Box Score - UALR 60, South Alabama 54 - Quarterfinals

Post Game Quotes

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Trailing by as much as 13 in the second half, the University of South Alabama women’s basketball team – seeded fourth in the East – used a late rally Sunday afternoon to get as close as four in the final minutes, before falling 60-54 to top-seeded UALR at Summit Arena.

“I thought this was a good basketball game,” South Alabama head coach Rick Pietri said.  “I think on a couple of occasions Little Rock had us put to bed, and on both of those occasions we did not go to sleep. I think our team showed a lot of resolve. It’s just the disappointing thing, whenever you don’t win it’s because you didn’t do something. (UALR) hoisted a trophy before the game, and they’re a champion for a reason, because they’ve made enough of those plays that we just didn’t make today. But, it wasn’t for a lack of trying, we just didn’t get it done. So clearly I’m disappointed. I felt like we had a chance, we did have a chance, it just didn’t happen.”

With the loss, USA finishes the 2011-12 campaign with a 17-13 record and says good bye to its four seniors – Taylor Ammons, Cylenthia Kennon, Sarda Peterson and Lauren Walker.  UALR (18-12) advances to the semifinal round of the league tournament and will face Florida Atlantic on Monday.
    
Mary Nixon was the lone Lady Jag to register double figures against the Trojans, finishing with 13 points and eight rebounds.  Mansa El added nine points, while Ammons chipped in with eight of her own.  The senior forward also recorded her 11th double-figure rebounding game of the season and the 21st of her career.  This season against Sun Belt competition, Ammons finished with eight or more rebounds 12 times with eight in double digits and ends her two-year career at South Alabama with 498 rebounds.  Peterson leaves the program as the all-time career leader in three-pointers with 177.

UALR’s Taylor Gault lived up to her first-team all-Sun Belt honors as she led all scorers with 29 points on 12-of-26 shooting.  Taylor Ford also registered double figures offensively with 10 points, while Marian Kursh and Britteni Williams, pulled down double-figure rebounding tallies with 14 and 10, respectively.

The Trojans were 25-of-58 from the floor for 43.1 percent and held a 45-37 advantage on the glass.  USA finished the contest shooting 31.1 percent from the floor, hitting 19 of its 61 attempts.  

USA led by two in the opening minutes of the contest, but led by the play of Gault, UALR quickly recaptured the momentum and the lead as the Trojans reeled off a 17-3 run over the next seven-and-a-half minutes to jump out to an 11-point advantage.  During the run, Gault– the reigning freshman of the year – led the charge for the Trojans, recording six points and nine of the club’s first 14 points of the contest.

Gault would end the first period of play with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting.  The 18 points were the most by an opponent in the first period of play this season versus the Lady Jags.

After hitting two of their first four shots in the opening three-and-a-half minutes of play, the Lady Jags struggled over the next several minutes missing their next eleven attempts, aiding the Trojan run.

The nearly nine-minute offensive drought was ended with just under nine minutes to go in the first half as Camille Reynolds provided a spark off the bench as she nailed back-to-back three-pointers, the second coming at the 7:50 mark to pull USA within eight at 22-14.  

UALR maintained its lead over the next several minutes, but with the Trojans holding a 28-19 advantage after another jumper from Gault with three minutes, 26 seconds left, South Alabama kept battling and began to chip away at the deficit, reeling off seven-straight points.  Kennon began the scoring with a layup on USA’s next possession and Ammons then recorded five straight points to trim the margin to 28-26 with just over a minute showing on the clock.  

The Lady Jags were able to get a defensive stop at the other end of the floor following Ammons’ three-point play and had three opportunities in the final 27 seconds to either tie or retake the lead, but USA could not get the needed basket.  Following a missed jumper from Nixon, UALR grabbed the last miss of that stretch and with one second on the clock, Ford drained a three-pointer from the right wing to send the Trojans into the locker room with a 31-26 advantage.

After leading the way for during the first 20 minutes of action, Gault continued her impressive showing as she posted UALR’s first five points of the second half.  

USA kept it a one-possession game over the first two minutes of the period, the last coming with the Jaguars trailing by just two (33-31).  However, Gault’s jumper at the 17:18 mark ignited a 9-2 run for the Trojans over the next four minutes that saw UALR extend the lead back out to 42-33.

As they did the whole game when faced with a deficit, South Alabama continued to fight and narrowed the deficit to 44-39 when El connected from long range with just over 12 minutes showing on the clock.  

Once again though, UALR would push the lead back out to double figures as Kiera Clark recorded six of the Trojans’ next eight points.  Her layup at the 9:24 mark gave the Trojans their largest lead of the contest at 52-39.

With the Trojans still holding a 13-point advantage coming out of the under-eight media time out, South Alabama once again began to chip away at the deficit.  Kennon sparked the Jaguars with a jumper and a pair of free throws.  USA then cut the Trojan lead to 56-52 with less than four minutes to go following a layup from Nixon and another three-pointer from El.  

Over the final four minutes, USA would have four opportunities to make it a one-possession game, but the Lady Jags could not get the shot to fall as UALR held on for the six-point victory.

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: South Alabama falls to 11-7 in the all-time series versus UALR and 2-2 in the Sun Belt tournament versus the Trojans.  UALR has now won six of the last seven meetings in the series.  USA is now 7-18 all-time in quarterfinal games in the SBC tourney.  With her 13 rebounds, senior forward Taylor Ammons recorded her 11th double-figure rebounding game of the season and the 21st of her career.  This season against Sun Belt competition, Ammons finished with eight or more rebounds 12 times with eight in double digits and ends her two-year career at South Alabama with 498 rebounds.  Peterson leaves the program as the all-time career leader in three-pointers with 177.  The game was also the final game in a Lady Jag uniform for Lauren Walker and Cylenthia Kennon.  UALR advances to the semifinal round to take on Florida Atlantic at 2:30 p.m. on Monday.  The 29 points recorded by UALR’s Taylor Gault are the third most in a conference tournament game in Trojan history.  

-- USA --