USA women’s basketball ended its season on Sunday as the Lady Jags were defeated by Western Kentucky, 72-67, at the Convention Center Court in Hot Springs, Ark.
USA made it interesting at the end, closing to within three points with less than a minute on the clock. But it was too late as WKU drilled their free throws and protected the ball as the final seconds ticked away.
“Over the final 15 minutes, we played pretty well,” USA Head Coach Rick Pietri said. “When you give up a 20-0 run to anyone, it’s difficult to come back from that deficit. I just wish we could have made a couple of better decisions near the end of the game.”
The Jags were marred by inaccurate shooting all afternoon as South Alabama hit just 22-of-54 shots, finishing at 40.7 percent. In comparison, WKU drilled 28-of-54.
South Alabama was all over WKU early, jumping to an 11-4 lead eight minutes into the game. The lead would be short-lived as Western Kentucky regrouped and went on a 28-13 run the end the first half. USA’s seven-point lead had turned into a 15-point deficit.
Despite the woeful shooting performance, South Alabama did receive a solid game from Shakira Nettles. The senior was 6-of-12 shooting, including 2-of-4 from behind the arc, scoring 20 points. Christian Shelter was just behind, scoring 13 on 14 shots.
With the loss, USA finishes its season at 15-16 (10-10, SBC). Western Kentucky advances and is now 21-9 (15-4, SBC).
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