Game 36 • WNIT Second Round • South Alabama Jaguars (25-10, 9-9 SBC) vs. Wyoming Cowgirls (23-8, 13-5 Mountain West) • March 24 2019 • 3:00 p.m. • Arena-Auditorium • Laramie, Wyoming.
THE COACHES
SOUTH ALABAMA
Terry Fowler, (Lane [Tenn.], '86)
at USA: 85-102, 44-68 SBC (6)
Overall: 292-280 (20)
WYOMING
Joe Legerski, (Wyoming '79)
at Wyoming: 312-187 (159-103) (16)
Overall: Same
LAST GAME
The University of South Alabama women's basketball team overcame a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Lamar University Cardinals, 73-71 in the first round of the Women's Invitation Tournament to advance to the second round of the postseason tournament.
Shaforia Kines hit a big three-pointer to tie the game up at 68 at the 1:43 mark in the fourth quarter and then Antoinette Lewis hit a free-throw to give the Jags their first lead since early in the second. Lewis came back on the next possession, made a layup to put the Jags up by three with 48 seconds left, and Lamar did not take back the lead from that point on. South Alabama iced the game with solid defense and a pair of free-throws towards the end of regulation.
MULTIMEDIA
TV: Mountain West Digital Network
Radio: WNTM 710 AM
Live Stats: USAJaguars.com
Facebook: SouthAlabamaWbb
Twitter: @WeAreSouth_WBB
SERIES NOTES
This will be the first ever matchup between the two programs.
OPENING TIP
With their win in the first round of the WNIT over Lamar the Jags eclipsed the mark set by two different teams in the 1980s for most wins in program history with 25 victories. It's the first time the Jags have won an opening round game in the WNIT. Note: The Jags won two games in the 1988 WNIT when the tournament was double elimination after losing in the opener.
The Jags defeated Lamar, 73-71 in the opening round of the WNIT in Beaumont, Texas on Friday night. South Alabama outscored the Cardinals 25-14 in the fourth quarter to come away with the two point win and complete a comeback that saw them enter the fourth quarter down by nine points. It was Lamar's first loss on their home court in three years, the Cardinals had won 41 straight before the loss.
Antoinette Lewis went for a career high 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds on a 10-for-13 shooting performance. Lewis leads the Jags with 14.9 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game while shooting a league high .585 from the floor. The sophomore forward now has 12 double-doubles on the season.
Savannah Jones went 1-for-4 from the three-point line. Jones, the Sun Belt's leading three-point shooter has made 77 on the season and sits in a tie among the school's single season all-time list for threes made. Jones is averaging 14.5 points per game and was re-inserted into the starting lineup after missing six games at the end of the season and being out of the starting lineup for the last two games she was back for.
Wyoming went 23-8 on the season and 13-5 in the Mountain West Conference. The Cowgirls earned the three seed in their conference tournament and won two games in the postseason affair before falling to Boise State in the title game, 51-68.
Wyoming defeated Northern Colorado, 68-60 in the opening round of the WNIT on their home court in Laramie, Wyo. Bailee Cotton led the Cowgirls with 16 points, and four Wyoming players scored in double figures. The Cowgirls are 14-2 on their home court this season losing to New Mexico and Fresno State at the Arena-Auditorium in conference play.
Wyoming is led by Marta Gomez who averages 16.0 points per game and shoots .490 from the three-point line. Gomez has connected on 72-of-147 from behind the arc this year and shoots .534 from the floor. As a team, the Cowgirls are connecting on 45.5 percent of their shots from the floor and 39.2 percent of their threes. Wyoming allows opposing offenses to shoot 41.1 percent and score 56.9 points per game.
They Said It
Head Coach Terry Fowler
On the matchup: "They're big, they're physical. They run a true motion offense, do a great job of reading the defense and making the appropriate cut. A lot of screening, really good on the boards. Defensively, they're a man-to-man team. They can switch out, have a lot of versatility. A really good basketball team. The Mountain West is a really good league, they finished third and made it to the championship game."
On their selectiveness on the offensive side of the floor: "Yeah, they are very deliberate. They are going to wait to get the shot that they want to get. We have to make sure that we contest all shots. We have to rebound and get out, run to get some easy transition baskets."
On the Sun Belt Tournament prepping for the quick turnaround: "I mean, the quick turnaround is something we experienced all last week. Our kids have done a great job from a mental standpoint and preparation. With rest and recovery and then showing up on game day with great energy so I expect nothing less tomorrow."
NEXT GAME
The Winner of South Alabama and Wyoming will move on in the WNIT to take on the winner of Saint Mary's and Pepperdine. Date, time, and location still to be determined.
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—
