Sun Belt Conference Weekly News and Notes (Week 12)
2015-16 Sun Belt Conference Media Guide
2015-16 Sun Belt Conference Composite Schedule
2015-16 Sun Belt Conference Standings
2015-16 Sun Belt Conference Statistics
Jaguars Win Third Consecutive; Daniels Earns Student-Athlete of the Week Honors
The South Alabama Jaguars are riding a three-game winning due in large part by the play of sophomore guard Marquita Daniels who leads the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game. Daniels paved the way in the last two victories, over Troy and Appalachian State, as she poured in 17 points on 4-8 shooting, along with 8-10 from the charity stripe, in the 75-71 win over the Trojans. On Saturday, Daniels posted a season-high 22 points in the victory on 7-of-15 shooting. She was also 7-for-8 at the foul line, and recorded six rebounds, three assists, and two steals in the 71-55 win over the Mountaineers who previously put up 96 points two days prior.
With USA holding a nine-point lead, Daniels scored seven of South Alabama’s 12 points during a 12-0 run to seal the win over the Mountaineers. Daniels hit five of her six free-throw attempts in the final minute-and-a-half to give the Jaguars their third-straight win and fourth in their last five outings. This week the tests get tougher as the Jaguars will travel to Arkansas to take on Arkansas State, which has won 10 consecutive league games and is riding a 20-game home winning streak, and Little Rock, which has won three consecutive league games. USA faces the Red Wolves on Thursday and will face Little Rock on Saturday.
A-State set a school record with its 20th consecutive home victory on Saturday over Georgia Southern, which is also tied for the 6th longest streak in the nation. The Red Wolves are currently 16-3, 10-0 in league play as we get ready to begin the second-half of the regular season. The Red Wolves posted victories over Georgia State and Georgia Southern and will now face the suddenly red-hot Jaguars before hosting the Troy Trojans. Troy has lost four-straight.
After just a four-point win over UT Arlington, the Little Rock Trojans got going on the defensive end in their next two games as they allowed a combined 68 points in the two wins - over Georgia Southern (69-36) and Georgia State (59-32). The Trojans are also riding a three-game winning streak and have posted wins in five of their last seven games to improve their Sun Belt record to 6-4.
At the halfway point in the season, six Sun Belt teams are above .500 in league play with A-State leading the way at 10-0. UL Lafayette sits at 8-2 in conference action while Little Rock has moved into third. Texas State sits in fourth with a 5-4 record. South Alabama and Troy, each at 5-5, round out the teams above .500 in league play.
Recent Results
January 21 (Thursday)
Georgia State 80, Appalachian State 75 *
Texas State 67, Little Rock 57 *
UL Monroe 77, Troy 73 *
UL Lafayette 69, South Alabama 50 *
Arkansas State 78, UT Arlington 71 *
January 23 (Saturday)
Arkansas State 74, Texas State 59 *
South Alabama 63, UL Monroe 57 *
UL Lafayette 56, Troy 53 *
Little Rock 59, UT Arlington 55 *
January 25 (Monday)
Georgia Southern 65, Appalachian State 50 *
January 26 (Tuesday)
South Alabama 75, Troy 71 *
January 28 (Thursday)
Arkansas State 75, Georgia State 54 *
Little Rock 69, Georgia Southern 36 *
Appalachian State 96, Troy 81 *
UT Arlington 60, UL Monroe 50 *
Texas State 46, UL Lafayette 42 *
January 30 (Saturday)
Arkansas State 77, Georgia Southern 54 *
Little Rock 59, Georgia State 32 *
UL Monroe 63, Texas State 59 *
UL Lafayette 63, UT Arlington 52 *
South Alabama 71, Appalachian State 55 *
Upcoming Games
February 2 (Tuesday)
UL Monroe at UL Lafayette * - 5:00 PM
February 4 (Thursday)
UL Lafayette at Appalachian State * - 4:00 PM
UT Arlington at Georgia Southern * - 4:00 PM
Texas State at Georgia State * - 4:00 PM
South Alabama at Arkansas State * - 5:05 PM
Troy at Little Rock * - 5:15 PM
February 6 (Saturday)
UT Arlington at Georgia State * - 11:00 AM
UL Monroe at Appalachian State * - 12:00 PM
Troy at Arkansas State * - 3:05 PM
Texas State at Georgia Southern * - 3:30 PM
South Alabama at Little Rock * - 4:00 PM
* - Denotes Conference Game | All times central
WEEK 12 SUN BELT CONFERENCE STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Marquita Daniels
South Alabama | Sophomore | Guard
Marquita Daniels was instrumental this past week in helping lead South Alabama to a pair of Sun Belt wins. For the week, Daniels averaged 19.5 ppg, 4. 0 rpg, while also adding five assists and three steals. Daniels also shot 47.8 percent from the floor and hit 15 of her 18 free-throw attempts (.833). The sophomore guard began her week with a 17-point performance on the road in a four-point win at Troy on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and 8-of-10 at the foul line. Daniels came up big at the end of the last two quarters. In the third, she snuck behind the Trojan defense on an inbounds play for a breakaway layup to give USA some momentum. Daniels later sealed the win for the Jaguars as she hit all four of her free-throw attempts in the final 21 seconds. On Saturday, Daniels led the Jaguars with a season-high 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting and had another solid night at the charity stripe, knocking down seven of her eight attempts. She also pulled down six rebounds and recorded a pair of steals. Daniels got off to a strong start, posting 12 first-half points. As she did against Troy, Daniels was clutch in the final two minutes for the Jags against the Mountaineers. With USA holding a nine-point lead, Daniels scored seven of South Alabama’s 12 points during a 12-0 run to seal the win. Daniels hit five of her six free-throw attempts in the final minute-and-a-half to give the Jaguars their third-straight win and fourth in their last five outings.
PREVIOUS STUDENT-ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
11.17: Jaylen Gordon, UL Lafayette
11.24: Taeler Deer, Texas State
12.01: Shanity James, Little Rock
12.08: Angel McGowan, Georgia Southern
12.15: Alayshia Hunter, UL Monroe
01.04: Ashley Beverly Kelley, Troy
01.11: Khadija Brown-Haywood, Arkansas State
01.18:Ashley Beverly Kelley, Troy
01.25: Khadija Brown-Haywood, Arkansas State
AROUND THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE
A-STate Up to No. 55 in NCAA RPI
Arkansas State remains at No. 55 in the latest NCAA report posted Feb. 1. The Red Wolves are a league best 16-3 overall and are 10-0 in league play.
Home Sweet Home
The Red Wolves are also riding an astounding 20-game winning streak at home which is the best in program history for the A-State program. The streak is also tied for the sixth longest in the NCAA this season.
Speak of Good Starts
The 16-3 record posted by the Red Wolves through 19 games is the second best start in school history. The 10-0 start to league play is the best start in school history.
Hitting the Blocks
With her four blocks, South Alabama’s Chyna Ellis increased her season total to 56, tying the mark she set last season as a freshman, which ranks fifth-most in a single season in program history. Ellis passed former Jags Genevieve Delk (52 – seventh) and Orphie Moore (53 – sixth) during the game.