MOBILE, Ala. - South Alabama put together a strong second half to defeat the University of New Orleans women's basketball team 55-50 on Wednesday night.
With the loss, UNO (12-16, 6-11 SBC) was eliminated from contention for a first round home contest in the Sun Belt Conference tournament that begins next week.
The lone scorer in double-figures for the second straight game in a row for the Lady Privateers was
Brittany Helm, who scored 11 points.
Le'Della English added nine for UNO.
Shakira Nettles was the top scorer for USA with 22 as the Lady Jaguars improved their record to 18-10 overall and 9-8 in SBC play. The 22 points were a new career-high for Nettles, the lone USA player reaching double-digit scoring.
USA jumped out to a 17-9 lead as UNO struggled from the field, making just 4 of 18 shots to start the game.
The Lady Jaguars extended their lead to 12 points before a
Cookie Johnson three-pointer turned the tide of momentum in the Lady Privateers favor as UNO scored the next nine points to cut the lead down to three at 21-18 with 3:23 remaining in the first half.
Back to back three-pointers by USA extended the lead back out to nine at 27-18. Nettles had 14 first half points for the Lady Jaguars, who would take a 29-22 lead into the break. After the early shooting woes, UNO made 6 of 10 shots from the field to close the opening half.
UNO would score the first three points of the second half to cut the lead to four at 29-26 before USA built back their lead, gaining a 12 point advantage at 46-34.
A Helm lay-up would the Lady Jaguars led to seven with just over three minutes to play, but that was as close as UNO would get until a
Jada Frazier three-pointer with five seconds left to get within five at 55-50.
The Lady Privateers will complete the regular season with a 4:30 p.m contest against North Texas on Saturday at the Human Performance Center. Prior to tip, the team will honor their seniors during Senior Day festivities.
