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#OURCITY
Jaida Redwine
South Alabama
75
Winner South Alabama USA 1-0,0-0 Sun Belt
74
Akron UA 0-1,0-0 MAC
Winner
South Alabama USA
1-0,0-0 Sun Belt
75
Final
74
Akron UA
0-1,0-0 MAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
South Alabama USA 20 20 17 18 75
Akron UA 20 16 13 25 74

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Last-Second Redwine Basket Propels Women’s Basketball Over Akron

AKRON, Ohio – South Alabama women's basketball defeated Akron in the season-opening MAC-SBC Challenge on Monday, 75-74. Jaida Redwine scored a basket with 1.4 seconds left to clinch the Jags' one-point victory.


KEY MOMENTS:
  • Julieta Ceja scored the first bucket for South Alabama, converting a layup off an Akron turnover within the first minute of the game.
  • After the Zips responded to Ceja's score with a 6-0 run, Jolie Mantz knocked down a pair of three-pointers that tied the game at 12-12.
  • Akron took control in the second quarter, building a 31-22 lead with six minutes remaining. The Jags responded with a 7-0 scoring run, cutting the deficit to 31-29 after a layup by Ceja.
  • CJ Wilson scored six points during the final three minutes of the first half, helping USA erase Akron's advantage. Her layup with two minutes remaining gave the Jags their first lead since the opening minutes, and another Wilson basket with 45 seconds remaining sent the Jaguars into halftime ahead 40-36.
  • South Alabama opened the third quarter with a 6-2 run, pushing the Jags' lead to 46-38 after a Deborah Orianegbena layup at the 7:54 mark.
  • USA continued to build momentum, extending the team's advantage to 13 points (53-40) after a Ceja second-chance layup with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Jags held Akron to 13 points in the period, taking a 57-49 lead into the fourth.
  • The Zips chipped away at South Alabama's advantage throughout the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to five (65-60) with 5:15 left.
  • Wilson would knock down a jumper and convert the and-one opportunity to put South Alabama ahead 70-67 with 2:28 remaining, putting her at 20 points. After Akron pulled within one, Esther Kursite answered with a layup at the 1:23 mark, giving the Jags a 72-69 advantage.
  • The Zips took their first lead since the first half when Kailee Bransford scored a three-pointer with 23 seconds remaining, putting Akron ahead 74-73. Following a South Alabama timeout, Redwine drove to the basket and converted a layup with just 1.4 seconds remaining to give South Alabama the 75-74 victory.
 
KEY STATS:
  • The win is the first season-opening road victory since 2012, when the Jags defeated Houston Baptist 83-53 (Nov. 9).
  • Head Coach Yolisha Jackson is 4-0 in season openers at the helm.
  • CJ Wilson's 20-point performance marked the ninth time in her career in which she scored 20 points or more.
  • The Jags out-rebounded the Zips, 46-39.
  • South Alabama outscored Akron 40-36 in the paint.
  • USA's bench outscored Akron's bench, 31-23.
  • South Alabama held Akron to 20% shooting from the field in the third quarter (2-of-10). The Jags did not allow an Akron three-pointer in the quarter.
  • The Jaguars had five players score at least nine points, with Wilson scoring 20, Mantz scoring 16 and Ceja scoring 12.

QUOTED:
Yolisha Jackson, Head Coach:
  • "I'm super proud of our team's fight tonight. Coming on the road for the very first game with so many new faces, we were able to put together stops and scores when we needed to. The way we were locked in and approached every situation going down the stretch is the reason we came up with the win."
Jaida Redwine, Guard:
  • "I didn't play the whole fourth quarter, and I didn't know if I was going to be able to get back in. When Coach Yo put me back in, I knew that I had to perform for my team. We had given up a three-pointer, and I wanted to get it back and not lose the game. CJ couldn't get the right read at the basket, Jolie threw it to me, and I knew I had to at least try to put something up. I didn't know if it was going to go in or not, but when it did, I was very excited."

UP NEXT:
South Alabama will host UAB for the Jags' home opener at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala.

FOLLOW THE JAGS:
For complete coverage of South Alabama women's basketball, visit the official home of South Alabama Athletics at usajaguars.com and follow the Jags on social media: @SouthAlabamaWBB (X), /SouthAlabamaAthletics (Facebook), @SouthAlabamaWBB (Instagram).

—USA—
 
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