Game 3 - vs. Nicholls State Game Notes (.pdf)

MOBILE, Ala. – After playing its first two games of the 2013-14 campaign on the road, the University of South Alabama women's basketball team returns home Wednesday evening when it welcomes Nicholls State to the Mitchell Center.  

"It's exciting to come back home," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said.  "We talk all the time about defending our home court.  Playing in the Mitchell Center has to be an advantage for us and we take great pride in playing at home.  We had two tough road games, so it's great to come and play in front of our fans."  

Tip-off versus the Colonels is set for 7:05 p.m.  Live stats and video will be available at www.USAJaguars.com.

Coming into Wednesday night's contest, South Alabama has won 31 of its previous 39 home openers, including last season's versus Tennessee State, 59-43.  In fact, USA has won eight-straight home openers and 12 of its last 13 dating back to the 2000-01 season.

South Alabama enters the midweek match up with the Colonels after falling to 0-2 on the season with a 93-69 loss at Southern Miss a week ago.  The Jaguars trailed by 17 early in the second half, but twice fought back and trimmed the deficit to as little as four points in the period, but USM used a 19-0 run over a seven minute stretch to pull away and pick up the win.

One of the focuses over the past week of practice has been at the defensive end of the floor.  

"The one thing I feel we have to do better is be better defensively," Fowler said.  "I think we have definitely picked up the intensity and started picking up our concepts a little better in our four practices that we've had since the Southern Miss game.  The players have started to see some of the things we are trying to do and what we can do at that end of the floor.  Offensively, I thought we did some better things.  We've been dribbling the ball a little too much.  We need to move the ball a little more and pass it.  I thought we made strides in that area this week in practice, so I'm looking forward to seeing it carry over to the game on Wednesday."   

Meghan Dunn and Ronneka Robertson each had 18 points to lead the Jags offensively.  Dun was 5-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-5 from the arc, while the senior guard also dished out a career-high six assists.  Robertson was 6-for-10 from the field and also knocked down six free throws.  Of her 18 points, 15 came in the final period of play.

Dunn paces the club with 12.5 points per game.  She is also converting on 55.6 percent of her long-range attempts thus far this season.  Robertson is also averaging double figures with 11.0 ppg and leads USA on the glass with 8.5 rpg.

Sophomores Rachel Cumbo and Breanna Hall also enter the contest versus Nicholls State after recording their first double-digit games of their career.  Cumbo had 10 points, raising her average to 8.5 ppg, while Hall had 13 and is now scoring 8.0 ppg.  Cumbo and Hall are also averaging 5.5 rebounds per outing.  

As a team, the Jags are knocking down 35.7 of their three-point attempts and 68.2 percent at the free-throw line.  

One stat category where South Alabama must do better is in the turnover department, where the Jags are averaging 24.0 in their two games.  Versus the Golden Eagles, USA committed 25 turnovers, which led to 39 points by Southern Miss.

Nicholls State comes into the game at South Alabama with a 1-1 record this season.  The Colonels won their season-opener over SUNO (91-58), but fell this past Thursday at then-ninth ranked Baylor (111-58).

The Bears - which extended their home winning streak to 59 games with the win - shot 64.5 percent and 50 percent from the three-point line in the first half and jumped out to a 25-point lead at the break.  

After winning 19 games a year ago, Nicholls was picked to finish third in this year's preseason Southland Conference poll.  NSU also picked up two first-place votes.  The preseason ranking was the marked highest ranking ever in the preseason polls, and the two first-place votes were also the first ever for the program.

The Colonels return four starters and eight letterwinners from last season, including the senior preseason all-Southland duo of KK Babin and LiAnn McCarthy.  Babin, who is the Colonels' leading returning scorer, was selected preseason first-team after averaging 13.2 points and 5.0 assists in 2012-13. McCarthy was fourth on the team in scoring with 8.6 points, but has yet to play this season for NSU.

"(Nicholls State) runs a matchup zone at the defensive end of the floor and it's difficult to go against," Fowler said.  "They also have great guard play.  We're going to have to keep the ball in front.  They do a lot of ball-screen action and they are really good in transition.  Our transition defense is going to be a key for us."

Sophomore guard Emani White leads the Colonels in scoring as she is averaging 22.5 points per game.  She is shooting 40.7 percent from the field and has knocked down eight of her 17 long-range attempts for 47.1 percent.  White had 12 points in the loss.

Marina Lilly - a 6-3 freshman center for NSU - is second on the club in scoring with 14.0 ppg.  Lilly also leads the Colonels on the glass with 6.5 rebounds.  She is also shooting 55 percent from the floor.  

Babin is also averaging double figures with 11.5 ppg.

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 Nicholls State will be the 18th in the all-time series.  USA leads the all-time series 15-2 and is 9-1 in the series in games played in Mobile.  The two clubs last met during the 2009-10 season with the Jaguars picking up a 63-50 win in Thibodaux, La. South Alabama has won four-straight meetings in the series, which dates back to the 1978-79 season.  The meeting between South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler and Nicholls State head coach Dobe Plaisance will be the first between the two coaches.  NSU's Plaisance has faced South Alabama twice and holds a 0-2 record in those meetings.  The game against Nicholls State will mark to 113th time USA has faced an opponent currently in the Southland Conference. South Alabama holds 65-48 overall all-time record against current Southland Conference members.  Former Sun Belt member New Orleans is in its first season in the league.  South Alabama has won 31 of its previous 39 home openers, including last season's versus Tennessee State, 59-43.  In fact, USA has won eight-straight home openers and 12 of its last 13 dating back to the 2000-01 season.

—USA—