchell Center.  Tip-off is set for 5:05 p.m.

“Arkansas State’s playing exceptionally well right now after winning four of their last five and winning many of those games by large margins.” South Alabama head coach Rick Pietri said.  “They are doing things a little bit different on offense this year.  They are more post-oriented.  Arkansas State’s always been post-oriented with (Jane) Morrill, but this year they have played a lot with two post players.  They have been very efficient this year on offense and defensively, they have been solid and disruptive as they have always been.  Arkansas State’s playing at a high level and we’ve got to find a way to match that.”

Live stats and live web streaming for the game versus the Red Wolves can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com.  

South Alabama (7-5, 0-3 SBC) returns to action this weekend from its holiday break.  Prior to the break, the Lady Jags dropped their third-straight league game, falling 49-40 at home to UALR.  USA led by one at the break, but shot 22.7 percent and scored just 17 points in the second half against the Trojans.  In the loss, the Jags didn’t score a point for nine minutes in the final frame.

Freshman post player Brianna Wright was the lone Lady Jag in double figures with 10 points off the bench versus UALR.  She currently leads the SBC in field-goal percentage, shooting 55.4 percent of her attempts from the field.

Camille Reynolds has played well as of late and recorded double figures in three of her last four outings for the Lady Jags.  After getting off to a slow start, Reynolds has raised her average to 6.2 points per game.  The senior guard also ranks among the league leaders in three-point shooting, hitting 35.3 percent of her attempts - 10th in the SBC.  

Two other Jaguars also rank among the Sun Belt - Meghan Dunn (sixth - .373) and Mary Nixon (.357 - seventh).  Nixon leads USA in scoring with 13.3 ppg - 12th in the SBC.  Freshman guard Brittany Webb is also a threat from deep, connecting on 36.7 percent of her attempts from the arc.

Junior forward Ronneka Robertson leads the club on the glass as she is seventh in the Sun Belt in rebounding with 7.3 per outing and tied for fifth in defensive rebounds with 5.0 per game. She has posted six or more boards in 10 of her last 11 games, including seven or more in each of the last seven games.  Veronica Cherizol’s 6.6 boards are tied for 11th in the league.

As a team, the Jaguars lead the league in three-pointers per game (6.9) and three-point field-goal defense (.208), and are second in the conference in scoring defense (54.5) and (+3.0).  USA is also third in scoring margin (+6.2), three-point percentage (31.1) and assists-turnover ratio (0.7).

Arkansas State (5-7, 2-1 SBC) got off to a slow start this season beginning the season with five-straight losses.  The Red Wolves have been one of the hottest teams in the Sun Belt lately, winning four of their last five games, including a 77-53 decision over Louisiana-Lafayette in its last outing.  

Leading by nine at the break, ASU exploded for 42 points in the second half versus the Ragin’ Cajuns and shot 64.3 percent.  

Jane Morrill led Arkansas State with 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting in the win.  The junior forward paces the club in both scoring and rebounding with 15.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.  Morrill ranks sixth in the league in scoring and her 51.5 field-goal percentage is seventh-best in the conference.  

In Sun Belt play, Morrill is averaging 17.0 ppg and connecting on 61.3 percent of her shots.

ASU’s Jalen O’Bannon is averaging just 5.9 ppg overall, but in her three conference games, the 6-1 freshman forward ranks second on the club with 11.7 points per game.  She has hit 14 of her 23 attempts from the floor in league play for 60.9 percent.  

The Red Wolves currently rank second in the Sun Belt in field-goal percentage (41.9), but have hit 50.7 percent of their attempts from the field in Sun Belt play.  Arkansas State has also done a good job of defending the arc as they are holding opponents to 24 percent shooting - third 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:  The meeting between South Alabama and Arkansas State will mark the 38th meeting between the two programs in the all-time series.  Arkansas State holds a huge advantage in the series, leading the Lady Jags 28-9.  Under head coach Rick Pietri, South Alabama has narrowed the gap, but still trail, 9-8. In the last 18 meetings between the two teams, 10 games have been decided by nine points or less. Last season, USA defeated the Red Wolves twice (68-39) in Mobile and (62-38) in the first round of the SBC tournament in Hot Springs, Ark.  The meeting between Pietri and Arkansas State head coach Bryan Boyer will be the 18th between the two coaches.  Boyer holds a 9-8 advantage in those meetings.  USA is winless after its first three Sun Belt games for just the third time in the program’s history and the first time since beginning the 2006-07 league schedule 0-4.

-- USA --