02/13/06–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JAGUARS REBOUND FOR 81-71 VICTORY OVER NEW
ORLEANS
Box
Score
CONTACT:
Kit Strief
MOBILE,
Ala. - A team-high 22 points by senior Mario Jointer helped
lead the Jaguars to a crucial 81-71 victory over New Orleans on
Monday night at the Mitchell Center. USA had four players in double
figures in the game. The Jaguars improve to 17-6 overall and 8-3
in the Sun Belt Conference West Division and hold a 2 1/2 game lead
over Denver with four games to play. New Orleans' Jeremie Davis
had a game-high 23 points in the losing effort.
"We play New Orleans, it's always a battle," Jaguar head
coach John Pelphrey said. "I told our guys we can't look at
the records in conference play...New Orleans has had a tough situation
all year long and I am impressed with how hard they play."
USA got a big spark off the bench as senior Richard Law returned
to the Jaguar lineup after a five game absence due to an injury.
Law came off the bench early in the first half and scored 13 points
in his debut. He was 4-of-10 from the field and 3-of-8 from beyond
the arc in 19 minutes of action.
"I never dreamed that Rich (Law) would be able to play as long
as he did and as well as he did, it was great," Pelphrey said.
It felt great to get back out there with the guys and help the team
win," Law said.
The Jaguars opened the game with a 12-4 run through the first 5:15
and held a 26-18 lead with 7:04 to play. New Orleans got on track
offensively and fought all the way back to tie the game at 33, using
a 15-7 run over the next six minutes. Each team exchanged 3-pointers
in the final 1:55 to tie the game at 36 at halftime.
Jointer paced the Jaguars with 12 points in the opening half as
USA was 13-of-26 from the floor, while UNO shot a blazing 15-of-26
for 57.7 percent. Both teams made six 3-pointers in the opening
half and USA was 4-of-8 from the line, while UNO went just one time
and missed. Davis had 10 points in the half for the Privateers.
Junior Leandro Buboltz opened the second half with one of his three
3-pointers to put USA up for good. A layup by Shawn Malloy moments
later cut the lead back to one, but UNO would get no closer the
rest of the way.
Back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers by senior Jeffrey Collins and two
by Law pushed a three-point lead to 12 on consecutive trips down
the court for the Jags with 11:33 to play, stretching the lead to
double figures for the first time. Davis was fouled on a 3-point
try and made all three free throws to cut the deficit to single
digits with 10:37 left, but USA went on an 8-2 run over the next
three minutes to grab a 15-point lead at 66-51 capped by a fastbreak
layup by Jointer with 7:05 to play.
UNO would not go away as it continued to fight hard and got the
deficit back to seven points with 3:55 left, using a 8-3 spurt.
USA, however, had the answer again and built the lead back to 10
points on a layup by senior Michael Phillips with 2:07 to play.
A pair of Law free throws with 1:43 pushed the lead to 12 and UNO
got it back to eight with under a minute to play.
For the game, USA shot over 50 percent from the field for the sixth
time this season and improved to 6-0 when shooting over 50 percent.
The Jags finished 29-of-56 for 51.8 percent. UNO also was over 50
percent, firing 26-of-49 for 53.1 percent. Besides Jointer and Law,
Buboltz scored a career-high 13 points in his ninth start of the
season. He was 4-of-5 from the floor and 3-of-4 from beyond the
arc.
Senior Jeffrey Collins had his best offensive performance of the
season, scoring 14 points off the bench on a season-high 6-of-7
from the floor and 2-of-2 from beyond the arc.
UNO had three players in double figures as Nathanial Parker chipped
in 13 along with 11 points off the bench from Ernest Daney.
USA heads on the road for its final road trip of the regular season
at Troy on Thursday at 7 p.m. and will play at Florida International
on Monday, Feb. 20 and will return home for a pair of doubleheaders
on Thursday, Feb. 23 against Denver and Saturday, Feb. 25 against
North Texas.
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