MOBILE, Ala. ? Both the South Alabama men’s and women’s basketball teams learned Sunday afternoon who they will host Wednesday evening in the opening round of the 2009 Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The Lady Jags will open the doubleheader at 5 p.m. when they welcome Florida International to the Mitchell Center, while the USA men will take on New Orleans in game two slated to begin at 7:05 p.m.
Fans can purchase tickets by either visiting the Mitchell Center ticket office from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. or by calling 251-461-1USA (1872) from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tickets will also be available via the web at www.ticketmaster.com. Lower level seats can be purchased for $15, while upper level tickets are available for $10.
The Lady Jags ended the regular season on Saturday evening with a 19-9 overall mark and a 10-8 league record ? tying Denver, Troy, Western Kentucky and Arkansas State. By virtue of the Sun Belt’s tie-breaking procedures, South Alabama ended up as the fifth-seed and will host the 12th-seeded Golden Panthers in the first round. USA swept both meetings with the Golden Panthers earlier this year, picking up a 65-47 victory in Miami and a 66-52 win in Mobile on Feb. 11.
The men’s team enters the tournament with a 17-12 record and 10-8 mark in conference play. The Jags tied for fifth in the league but lost the tiebreaker with Middle Tennessee to earn the No. 6 seed. USA faced the Privateers on Jan. 31 in Mobile and prevailed 56-53. South Alabama has not lost to UNO since Jan. 8, 2005, a span of eight games.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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