MOBILE, Ala. – After completing a comeback from a 13-point halftime deficit, Miami (Ohio) connected on back-to-back three-pointers in a 40-second span early in the fourth quarter and never trailed the rest of the way in a 76-73 women's basketball victory over the University of South Alabama Friday in a Preseason WNIT consolation game at the Mitchell Center.
Lauren Dickerson led the Redhawks (2-1) with 21 points, Abbey Hoff scored 12 and Savannah Kluesner posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. MU sank nine three-point field goals and used 20 offensive rebounds to attempt 14 more shots than the Jaguars (1-3).
Antoinette Lewis also had a double-double, finishing with 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead South, while Casey Ferguson posted 11 points and five boards in 22 minutes off the bench. Damaya Telemaque scored nine points and Savannah Jones added seven with nine rebounds as well for the Jags.
Miami (Ohio) 76, South Alabama 73 (final stats)
GAME FACTS
-South connected on 9-of-14 attempts from the field in the opening quarter, overcoming three three-pointers from the Redhawks to build a 22-18 lead.
-After MU drew to within two points three minutes into the second period, the Jags went on an 11-0 run over a three-minute stretch to extend to a 37-24 advantage with just under four minutes to go in the half.
-The Jaguars shot 51.7 percent over the first 20 minutes while limiting the Redhawks to a 23.7 field-goal percentage.
-Miami outscored South 20-9 in the third period to cut their deficit to just two points entering the final period.
-The Redhawks didn't hit a field goal in the last four minutes but did make six foul shots in the final 60 seconds to hold on for the win.
NOTES
-This was the first meeting between the two schools.
-In fact, it was the first time the Jags have faced a school from the Mid-American Conference since beating Ohio, 68-64, on Dec. 29, 2008.
-This was the first time that Lewis has scored 20 or more points in consecutive contests since accomplishing the feat in wins over Louisiana and ULM on Jan. 24 and 26 last year.
-The junior finished with her third double-double in four game this month, and she season-high totals with four blocks and four steals also.
-Not only did Ferguson record her first points of the season, she finished with career-high scoring — reaching double figures for the first time as a Jag — and rebounding totals.
-Jones had a season-high rebounding total for the second night in a row, after finishing with six in a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday.
-The Jaguars have now attempted 30 or more free throws in three of four contests this season after visiting the foul line 34 times against the Redhawks.
-It was the fourth time in as many outings that South has improved its field-goal percentage after finishing the game connecting at a 43.6 percent clip.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Terry Fowler
Opening statement: "The first half we played as well as we can play on both ends of the court. We did an outstanding job offensively, we got the ball inside and had good ball movement. Defensively, once we settled down, we were able to take away some of the things that they wanted to do. It was great going into halftime with the 13-point lead, but then in the second half we started picking up fouls, got into foul trouble and fatigue started to set in. However, our kids fought hard, put themselves into position for a potential game-tying shot and I'm proud of that effort. This tournament has been a learning experience and these are the games that will help us once we get into January and February."
On the team's perimeter defense: "It is something that we emphasize all the time, we need to get our feet outside the three-point line and make sure all shots are contested. We did a better job tonight, although there were a couple breakdowns, we were able to correct those and make the necessary adjustments."
On the Jaguars' next game against Alabama: "The biggest thing for us right now is to make sure our players recover properly and get their bodies rested. We will take two days off and then get after it on Monday. Hopefully we can pick up a couple of bodies that can help us through this stretch. Again this has been a small rough patch but it has been good to get some players game experience, which will pay off for us down the road."
Junior C Antoinette Lewis
On postiong back-to-back double-doubles: "I really worked on build my confidence back within myself and I felt the way we have been playing has helped that. We were moving the ball in and out, which created openings in their defense and made the game come easier for me."
Up next: The Jags will play host to Alabama at the Mitchell Center on Thursday, with the game set for a 7 p.m. (CST) tip.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the South Circle, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to South Circle directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give
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