Game 35 • WNIT First Round • South Alabama Jaguars (24-10, 9-9 SBC) vs. Lamar University Cardinals (24-6, 17-1 Southland) • March 22 2019 • 7:00 p.m. • Montagne Center • Beaumont, Texas.
THE COACHES
SOUTH ALABAMA
Terry Fowler, (Lane [Tenn.], '86)
at USA: 84-102, 44-68 SBC (6)
Overall: 291-280 (20)
LAMAR
Robin Harmony, (Miami [OH])
at Lamar: 115-67, 83-25 (6)
Overall: 246-115 (12)
LAST GAME
The University of South Alabama women's basketball team came up one-point short of capturing its first Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship with a 56-57 defeat to the Little Rock Trojans on Saturday, March 16 at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, La.
MULTIMEDIA
TV: ESPN3
Radio: WNTM 710 AM
Live Stats: USAJaguars.com
Facebook: SouthAlabamaWbb
Twitter: @WeAreSouth_WBB
SERIES NOTES
South Alabama and Lamar have met a total of 20 times since the programs first met in 1981. The Jaguars own a 11-9 all-time record vs. the Cardinals, who were members of the Sun Belt Conference from the 1991-1998 seasons. The Jags went 6-7 vs. Lamar in those Sun Belt games, with the Jaguars winning the last three conference games between the two. South is currently riding a five game winning streak against the Cardinals.
OPENING TIP
South Alabama enters the WNIT for the fourth time in program history after a 24-10 season that saw the Jaguars advance to its first Sun Belt Conference Championship game since 1989.
The Jaguars are shooting the three-point ball at a .334 clip through the first 34 games of the season, led by redshirt sophomore guard, Savannah Jones. Jones is shooting .450 from behind the arc and is leading the Jaguars with 14.7 points per game. Jones ranks 7th in the NCAA in three-point field-goal percentage. 34 games into the season, Jones sits tied-for second on the single-season Jags records for three pointers made (76) while Shaforia Kines is in third with 72 made on the year.
Sophomore forward, Antoinette Lewis has notched 11 double-doubles on the season for the Jaguars and leads the team with 9.1 rebounds per game, while putting up 14.3 points per game. Lewis has been the one constant in the Jags starting lineup, making all 34 starts for South. Lewis has connected on 57.8 percent of her field-goal attempts this year, led the Sun Belt in the category for the entirety of the season and ranks 18th in the nation.
South Alabama is shooting the ball at a .418 clip for the season while holding opposing offenses to shooting .356 from the floor and .277 from the three-point line. The Jags defense ranks 15th in the country in field-goal percentage defense while holding opponents to 62.6 points per game.
Lamar enters the WNIT for the fourth time in school history after winning the regular season Southland Conference Crown. The Cardinals were bested, 79-88 by Abilene Christian in the semifinals of the Southland Conference Championships, after receiving a bye to the semifinals.
Lamar finished the season with a 24-6 record and won the Southland with a 17-1 conference record, with their only loss in the conference coming to Stephen F. Austin on the road on Feb. 9th. Scoring 78.1 points per game, Lamar boasts the nations 16th best offense. The Cardinals are shooting at a .408 clip on the season and are making 30.7 percent of their three-point shots.
The Cardinals lead the nation in steals with 483 and force 25.9 turnovers per game, anchored by senior guard Chastadie Barrs. Barrs is tops in the nation with 6.27 steals per game and has 187 on the season. Barrs notched double-digit steals in six contests this season, culminating with two 12 steal efforts vs. New Orleans and against Sam Houston State. In addition to her steals, Barrs ranks 8th in the country with 6.6 assists per game.
Senior guard, Moe Kinard, paces the way for the Cardinals with 21.2 points per game. Kinard shoots .455 from the floor and .338 from the three-point line (88-260). Kinard posted 58 points in Lamar's double overtime loss vs. Denver earlier in the season for the highest individual point total of a women's basketball player this season, and went 13-of-24 from three in that game.
The Cardinals and the Jaguars faced two common opponents in the regular season this year. The Cardinals faced the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns in their season opener and beat them 79-77 (OT) in Lafayette, La. Lamar also faced Central Arkansas in a Southland Conference home game on Jan. 12 and defeated the Sugar Bears 57-37. The Jaguars went 2-0 vs. Louisiana this season and defeated Central Arkansas on the road.
They Said It
Head Coach Terry Fowler
On back-to-back postseason runs and what it means for the program moving forward: "It's opened up doors from a recruiting standpoint. The community has really rallied behind us and shown great support. I think its unified our campus, there is a great sense of pride, just around the entire city and the university"
On knowing that you get to play some postseason basketball: "It's a great feeling. The agony and wait to see if you got in was nerve racking. But then the excitement and the exhilaration once you find out that you're in is unexplainable. The team is excited about the opportunity. We had a good spirited workout on Tuesday so looking forward to playing."
On the Lamar matchup: "They really get after you. Similar to Troy. They are going to press, going to run and jump, and they shoot the three really well. They attack with the dribble and try to get to the paint. I expect it's going to be forty minutes of relentless basketball. They really make you pay attention to the fundamentals."
On Kinard and Barrs for Lamar: "Kinard is a scoring machine, shoots it and gets to the basket. She plays with great energy on both ends. And Barrs, I haven't seen anybody like her. When we played East Tennessee State, Erica Haynes-Overton was really a ball hawk on our guards and that's the way Barrs is. She has a knack and is always around the ball."
NEXT GAME
The winner of South Alabama and Lamar will advance to the second round of the WNIT to face the winner of Wyoming and Northern Colorado.
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). 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
—USA—
