By: Lauren Barksdale | News Editor
On February 15th, the Jags hosted the Louisiana- Monroe Warhawks after an extensive road trip. After a good winning streak on the road, the Jags were back on their home court and ready to extend their standings even further shortly before the Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament.
The Jags were behind in the first quarter with ULM leading by 12 but they quickly caught up. South was in the lead by just one point with a 25-24 score at the end of the half. The Warhawks did not let up defensively, however, as the game came down to the wire with the Jags pulling out a close late win with a 49-50 score.
Trhae Mitchell was a huge asset to the game with 11 total rebounds, 9 of them on the defensive side of the ball. Mitchell also scored 14 points for the Jags. Mitchell’s scoring impact helped them dominate in the paint by outscoring the Warhawks 26-16. Guard John Pettway ended up with 5 steals, helping contribute to the 11 fast breaks throughout the game.
Free throws were a huge asset in this game since the Jags won by one point and while ULM was 4-for-6 in the first half. The Warhawks kept pace with the Jags as they went 3-for-6, while the Jags kept a low 50% (10-of-20) free-throw ratio throughout.
The last half of the game was an intense back-and-forth between both teams struggling to pull ahead. ULM had a much better field goal percentage from the three-point line (33.3%). This caused the Jags to have to keep up by getting in the paint and thought they made none of their three point field goals.
The two-point ratio looked better with the Jags making just 9 out of 29 attempts. Even though ULM made more free throws overall, the Jags had almost twice as many attempts, leading them to pull ahead in the second half. Both teams ended up scoring 25 total points in the second half, with the Jags outscored the Warhawks 25-24 in the first half.
This was the last home game in a six-game winning streak for the Jags. The Jags have done incredibly well late this season as they are looking to continue the dominance at home with the doubleheader against Troy University on the horizon.
The last time these two teams met, South won 70-66 at Troy on February 6th. South Alabama is 23-11 versus its rivals, the Trojans.
Be sure to come out on February 29th to support both the women’s and men’s teams as they face Troy. The women’s game begins at 4 pm and the men’s at 7 pm.
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