MOBILE, Ala. — Junior college transfer Meghan Dunn scored a game-high 20 points off the bench Monday night as the South Alabama women’s basketball team defeated West Florida 75-33 in a preseason exhibition at the Mitchell Center.
Dunn made 8 of 13 shots from the field, including 4 of 9 from 3-point range, and added three assists and three steals in her first game action for the Lady Jaguars.
“The things she did out there in the game tonight, she’s also been doing in practice,” head coach Rick Pietri said. “The fact that she’s now done those things in practice and in a game gives her the sense of being able to do them every day. She was very good tonight that’s for sure.”
Balanced Contributions
Mary Nixon scored 14 points and led South Alabama with nine rebounds. Camille Reynolds added 10 points.
All 12 players on the South Alabama roster played, and 11 of them scored at least two points. The Lady Jaguars’ reserves outscored West Florida’s bench 43-9.
As a team, South Alabama shot 30 of 82 from the field (36.6 percent) and 9 of 32 from beyond the arc (28.1 percent).
Decisive First-Half Run
The game was close early. South Alabama held a 9-8 lead with just under 12 minutes remaining in the first half before putting together a 21-5 run over roughly six and a half minutes.
Two freshmen started the surge. Sharon Sanders and Brittany Webb each hit 3-pointers from the left corner, and Dunn followed with a 3-pointer from the right wing that pushed the lead to 18-9. Dunn scored 11 of her 20 points during the run, making three 3-pointers in that stretch.
Pietri Sees Room to Improve
Pietri said the exhibition gave his staff a clear picture of what is working and what still needs attention before the regular season.
“There were some positives and there were some things we needed to work on and that’s what an exhibition provides for you,” Pietri said. “I wish we would’ve shot it from the perimeter better. Our team is a very good three-point shooting team. By percentage, we weren’t that tonight. We had a bunch of open looks, but we were able to finish some plays too.”
He said the defense was solid overall, with some areas to address after film review.
“Defensively, we were solid. We did some good things in team defense. There are some things in team defense we need to work on and the film will show us,” Pietri said. “West Florida had some opportunities to finish play and didn’t. A better team might have finished those plays. Overall, it was a positive. We just have to build on it for the ones that count.”
Up Next
South Alabama, a member of the Sun Belt Conference, opens the 2012-13 regular season on the road Friday at Houston Baptist. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
