Lady Toppers fall to South Alabama after rough second half
February 5, 2012
WKU played two separate games on Saturday against South Alabama.
The Lady Toppers controlled play in the first half, shooting 54 percent while holding the Lady Jaguars to 30 percent from the field and taking a 29-21 lead to the break.
But the second half was dominated by South Alabama, which drove, rebounded and defended its way to a 56-52 win over WKU in Diddle Arena.
It was the Lady Jaguarsโ (14-9, 7-4 Sun Belt Conference) first ever win on the Lady Toppersโ home floor.
South Alabama came into the game 0-26 all-time in Diddle Arena against WKU (6-16, 3-7).
โThey came out more aggressive than us (in the second half),โ senior forward LaTeira Owens said. โDriving, penetration, we didnโt have anyone that could stop the drive.โ
Most of the Lady Jaguarsโ second half baskets came on those penetrating drives.
South Alabama shot 50 percent in the second half, getting close looks on nearly every possession.
And on the shots the Lady Jags didnโt make, they scooped up the offensive rebounds.
South Alabama out-rebounded WKU 15-5 on the offensive end, and 37-30 overall.
โI donโt know whenโs the last time weโve been out-rebounded,โ Head Coach Mary Taylor Cowles said. โThatโs been a big pride factor for us this year knowing how aggressive we can be on the boards, and how good we could be at both ends, and tonight we didnโt take care of that.โ
Despite the sluggish second half, the Lady Toppers sill had the chance to put the Lady Jags away late in the game, holding a 49-46 lead in the final two minutes.
But consecutive layups by guards Mansa El and Mary Nixon put South Alabama up 50-49, setting the stage for fellow guard Sarda Peterson to hit the biggest shot of the night, a three-pointer from the right corner with 31 seconds left.
Lady Jags Head Coach Rick Pietri labeled Petersonโs 3 โthe nail.โ
โ(WKU) went man-to-man for that possession and we were able, with our penetration just to get her free in the corner,โ said Pietri, who won his 200th career game on Saturday. โAnd they were running at her, but she just gutted it up, put it up there and hit a big shot that was separation.โ
Peterson finished with a game-high 16 points for South Alabama, while Nixon added 12 and forward Taylor Ammons scored 10.
Owens was the only scorer in double figures for WKU, scoring 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
However she took just one shot in the second half, a stat with which Cowles was frustrated.
โWe still didnโt find a way to get LaTeira Owens the basketball,โ Cowles said. โAnd when sheโs 5-of-7 in the first half and ends the game with one additional shot attempt, thereโs something wrong with that.โ
It was the fourth straight loss for WKU and the fourth consecutive loss during which the Lady Toppers took a halftime lead to the locker rooms.
โItโs frustrating because the coaches are trying to find something that can get us going and keep us over this hump that we have,โ Owens said. โItโs frustrating. Weโre going to try and figure it out in practice Monday.โ
The road ahead doesnโt get any easier for the Lady Toppers, as they head to Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Wednesday to tangle with rival Middle Tennessee State.
MTSU is 18-5 overall and 10-0 in the league and features Ebony Rowe, the Sun Beltโs second-leading scorer.
Cowles said โitโll be interestingโ to see how her team responds against MTSU.
โIt doesnโt change anything about whatโs ahead, if we had won today it doesnโt change anything about whatโs ahead,โ she said. โSo you prepare, and you move forward.โ