Game 2 - at Southern Miss Game Notes (.pdf)
MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team will continue its two-game road swing on Tuesday night when the Jaguars travel to regional rival Southern Miss. Tip-off versus the Golden Eagles is set for 7 p.m. at the Reed Green Coliseum.
Live stats, video and the Jaguar audio broadcast can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com.
South Alabama (0-1) enters its second game of the season looking to bounce back from a 53-40 loss on Saturday at preseason Missouri Valley favorite Indiana State.
USA led by four at the break and held the Sycamores to just 11 first-half points, but ISU used a 23-6 run over a six-minute stretch in the final half to retake the lead for good.
South Alabama finished the game shooting just 12-of-45 (.267) from the field and 3-of-16 (.188) from the arc. The Jaguars also turned the ball over 23 times.
Colby Davis led USA with eight points off the bench. Davis had a three-pointer and was 5-of-7 at the foul line. Meghan Dunn had seven points and Rachel Cumbo added six points of her own.
South Alabama did manage to hold a 44-42 advantage on the glass. Senior forward Ronneka Robertson led all players with 12 boards. The 12-rebound outing for Robertson marked the 20th time in her career that she has led South Alabama on the glass. It was also her eighth double-figure rebounding game of her career, one board shy of tying her career high of 13.
Robertson - a preseason second-team all-Sun Belt selection - ranked seventh in the conference in rebounding last season with 7.2 boards per game. She was also seventh in the league in defensive rebounding (4.6) and ninth in offensive rebounding (2.6) during the 2012-13 season.
The Jaguars also had nine steals versus ISU. Breanna Hall had three of them, setting a new career-best for the junior guard.
Southern Miss (1-0) comes into Tuesday night's game after picking up a 101-44 victory in its season opener against West Alabama last Friday in Hattiesburg.
"Southern Miss is super athletic," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said. "They've got nine new players and they're really athletic. They've gone out and got some traditional post players, where as last year I think they played with a smaller post player. They also have guards that can break you down off the dribble and create for others. Their guards and their bigs compliment each other well and each is skilled and brings different things to the table."
The Golden Eagles were 40-of-77 from the field for 51.9 percent and forced West Alabama to turn the ball over 43 times. USM also had 17 steals and converted the UWA miscues into 52 points. Southern Miss also held a 62-8 advantage in the points in the paint category.
Southern Miss posted its strongest half at both ends of the court during the final 20 minutes of action, as it outscored West Alabama 54-19 in the period. The Golden Eagles knocked down 22 of their 24 shot attempts for 64.7 percent, while limiting the visitors to 4-for-21 shooting for 19 percent.
Freshman guard Brittany Dinkins led all scorers with 28 points in her collegiate debut. Dinkins was 11-of-17 from the floor and tied for top team honors with five steals. Tamara Jones also ended the night with 20-plus points. Jones finished with 21 points on 7-of-17 shooting. She was also 6-for-6 at the foul line and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds. Jones also had five steals for the Golden Eagles. On Monday, Dinkins was selected as the Conference USA Freshman of the Week.
Fowler believes there are a couple of keys for the Jaguars heading into Tuesday night's matchup.
"We've got to stop (Southern Miss') transition and keep them off the offensive boards. Their transition game is a big part of their offense. We've also got to make them make guarded and contested shots. We can't give them open layups and open three's."
Senior point guard Jamierra Faulkner, who ranked among the nation's leaders with 6.6 assists per game last season, dished out an astounding 17 assists in the season opener. Faulkner nearly recorded a triple-double as she had eight points and six rebounds in 29 minutes of action.
Freshman center Ashley Folsom had 16 points, while Voche Martin carded 11 versus West Alabama.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
NOTES: The meeting between South Alabama and Southern Miss will be the 27th in the all-time series. USM leads the all-time series 15-11. Last season, the Jaguars picked up a 69-67 victory over the Golden Eagles in Mobile. Southern Miss holds a 10-3 record versus South Alabama all-time in Hattiesburg. The meeting between South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler and Southern Miss head coach Joye Lee-McNeilis will be the first between the two coaches. USM's Lee-McNeilis has faced South Alabama nine times and holds a 2-7 record in those meetings. The game versus Southern Miss will mark the 195th time USA has faced an opponent currently from Conference USA. In those previous meetings, the Jags are 74-121.
—USA—
