12/19/05–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JAGUARS LOOK TO CONTINUE WINNING STREAK AT
HOME AGAINST LOUISIANA-MONROE ON TUESDAY
CONTACT:
Kit Strief
GAME
NOTES
THE SETTING
The South Alabama men’s basketball looks to keep its winning
streak alive as it entertains Louisiana-Monroe on Tuesday, Dec.
20 at the Mitchell Center. The Jaguars and the Indians tip at 7:05
p.m. USA won the previous meeting this season on Dec. 14 in Monroe,
81-71. USA just knocked off the first ranked team since the 1997-98
season in the Coors Classic on Saturday night. The Jaguars posted
a guty 66-62 victory over then-No. 25 Houston.
THE SOUTH ALABAMA
JAGUARS
The South Alabama Jaguars look to continue their strong start to
the 2005-06 campaign against Louisiana-Monroe on Tuesday. USA knocked
off No. 25 Houston 66-62 on Saturday in the seventh annual Coors
Classic. It was the first win for the Jaguars over a ranked team
since 1997-98.
The six-game winning streak is the best since 1999-2000 season when
the Jags won eight straight from Feb. 9 to Mar. 7.
After an 85-67 setback at Purdue, USA has rattled off six consecutive
wins with three on the road. During the streak USA has defeated
Alabama State (82-65), at Loyola Marymount (81-80 OT), Samford (55-52),
at Southern Miss (75-51), at Louisiana-Monroe (81-71) and home against
Houston.
This season, the Jaguars are led by senior Mario Jointer who has
posted 98 points in seven games for a 12.3 points per game average.
Senior Richard Law is second on the team with an 11.3 average. Jointer
and Law lead the team with 42 rebounds for a 5.3 average. Junior
Stephen Cowherd leads the team with 10 steals.
As a team, the Jaguars are shooting .452 percent (199-440). From
beyond the arc, USA is 64-183 (.350) and from the line, the Jags
are 129-of-188 for .686 percent.
John Pelphrey, the ninth head coach in South Alabama basketball
history, enters his fourth season as leader of the Jaguars. In his
inaugural season in 2002-03, Pelphrey led the Jags to a 14-14 record
and a 7-8 finish in the Sun Belt Conference, a tie for third in
the West Division. Year two saw the Jaguars compile a 12-16 record
and a 6-9 mark in league play. The Jags won their final three regular
season games to qualify for the eighth and final spot in the Sun
Belt Conference Tournament.
The Jaguars return three starters and five letterwinners from last
year’s team that recorded an overall record of 10-18 and finished
tied for fourth in the Sun Belt Conference West Division at 6-9.
The 2005-06 squad has 14 players on the roster including one freshman
and five transfers.
Pelphrey, a former star player at the University of Kentucky, has
compiled quite a resume as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State,
Marshall and Florida. Pelphrey learned many aspects of coaching
under such greats as Eddie Sutton and Billy Donovan during his nine
years as an assistant. Pelphrey has a 37-48 overall record at USA.
In three seasons of Sun Belt action, Pelphrey is 19-26. He has a
18-22 in non-conference competition.
LOUISIANA-MONROE
INDIANS
Louisiana-Monroe enters the contest with a 4-6 record after losing
at home for the first time this season to South Alabama just under
a week ago (Dec. 14) 81-71. This season, ULM is lead by Cecil Hood
who has played in all ten games and started eight. Hood leads the
team in scoring, averaging 12.9 points a game. He leads the team
in field goals made (42) and free throws made (31). Hood is third
on the team in rebounding with 44 board for a 4.4 average. He has
scored a team-leading 129 points so far.
Also in double figures is RaShon Jacobs who played football this
fall and has only played in three basketball games so far. He is
averaging 11.3 points a game. Adrian Harper improved his scoring
to 10.0 points a contest in the loss to USA. He has played and started
nine games. Harper had a team-high 17 points against the Jaguars
on Dec. 14 in Monroe.
Head coach Orlando Early is in his first year at the helm of the
Indians. Early joined the ULM staff after spending the last four
seasons as an assistant coach at Alabama. Early is a 1990 graduate
of Gardner-Webb University and has had stints at UNC-Charlotte,
Western Carolina and had a two-year stint at his alma mater.
Early has used multiple looks this season for his starting lineup.
ULM has used four different looks, with Tony Hooper and Daryl Mason
being the only players to start each game.
The Indians return eight letterwinners from last season’s
8-19 squad, including three seniors in Hooper, Mason and Gary Robinson.
ULM also returns its leading scorer from 2004-05 in Hood who averaged
9.9 points per game. coach at Houston before the 2004-05 season,
Penders was at George Washington from 1998-2001 where he lead the
Colonials to one NCAA Tournament.
RECAPPING THE LAST TIME OUT - SEVENTH ANNUAL COORS CLASSIC
The University of South Alabama men’s basketball team defeated
No. 25 Houston 66-62 in a guty performance by the Jaguars to improve
their winning streak to six games. USA had four players in double
figures with seniors Richard Law and Chey Christie each having 12
points. Senior Michael Phillips and sophomore Demetric Bennett came
off the bench to score 11 and 10 points, respectively. USA’s
Bennett was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after he
scored 10 points in the last half to help spark the Jaguars to victory.
USA went to the free throw line 35 times and made 24 and held a
team that was averaging over 80 points a game to 62 and a season
low field goal percentage of 32.9% (23-of-70.) Houston was 12-of-22
from the charity stripe.
Houston had three players in double figures with Jahmar Thorpe leading
the way with 18 points. Lanny Smith had 17 points and Oliver Lafayette
chipped in 13.
The game was back-and-forth the entire way. No team got up by more
than seven points. 10 points and two key 3-pointers by USA’s
Demetric Bennett midway through the second half helped spark the
Jaguars to victory. Bennett’s second trey at 7:10 off a steal
by Jason McGriff gave the Jaguars the lead for good. Houston hung
around and had the deficit cut to three with under a minute, but
USA went 3-of-4 from the line in the final 52 seconds to preserve
the victory.
BENNETT NAMED
MVP
Sophomore Demetric Bennett was named Most Valuable Player after
the Jaguars’ 66-62 victory in the Coors Classic on Saturday
night by the media. Bennett came off the bench and scored all 10
of his points in the second half, including two key 3-pointers that
helped USA get its first win over a ranked team since defeating
Washington 69-52 on Dec. 22, 1997.
Martin Samarco of Bowling Green got the MVP in the nightcap between
Florida State and Bowling Green. FSU won that contest 71-60, but
Samarco scored a career, game and Coors Classic record 27 points.
COORS CLASSIC
RECORDS FALL
USA broke a couple of Coors Classic records on Saturday night in
a 66-62 victory over No. 25 Houston. USA set the record with the
most made free throws (24), eclipsing its own record of 22 set in
a 72-65 victory over Louisville in 2000. USA tied the record for
rebounds with 47 against Houston. Auburn held the previous best
in a 78-64 victory over Bradley in 1999.
USA BEATS RANKED
TEAM
With a 66-62 victory over No. 25 Houston marked the first time that
the Jaguars have defeated a ranked team since a 69-52 victory over
Washington on Dec. 22, 1997 in Jag Gym. USA has never defeated a
ranked team in the Mitchell Center until Saturday. USA lost to then-No.
8 Mississippi State on Dec. 30, 2002, 85-74 in the Mitchell Center.
USA FIRST SUN
BELT TEAM IN THREE YEARS TO DEFEAT RANKED FOE
USA became the first Sun Belt Conference team since Louisiana-Lafayette
defeated No. 12 Mississippi State 79-76 on Nov. 23, 2002 to beat
a ranked team. USA defeated No. 25 Houston on Saturday, Dec. 17,
in the sevneth annual Coors Classic, 66-62.
LAST TIME SOUTH
ALABAMA AND LOUISIANA-MONROE MET
Louisiana-Monroe raced out to a 22-8 lead to begin the Dec. 14 meeting
between the two teams in Monroe. The Indians used a 14-4 run to
go ahead before USA had a run of its own to get back in the game,
using a 10-5 spurt to cut the deficit to 24-18.
Another 6-0 run by USA cut the deficit to four points with over
four minutes left in the first half. ULM pushed the lead back to
eight, but another run by the Jaguars cut the deficit to four at
halftime.
ULM shot a blistering 59.3 percent for the half (16-of-27) and was
6-of-11 from beyond the arc.
USA took the lead for the first time at the 14:41 mark of the second
half on a Mario Jointer dunk and Jointer took a charge on the ensuing
play followed by a Stephen Cowherd layup, gave USA a 51-49 lead.
A 3-pointer by Bennett started a 17-6 run over the next 7:37 to
give USA a 71-57 lead.
ULM continued to fight, coming within four points with 1:17 left,
but USA made five-of-six free throws in the final 36 seconds to
preserve the victory, 81-71.
CLUTCH FREE
THROW SHOOTING
In the last two games, USA has gone 10-of-12 from the line in the
final minute of each game to preserve the victories to keep its
six game winning streak alive. USA went five-of-six in the final
36 seconds in an 81-71 victory at Louisiana-Monroe on Dec. 14.
USA followed that performance making five-of-six in a 66-62 victory
over No. 25 Houston in the Coors Classic on Dec. 17.
Individually, junior Carlos Smith leads the league in free throw
percentage making 19-of-20 free throws for a .950 percentage. Senior
Michael Phillips is second in the league in field goal percentage
(.710) on 22-of-31 from the field.
KNOCKING DOWN
THE TREY
USA has hit a three-pointer in 184 consecutive games. The last time
the Jaguars were held without a trey was Feb. 6, 1999 in a 44-43
win over Arkansas-Little Rock. USA is averaging 7.2 three-pointers
a game this season and averaged 7.4 last year. USA hit a season-high
13 treys at Louisiana-Monroe this past Wednesday in an 81-71 victory.
JAGUARS OFF
TO BEST START SINCE 1983-84
With an 81-71 victory at Louisiana-Monroe on Dec. 14, the Jaguars
are 6-1 and off to their best start since the 1983-84 team that
started 12-1 and finished 22-8 and a berth in the NIT.
USA followed the ULM performance with a 66-62 victory over No. 25
Houston in the Coors Classic on Saturday to improve to 7-1.
WINNERS OF SIX
STRAIGHT
With the 66-62 victory over No. 25 Houston on Saturday, USA improves
its winning streak to six games, a feat that has not been accomplished
since the 2000-01 season.
WINS ON THE
ROAD
Winning at Louisiana-Monroe on Dec. 14 gave USA its third road win
of the year, matching the road wins from all of last year. With
one more road victory this season, USA will have its most road wins
since the 2000-01 team went 9-7 on the road.
PRODUCTION FROM
EVERYONE
Through eight games this season, eight of 11 Jags are averaging
more than five points per game. Senior Mario Jointer leads the team
with 12.3, followed by senior Richard Law at 11.3 and senior Chey
Christie is third at 9.5. 10 of 11 players have played in all eight
games this year, too.
BENNETT OFF
THE BENCH X3
Sophomore Demetric Bennett came off the bench to score in double
figures in the past three games. Bennett scored a game-high 13 points
in a 75-51 victory at Southern Miss on Dec. 10. He followed that
with 11 points at Louisiana-Monroe on Dec. 14 and scored 10 points,
all in the second half, in a 66-62 victory over No. 25 Houston on
Saturday. Bennett earned Coors Classic Most Valuable Player honors
for his efforts against Houston.
THE COACHES
SHOW
Jaguar play-by-play announcer Lee Shirvanian and coach John Pelphrey
host “The Courtroom” each week during the basketball
season at Banana Docks Cafe in Mobile. The show airs on WNSP 105.5
FM. The show also can be accessed at www.wnsp.com. The one-hour
show is scheduled for Monday’s from noon to 1 p.m. Due to
Christmas, the next installment of “The Courtroom” will
air live Tuesday, Dec. 27 at 1 p.m. at Banana Docks Café.
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