Box Score - South Alabama 71, Troy 70 (.pdf)

2013 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Bracket (.pdf)

TROY, Ala. – Junior forward Ronneka Robertson’s put back with 4.9 seconds helped the University of South Alabama women’s basketball team capture a thrilling 71-70 Sun Belt Conference victory Saturday night at the Trojan Arena and secure the seventh seed in this year’s conference tournament.  

“It was a great game from a spectator standpoint,” South Alabama head coach Rick Pietri said.  “It wasn’t the kind of game that we normally play, nor the type that we normally win.  We normally don’t win shoot outs.  This was a shootout in the second half.  Late in the second half, we started making offensive plays, but we just couldn’t stop them.  You have to credit Troy for that.  (Joanna) Harden was just stepping up and making plays. Ashley Beverly-Kelley, who came into the game struggling from the arc, hit three of five tonight.  Our kids made the plays that they had to make to win it.”
    
Robertson recorded four of her five points during the last 35.3 seconds of the game, and pulled down 10 rebounds, including six at the offensive end.  The Kentwood, La., native now has six double-figure rebounding tallies this season.

“I couldn’t be more proud of a kid like Ronneka Robertson, who worked so hard and in 22 minutes, collected six offensive rebounds and had some big plays, none bigger than the last one.  We found a way.  This game wasn’t designed the way we like to win a game, but we found a way to win it.  You have to also credit Troy, because their players played with tremendous effort and intensity and game us everything we could handle.  Fortunately for us, we just made one more play than they did.”

USA (17-12, 10-10 SBC) will now begin preparations for the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Championships held in Hot Springs, Ark.  The Lady Jags finished in a tie with North Texas for sixth-place and split the season series, but will be the seventh-seed due to the Mean Green’s win over UALR earlier this season.  The Lady Jags will open play versus Troy who will be the 10th seed at 2 p.m. on the Convention Center Court on Friday.

South Alabama will enter the tournament as one of the hotter teams in the league as Saturday’s victory was their third-straight and five of their last seven.

Ticket packages can be purchased by calling the USA ticket office at (251) 461-1USA (1872).  Reserved seating tournament booklets can be purchased for $128.00.  The booklet includes all 20 games and a $1 seat use fee per person.  Individual single session tickets can also be purchased for $15.00.  Children ages 3-17 will be admitted for $1.00 and admission for children 2 & under is free.  

Along with Robertson, several other players came up big in the Jaguar victory.  Meghan Dunn came off the bench to drop in a season-high 19 points.  Dunn was 6-of-11 from the field, but did most of her damage from the arc as she connected on five of her six three-point attempts.  The five treys tied a career-best for the junior guard.

Brianna Wright just missed a double-double as she had 16 points and nine rebounds.  She was 6-for-13 from the floor and 4-of-6 at the free throw line.  Senior guard Camille Reynolds also finished in double figures with 10 points.  Brittany Webb had nine points on three first-half treys, while Mansa El added eight – all of which coming in the second half.

The Lady Jag bench also provided a spark as it held a 33-6 advantage in the win.  USA also held a 40-32 advantage on the glass and limited Troy to just four offensive boards, while pulling down 13 of its own.  

Troy (6-22, 3-17 SBC) was led by a pair of 20-point efforts.  Joanna Harden led the way with 25 points on 11-of-28 shooting, while freshman guard Ashley Beverly-Kelley had 20 points of her own on 7-of-12 shooting.  She was 3-of-5 from long range and had entered the contest just one for her last 30 from the arc.  The duo guard duo also had five assists apiece.  Beverly-Kelley also added a team high eight rebounds.   

Britney McCloud – starting for Jasmine Pitts who did not play for the Trojans – had nine points, while senior forward Sarah McAppion had eight in her final home game.

The Trojans knocked down 28 of their 59 shot attempts to finish at 47.5 percent for the game.  

Troy got off to an outstanding start, opening up the game on a 13-2 run over the first five minutes of the game.  Harden provided the offense for the Trojans as the junior guard hit five of her first seven shots and had 12 of Troy’s first 15 points.

Over the next four-and-a-half minutes the three-point shooting of Dunn and Webb helped the Lady Jags rally back and trim the deficit to two with 10 minutes, 31 seconds showing on the clock.  Dunn and Webb each had two treys apiece during the South Alabama.  Dunn cut the Trojan lead to 18-16 with a jumper.

Coming out of a time out, Troy quickly pushed its lead to six (22-16) after baskets from Beverly-Kelley and McAppion a minute later, but South Alabama responded back with a 9-0 run over the next five minutes.  USA went to Brianna Wright in the post two-straight possessions to begin the scoring.  Reynolds then hit a pair of free throws with just over five minutes remaining in the half to tie the contest up at 24-24.  On the Lady Jags’ next possession, Webb connected on her third trey of the period to give USA a three-point advantage.

That would be the final points for USA over the remainder of the half.  Coming out of the under-four media time out, McCloud got behind the Jaguar defense for a layup and with under a minute to play, Harden converted the conventional three-point play that would send Troy into the locker room with a 29-27 lead.

The Trojans were 12-for-27 during the first 20 minutes of action for 44.4 percent, while USA was 10-of-34 for 29.4 percent.
Both teams began the second half with a pair of four-point spurts.

The second half would be a close contest throughout as the two clubs would exchange the lead nine times and be tied on six occasions.  

Troy extended its lead out to six (33-27) a minute and twenty seconds into the final period of play on a jumper by McCloud, but over the next five minutes, USA was able to get as close as one three times, the last one coming on Dunn’s fourth three of the night at the 13:34 mark.  A minute later, it was Dunn again connecting from long range to give South Alabama its first lead of the half (42-40).  

Neither team was able to make more than a one possession game over the next several minutes, but tied at 49-49, the Trojans stretched their lead out to four (54-50) after a jumper by Harden and a three-pointer from Kourtney Coleman with just under nine minutes remaining.

Troy held the lead over the next two minutes, but trailing by one with seven minutes to go on the clock, USA hit four consecutive free throws to reclaim the lead at 60-57.  Wright hit the first two of a one-and-one opportunity and with six minutes, 35 seconds on the clock, El hit both of her opportunities to put USA up by three.

The Trojans kept battling and the duo of Beverly-Kelley and Harden finally put Troy back out in front 68-65 with less than three left.  Beverly-Kelley knocked down her third triple of the contest to give TU the lead and on the next trip down the floor, the freshman found Harden open for a jumper on the left baseline..

Trailing by one, El drove the lane and when the defense collapsed on her, she threaded a pass down to Veronica Cherizol for an easy layup to put USA back on top by one with one minute, 46 seconds.    A little over a minute later, Mary Nixon drove the baseline and when the defense doubled on her under the goal, the senior dumped the ball off to Robertson in the lane,  Robertson then took the ball up and gave South Alabama a one-point lead (69-68) with 35.3 seconds remaining.

On Troy’s ensuing possession, Beverly-Kelley drove towards the basket and was fouled, sending her to the line for a pair of shots.  The Trojan guard looked as if she was going to send the home crowd home with a win as she knocked down both of her attempts with 19.4 to go, giving Troy a 70-69 advantage.

Following the two free throws by Beverly-Kelley, Troy called a time out.  During the time out, USA drew up a play for Wright, who had been solid in the post for the Jags.  With time winding down, Wright tried to make her move along the right baseline, but her shot was off the mark as the Trojan defense doubled the South Alabama freshman.  Robertson was left unblocked on the weak side and snagged the offensive board and laid the ball off the glass with 4.9 seconds on the clock.  Troy had one last chance, but Harden’s three-point attempt from around midcourt hit the back of the iron and bounced off, giving USA the one-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:  With the win, South Alabama finishes in a tie with North Texas for sixth.  USA will take the seventh seed in this year’s conference tournament, due to UNT holding the tiebreaker over the Lady Jags.  The Jaguars and the Mean Green split their two meetings this season.  North Texas earns the higher seed as a result of its win over UALR.  South Alabama will open up tournament play at 2 p.m. on Friday versus 10th-seeded Troy.  USA improves to 20-17 in the all-time series and have now take 16 of the last 19 meetings.  Head coach Rick Pietri is 15-2 versus the Trojans.  Starting Trojan point guard Jasmine Pitts did not play.  The 10 rebounds marked the sixth double-figure rebounding effort for Ronneka Robertson.  Freshman post player Brianna Wright has now recorded double figures in nine of her last 13 games.  The 11 three-pointers by South Alabama tied a season-high by the club.  The five three-pointers tied a season high for USA’s Meghan Dunn and the three treys for Brittany Webb were a new career-best for the Jaguar freshman.  South Alabama will enter the tournament as one of the hotter teams in the league as Saturday’s victory was their third-straight and five of their last seven.

-- USA --