South Alabama’s Lady Jaguars advanced to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament with a 52-39 quarterfinal victory over Troy on Saturday, holding the Trojans to 39 points and pulling away in the second half.
The fifth-seeded Lady Jaguars will face top-seeded Middle Tennessee in the semifinals at 12:30 p.m. Monday.
First Half
Troy held the early edge, leading by as many as four points on two occasions in the first nine minutes. South Alabama moved in front for the first time with 11:06 left in the half, but the Trojans regained the lead on a jumper less than a minute later.
The Lady Jaguars went back ahead when Tashley Gaines was fouled by Troy’s Kirsten Smith and made both free throws. That sparked an 11-2 South Alabama run over a little more than four minutes that put USA ahead 20-13.
South Alabama’s largest first-half lead was eight points, reached with 2:53 left before the break, and the Lady Jaguars took a 28-21 lead into halftime.
Second Half
Neither team scored for nearly two minutes to open the second half. South Alabama missed three shots in that stretch but also blocked three Troy attempts on the defensive end.
The Lady Jaguars then went on a 7-1 run in roughly a minute and a half to stretch the lead to 13 points. Troy never got closer than nine the rest of the way, and South Alabama closed out the 13-point win.
Individual Leaders
Shakira Nettles and Jessica Starling each scored 13 points to lead South Alabama. Shaniece Brunner pulled down 10 rebounds, and Gaines blocked four shots, accounting for most of the Lady Jaguars’ seven blocks.
Troy’s Kylie Morrissy led all scorers with 18 points. Alyce Shearing was the only other Trojan in double figures, finishing with a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Saturday’s Other Quarterfinals
- Middle Tennessee 82, New Orleans 47
- Arkansas-Little Rock 52, Louisiana-Monroe 40
- Denver 67, North Texas 63
Monday’s Semifinals
- No. 5 South Alabama vs. No. 1 Middle Tennessee, 12:30 p.m.
- No. 3 Denver vs. No. 2 Arkansas-Little Rock, 3 p.m.
