12/29/05–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JAGUARS LOOK TO GET BACK ON WINNING TRACK AGAINST
WESTERN MICHIGAN
CONTACT:
Kit Strief
GAME
NOTES
THE SETTING
The South Alabama men’s basketball team (8-2) returns to the
hardwood after Christmas break at home on Friday to face Western
Michigan. The Jaguars are looking to get back on the winning track
after a 78-75 setback at Alabama State on Dec. 22, snapping a seven
game winning streak which was the best streak since the 1999-2000.
USA is 5-0 at home this season.
THE SOUTH ALABAMA
JAGUARS
The South Alabama Jaguars look to get start a new winning streak
as they host Western Michigan in the final game of 2005 at the Mitchell
Center. USA dropped a 78-75 decision at Alabama State on Dec. 22,
snapping a seven game winning streak.
After an 85-67 setback at Purdue, USA has rattled off seven 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) home against
No. 25 Houston (66-62) and home against Louisiana-Monroe (83-64).
This season, the Jaguars are led by senior Mario Jointer who has
posted 128 points in 10 games for a 12.8 points per game average.
Senior Richard Law is second on the team with an 11.0 average. Law
leads the team with 53 rebounds for a 5.3 average. Jointer leads
the team with 14 steals and junior Carlos Smith leads the team with
30 assists.
As a team, the Jaguars are shooting .450 percent (254-564). From
beyond the arc, USA is 82-238 (.345) and from the line, the Jags
are 159-of-233 for .682 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.
WESTERN MICHIGAN
BRONCOS
The Broncos enter the game with a 3-6 mark after a sixth-place finish
at the Rainbow Classic where they defeated Loyola Marymount (62-61)
and fell to eventual-runner-up Colorado State (87-69) and Oregon
State (73-68.)
Leading the way for WMU this season is Joe Reitz who averages 13.8
points per game and is second on the team with 7.2 rebounds a game.
Andrew Hershberger is second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.7
points and leads the team with 8.8 rebounds. Stane Buffords is third
in scoring at 11.6 points.
As a team the Broncos are shooting just oaver 40 percent from the
field (.401) on 213-of-531. The Broncos are just 36-of-130 from
beyond the arc and 138-of-204 from the line for a .676 average.
This will be a homecoming for WMU’s head coach Steve Hawkins
who was an undergraduate assistant at South Alabama under former
head coach Mike Hanks from 1984-87.
BRONCOS IN THE
MITCHELL CENTER
This is not the first time that WMU has bee in the Mitchell Center.
The Broncos played once before in the Mitchell Center in the 2003
Coors Classic, defeating UAB 69-62 on Dec. 15, 2003.
RECAPPING THE
LAST TIME OUT
The University of South Alabama men’s basketball team dropped
a 78-75 decision at Alabama State on Dec. 22, snapping a seven game
winning streak which was the longest since the 1999-2000 season.
USA opened the game with an 11-3 start, but a 7-0 run by ASU got
the Hornets back in the game. The Jaguars went on another 11-3 run
to go up 24-16 with 9:17 to play. A sophomore Demetric Bennett 3-pointer
gave USA a 34-22 lead with 5:47 to play, but the Jaguars did not
score another field goal the rest of the half, allowing ASU to come
all the way back and tie the game at 34.
USA jumped out to a five point lead in the opening minutes of the
second half on a trey by junior Carlos Smith. The Jaguars looked
as if they had control of the game midway through the half, building
a six point advantage with 7:24 to play.
Alabama State again battled all the way back and tied the game for
the ninth time at 72. The Hornets took the lead in the final minute,
but Jaguar senior Mario Jointer had a good look at the basket with
22 second left and was fouled. He made 1-of-2 from the line, cutting
the deficit to one point.
With seven
seconds left, USA had a chance to tie but the Bennett trey bounced
off the iron.
LAST TIME THEY
MET
USA could not overcome a 15-0 run by Western Michigan in the first
half of a 65-45 loss at WMU on Dec. 28, 2004. USA had its only lead
on a Mario Jointer try with 17:05 remaining, but the 15-0 run over
the next six minutes put the game out of reach. USA trailed 36-20
at halftime.
USA got no closer than 15 points in the second half, to eventually
lose by 20.
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