MOBILE, Ala. (12/29/12) – The Arkansas State women's basketball
team fell to South Alabama 53-47 in a Sun Belt Conference game Saturday
afternoon at the Mitchell Center.
The Red Wolves (5-8, 2-2 SBC) had two six-plus minute scoring
droughts and the Jaguars used a 13-0 run in the second half to build a 12-point
lead with 7:14 remaining in the game. The Red Wolves hit just nine field goals
in the second half and shot just two free throws.
“We held our defensively, but we struggled on offense and
defensively things just started falling apart,” ASU head coach Brian Boyer
said. “Then they started hammering us on the boards and getting to the free
throw line and it was just too much to overcome.”
Jane Morrill led the Red Wolves with 19 points, while
Ashley Olvera scored eight points and dished out four assists. Carlisha Wyatt
paced A-State on the boards with seven rebounds.
Ashley Olvera gave A-State a 36-35 lead with 12:48 to
go in the game, but the Red Wolves would not score again until Wyatt hit a layup
with 5:13 left. During that span, the Jaguars (8-5, 1-3) went on a 13-0 run to
build a 48-36 lead.
Khadija Brown-Haywood knocked down a 3-pointer to pull
ASU within 52-45 with 1:41 to go, but the Red Wolves failed to get a stop on
the defensive end and put the Jaguars on the free throw line with 20 second
left in the game.
The first half featured four ties and four lead
changes over the final 15 minutes. Arkansas State led 11-7 lead early on, but
did not score a point over the next 6:11. During that span, the Lady Jaguars
took a 14-11 but relinquished the lead at 8:50 mark after a layup from Jalen O'Bannon.
After trading buckets throughout the remainder of the
half, the Red Wolves took a 26-24 lead after Hanna Qedan converted on a 3-point
play, but the Lady Jaguars hit two free
throws with 1.6 seconds left in the half to tie the score.
A-State battled foul trouble throughout the first 20
minutes. The Red Wolves had four players commit at least two personal fouls,
while only getting to the free throw line once.
The Red Wolves shot 40.4 percent from the field on the night,
while holding the Jaguars to a 33.9 field goal percentage. However, South Alabama
won the rebounding battle 44-34, including a 21-7 edge on the offensive glass.
ASU will return to action Wednesday, Jan. 2 for a matchup with
Middle Tennessee at the Convocation Center. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m.
