USA Basketball Both Host UL-Lafayette Wednesday, Thursday
Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams return home looking to break losing streaks.
Tonight the women will host UL-Lafayette at the Mitchell Center then Thursday night the men will try to break their six game skid against UL-Lafayette as well.
The Jaguar men have earned all six of their wins at the Mitchell Center this season. However a deeper look at the numbers shows that they have played some lower caliber teams at home. Their road schedule early in the season was full of tough challenges. But they will have to win both at home and away in order to make it into the conference tournament.
And there’s no time better than now to break one streak and start another.
The women tip off at 7:05pm Wednesday night while the men tip off at 7:05 on Thursday night.
South Alabama Sports Weekend Roundup
Men’s Basketball
The South Alabama Men’s basketball team lost 72-60 to Arkansas State in Jonesboro, Arkansas on Saturday night for thier sixth consecutive loss. The Jags fell to 6-11 overall and 0-4 in Sun Belt play while Arkansas State improves to 10-5 overall and 3-1 in Sun Belt play.
South Alabama shot 34.5% from the floor and 28.6% from 3-point range. Freshman Aakim Saintil led the Jags in scoring with 10 points while Augustine Rubit added nine points and seven rebounds. Freshman Ken Williams also scored nine points while Mychal Ammons added eight points and seven rebounds. Freshman Isaiah Maston scored eight points. Only one Jaguar made four field goals with no other Jaguar equally or surpassing that.
The Red Wolves outrebounded the Jaguars 41-33 as USA only had five assists to go along with nine turnovers.
ASU’s Kirk Van Slyke led all scorers with 21 points and 14 rebounds with Ed Townsel added 12 points and 10 rebounds as they shot 42.6% from the floor though the Jaguars did hold them to only 25% shooting from outside the 3-point arc.
South Alabama will try to get their first conference win this week when they return to Mobile to host two-consecutive games. The first will be on Thursday evening against Louisiana-Lafayette at 7:05pm then they will host Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday at 4:05pm.
Football
South Alabama and UAB will meet for the first time on the gridiron in 2015.
The Blazers and the Jaguars were once in-state rivals when they both were in the Sun Belt Conference. They have renewed their basketball rivalry on the hardwood many times since the Blazer moved the Conference USA but they have not faced each other since South Alabama began their football program in 2009.
Lady Jags Drop First Conference Game
Arkansas-Little Rock got 27 points from Taylor Gault while holding the Lady Jaguars to 14.3% shooting from outside the arc as the South Alabama women’s basketball team lost their first Sun Belt Conference game.
The Jags (4-9 overall, 2-1 SBC) were dominated defensively. Ronneka Robertson was the only Jaguar in double digits with ten points and eight rebounds. Meghan Dunn finished with nine points. Rachel Cumbo, who was averaging 18.5 points per game over the previous two Sun Belt Conference games and led the league in three-point shooting, was limited to one field goal attempt and two late free throws in the game.
The Jags made a season-low 2-of-14 from outside the three point arc.
Meanwhile South Alabama head basketball coach Terry Fowler said that the Jaguar defense, “just didn’t have the urgency level that we needed to have to give ourselves a chance [against] a team the caliber of Arkansas-Little Rock.” Gautl was 9-of-17 from the field and 3-of-5 from 3-point range while also making all three shots from the charity stripe.
South Alabama will travel to Jonesboro, Arkansas to face Arkansas State on Saturday at 3:05pm.
USA Men’s And Women’s Basketball Begin Two Game Road Trip
Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams are on the road for a two-game road trip to Arkansas this week.
The Lady Jaguars look to extend their winning streak and to keep the Conference record perfect as they face Arkansas-Little Rock this evening in Little Rock, Arkansas. UALR is 1-1 on the season and 6-6 overall. The Jags are 4-8 overall and 2-0 in Sun Belt play.
The Lady Jags then face Arkansas State on Saturday afternoon with a 3:05pm tip in Jonesboro, Arkansas. The Red Wolves are 8-6 overall and also 2-0 in Sun Belt play.
The men’s team is in the midst of a four-game losing streak and have dropped their first two conference games to Western Kentucky (56-58) and Georgia State (63-73) both at the Mitchell Center. They look to even their conference record and improve their road record as they also face Arkansas-Little Rock and Arkansas State this week.
The Jags will start with UALR on Thursday evening with a 7pm tipoff in Little Rock. UALR is 7-7 overall for the season and 2-0 in conference play. The Jags are 6-9 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
The Jags will then face Arkansas State in Jonesboro, Arkansas on Saturday night with a 7pm tip. The Red Wolves are 9-4 overall and are also 2-0 in Sun Belt play.
While the conference season has not started the way first-year head coach Matthew Graves had wanted, but he believes his team can continue to get better and make this season a success. In his post-game comments, Graves said that he thought Augustine Rubit and Mychal Ammons both were taking too few shots and that, as a team, they need to be more aggressive. He also called himself out saying that he needs to do a better job of motivating his players to be more physical and more aggressive.
But the bottom line that, if he had a pen, would have been that he wants to see more passion out of his team. He said it doesn’t matter if its whether they make a shot or make a mistake. He does not want to see them feel sorry for themselves when they are not making shots.
Graves also pointed out that they are only three or four possessions away from turning several games into wins. He also thought that those possessions are really generated by how much energy, excitement and passion for playing that they have.
USA Women’s Basketball Defeat GSU, Improve To 2-0 In Conference Play
The South Alabama Women’s basketball team picked up a 65-57 win over conference newcomer Georgia State on Saturday. The Lady Jags improved their record to 4-8 overall and 2-0 in Conference play. Georgia State falls to 5-9 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
USA was led by Rachel Cumbo’s 20 points, a career high for her, as she went 7-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-6 from three-point range. She also added seven rebounds before she fouled out of the game.
Breanna Hall added 12 points, 11 of them coming in the second half, as she went 3-of-6 from teh field and 4-of-7 from the free throw line. Colby Davis added 10 points. Ronneka Robertson fell just short of a double-double with with eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Panthers managed to force 21 turnovers, 13 of them steals, but USA held a 19-17 edge in points off turnovers.
“Our players are playing with so much confidence right now,” first-year South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said. “To come out and have a great start, Rachel (Cumbo) made some threes early and Ronneka (Robertson) made a couple of big baskets in the post, gave us some confidence right away. We just played inside out. We did exactly what we wanted to. They really took away Meghan Dunn tonight, but Breanna (Hall) was able to step up and make some plays, so it was a team effort. I couldn’t be more proud of how we fought, hung in there and the way we were able to finish the game and be able to get off to a 2-0 start in the Sun Belt.”
The Lady Jaguars will travel to Arkansas-Little Rock on Wednesday for a 7pm tipoff at the Jack Stephens Center as they look to improve their conference record to 3-0 on the season.
Lady Jags Upset Western Kentucky 74-65 To Open Conference Play
The South Alabama women’s basketball team upset Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Wednesday afternoon 74-65 to open their Sun Belt Conference schedule. The Jags had four players in double figures as the Jags improved to 3-8 (1-0 SBC) on the season.
Meghan Dunn led the Jags with a career high 21 points as she went 7-of-13 from the floor and hitting both 3-point attempts. She was also a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.
Rachel Cumbo added 17, just short of tying her career high, on 4-of-6 shooting with all four coming from outside the three-point arc by going 4-of-5 from three-point range. She was also 5-of-6 from the free throw line and had seven rebounds in her 32 minutes on the floor.
Brittany Webb set a new career-high with 14 points as she shot 4-of-6 from floor and 2-of-2 from from 3-point range while hitting all four free throw attempts. Colby Davis chipped in 10 points by going 8-of-11 from the free throw line.
The Jags as a team was 25-of-32 from the charity stripe. They outshot the hilltoppers 20-for-48 (43.5%) for the game and shot 55% in the second half with four three-pointers and shot 75% from long range for the game.
Western Kentucky fell to 8-4 (0-1 SBC) in their final visit as Sun Belt Conference rivals to the Mitchell Center. They were led by Chastity Gooch’s game-high 26 points and nine rebounds. Bianca McGee was the only other hilltopper to score in double-digits for the game with 17 points. They were without their leading scorer and preseason player of the year Alexis Govan due to a foot injury.
The Jags will host first-year SBC member Georgia State at the Mitchell Center on Saturday with tipoff set for 2:05pm.
South Alabama Sports Weekend Roundup
Football
Recruiting has been heating up but with a dead-period between now and January 3. During the dead period coaches can call recruits, but they cannot meet with players on university campus nor anywhere else.
Coach Jones will be looking at replacements for former wide receivers coach Jerry Mack, who accepted the head coaching position with North Carolina Central University last week.
Men’s Basketball
The South Alabama men’s basketball team traveled to North Little Rock, Arkansas to face the University of Arkansas on Saturday night. The Jags were down by 12 and cut their deficit to three midway through the second half, but Arkansas went on a 6-0 run to reclaim control and win 72-60.
The loss drops the Jags back to .500 on the season at 6-6 while the Razorbacks improve to 12-2 on the season.
Senior Antoine Allen scored a game high 21 points for the Jaguars as he converted three 3-pointers and 13 of them coming in the second half.
Junior Mychal Ammons added 14 points and six rebounds while Senior Augustine Rubit was held to a season low eight points but his 10 rebounds allowed him to surpass the 1,000 career rebound mark and is only two shy of a new Sun Belt Conference career record.
The Razorbacks had four score in double-digits. Bobby Portis scored 15, with 12 of them coming in the first half. Rashad Madden added 12 with eight of them coming in the second half. Michael Aualls and Alandise Harris added 11 and 10 points respectively.
The Jags are 0-5 on the road or in neutral site games while they are 6-1 at home. A season high 20 turnovers complicated the game for the Jaguars.
After a break for Christmas the Jags will travel to Las Cruces, New Mexico to face New Mexico State on Saturday, December 28 at 8pm CST.
Women’s Basketball
The Lady Jags traveled to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to face the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest on Friday evening.
The Jags fell 92-66 as a pair of Demon Deacons combined to score 51 points. Derica Hamby led the way with 31 points and 11 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season and both were game-highs. She was 12-of-20 from the floor while added four assists and four steals.
Chelsea Douglas added 20 points on 7-of-19 shooting with five assists and four steals.
As a team, Wake Forest forced 25 Jaguar turnovers and had 15 steals. They dominated the paint with a 50-18 scoring advantage as well as points off turnovers with a 31-14 advantage. They also dominated the glass with a rebounding advantage of 51-28 with 24 of them being offensive rebounds.
Meghan Dunn led USA with 17 points, all in the second half, as she went 6-of-11 from the floor and went 5-of-8 from three-point range. Ronneka Robertson added 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Jennifer Johnson was just short of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds with a career high four blocked shots.
The Lady Jags, who are now 2-8 on the season, will break for Christmas and will return to action on January 1 when they begin their Sun Belt Schedule by hosting Western Kentucky at the Mitchell Center.
Men’s Tennis
The South Alabama men’s tennis team released their 2014 spring schedule. It features a six-match home stand and two tournaments. They begin their season with Florida A&M and Florida State in Tallahassee. They could also face two ranked teams in the final three home matches of the season.
The conference tournament will be in New Orleans on April 18-20. Their full schedule can be found here.
Lady Jags Fall To Rebels 72-56
The South Alabama women’s basketball team fell to Ole Miss at the Mitchell Center on Monday night 72-56. The win extends the Rebels winning streak to seven-consecutive to improve to 8-4 on the season while the loss broke the Jaguars two game winning streak and dropping their record to 2-7 on the season.
Ole Miss’ Tia Faleru sparked a 16-4 run early in the second half and earned her seventh double-double of the season. She scored 24 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, 18 of those points came in the second half against the Jaguars.
Jaguars Colby Davis led the Jaguars with a career-best 17 points for the third time in her last four games. Meghan Dunn added 11 points while Brittany Webb tied her career-high with her second consecutive 10-point game. Ronneka Robertson pulled down 12 rebounds to lead the Jags.
Olivia Mohler made her debut late in the game and pulled down her first rebound. She joined the team on Friday.
South Alabama will travel to Winston-Salem, NC to face Wake Forest on Friday.
South Alabama Sports Weekend Roundup
Women’s Basketball
Senior Olivia Mohler against Jackson State during the 2012 season.
South Alabama has a familiar face returning, but in a different capacity.
Olivia Mohler, former Jaguar volleyball standout, has returned to South Alabama but will be joining the Jaguar basketball squad.
She decided to play volleyball over basketball at USA and her volleyball eligibility expired after the 2011-2012 season. She was then offered the opportunity to play a season of basketball for the Lady Jaguars but she chose to persue a professional volleyball career overseas. However, when she failed to get her visa in time and had to return home, the opportunity resurfaced when she returned to USA to complete her work for her degree.
On Friday, she joined the lady Jags for her first basketball practice since high school.
First head Jaguar head coach Terry Fowler noticed her 6’2″ height coupled with her athleticism and competitive nature was a perfect fit for the basketball team.
The Lady Jaguars are on a two-game winning streak as they are set to host Ole Miss on Monday night at the Mitchell Center. She may see her first minutes of playing time then with only three practices under her belt.
“When the volleyball didn’t work out (overseas) and I came back, I talked to the coaches again and I decided to give it a shot,” Mohler told AL.com. “I’ve always loved the sport. They had said that I could contribute if I worked hard. I wanted to see if that opportunity was still there and it was. I guess it depends on how hard I work (how quickly she appears in a game). Hopefully, if I continue to work hard the coaches have said I can definitely contribute to the team the rest of the season.
“As far as volleyball and basketball go, as far as the level of play, playing volleyball and basketball is pretty much the same competition-wise, but the sports really don’t have a lot in common. There’s a lot more jumping in volleyball than basketball but the conditioning I’ve been doing is a whole lot different than what I’ve done in past years. … My basketball knowledge, just getting that back, I’ve been telling the coaches I’m working hard to get that back. I’m going to give it everything I’ve got. They are giving me the opportunity to play and I’m going to do everything I can for them. Hopefully my basketball knowledge will come back real quick.”
“I missed it a lot more than I thought I would, actually,” Mohler continued with AL.com. “It was kind of an easier decision to make when I was in high school. My dad and my brother both played basketball in college (at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College) and they were always pushing (me) toward basketball. Every year that I played volleyball I found myself watching (basketball) more and playing it more because I missed it a lot. I guess because it is in the family and it was hard because it was something I didn’t completely stop doing.”
Welcome back Olivia!
Men’s Basketball
Augustine Rubit was named to the All-SBC First Team and also SBC Preseason Player of the Year. Photo by John Adams | usajaguars.com
Augustine Rubit scored a career-high 35 points but Gonzaga held on for a 68-59 win over the Jaguars in the “Battle in Seattle” on Saturday.
The Bulldogs built up a 22-3 lead over the Jaguars with 9:49 left to play in the opening half, but Augustine Rubit connected on a 3-pointer which sparked the Jaguars to begin clawing their way back into the game.
With 9:39 left in the half, Rubit hits his first three-pointer, then after a Gonzaga dunk Rubit answered with one of his own, then after a turnover by Gary Bell Jr, Rubit hit a second three-pointer. A steal by Rubit on the other end of the court would set up Antoine Allen to nail a three and just like that the Jaguars were within ten points, 24-14 with 8:28 left until halftime.
South Alabama would cut the lead down to seven points with 3:45 left in the half after two free-throws by Rubit made it 30-23, but USA would only only net one basket the rest of the half and would go into the locker room down 41-25.
USA would open the second half on a 10-3 run, which included another 3-pointer by Rubit, to cut the lead to single digits again. But the Jaguars could only get within eight points of the ‘Zags the rest of the way.
Rubit took the team on his back as he was the only Jaguar in double-digits scoring for the game. He had 35 points and seven rebounds to lead the Jags on 11-of-16 shooting while making all 10 of his free-throw attempts. Aakim Saintil was the next closest scorer with eight points. Antoine Allen added six points and six rebounds.
Gonzaga had three to score in double-digits with Bell Jr leading the way with 20 points to go along with six rebounds. Sam Dower Jr. added 12 points and 11 rebounds and Kevin Pangos put in 10 points.
The Jaguars fall to 5-5 on the season as Gonzaga improves to 10-1. The national press calls the ‘zags win “ugly” and “too close for comfort”. Both teams struggled from the field as Gonzaga shot 41% and USA shot 32% for the game.
USA returns home to the Mitchell Center to face Dillard on Tuesday night for a 7:05pm tipoff.
Football
South Alabama receivers coach Jerry Mack is among four candidates for the head coaching position at North Carolina Central. Along with Mack, Winston-Salem head coach Connell Maynor, Southern University head coach Dawson Odoms and Nevada tight ends coach James Spadey are the top four for the position.
Mack is a native of Memphis and began playing at Jackson State before transferring to Arkansas State. As an assistant coach he has had stints at Delta State, Jackson State, Central Arkansas, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Memphis prior to South Alabama. He has also had internships in the NFL with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills.
We could hear who they decide to hire by Thursday.
27 current and former Student-Athletes Graduate
South Alabama had 27 current and former USA student-athletes graduate Saturday at the Mitchell Center during the schools annual fall graduation ceremony. Among them six where All-Sun Belt Conference honorees and a pair of Player of the Year honorees.
Augustine Rubit was the 2012-2013 Player of the Year, but he was unable to attend due to the game against Gonzaga. Brittany Fowler was the softball Player of the Year also earned her degree.
Nolan Earley, Romelle Jones, Shelby Owen, Eddy Cabrera, Matt Calcagnini, Clifton Crews, Charles Harris, Bryson James, Kenneth Johnson, Alonzo Long, Byron Sneed, Montavious Williams, Drew Cofield, Jeff DeBlieux, Anthony Izzio, Brent Mitchell, Graham Odom, Ashton Krause, Jeff Long, Josh Nelson, Veronica Cherizol, Camille Reynolds, Chris Bockstael, Elina Strauniece were among the student-athletes who earned their degrees on Saturday.
Congratulations Jaguars!!
Lady Jags Fall To Nicholls State 68-60
The South Alabama Women’s Basketball team fell to Nicholls State on Wednesday night 68-60 to fall to 0-3 on the season.
NSU’s Emani White and KK Babin combined to score 49 of the Colonels points in the win.
The Jags were led by Meghan Dunn who chipped in 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting including going 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Rachel Cumbo added a career high 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 at the foul line. Breanna Hall had nine points while Brittany Webb added six points and six assists.
South Alabama shot 46% as a team from the field and were 8-of-18 from the 3-point line. However they committed 25 turnovers which led to 25 points for the Colonels.
The Lady Jags will try to get their first win of the season against Houston Baptist on Monday, November 25 with tip-off scheduled for 7:05pm.