Women lose to Alabama A&M

Southern’s plans of staying atop the Southwestern Athletic Conference have become unsteady as the Jaguars failed to execute in a 58-56 loss to Alabama A&M at Elmore Gym.
The loss, fourth in its last seven games, dropped the Jaguars to 13-10 overall and 10-4 in the conference. With the win Alabama A&M improved to 11-11 and 7-6.
“I thought we were extremely non-competitive,” said Head Coach Sandy Pugh. “We just showed up. You just don’t walk in a gym and because you have the No. 1 tag on your back think you’re going to win.”
The Lady Jaguars trailed 31-22 at half time and 56-47 with under two minutes left before battling back. Rolanda Monroe’s 3-pointer with 67 seconds left pulled Southern within 56-52 and after an A&M free throw, Fredrieka Lewis scored inside and Monroe’s layup with 23.8 seconds left pulled the Lady Jaguars within 57-56.
A&M hit a free throw with 16.2 seconds left giving them a 58-56 advantage, but Pugh called timeout with 10.6 seconds left to set up a play. Unfortunately, A&M triple-teamed Monroe and she was forced to pass the ball to Ashton Jones, who misfired as time ran out.
“The play was designed for me to go baseline and give it to Fredrieka or try to get the foul,” said Monroe, who finished with 18 points, but was just 7-of-18 from the field. “Three girls jumped to that side so I didn’t have anything, so I dished it to (Jones). It was tough for a freshman to take that shot, but she did the best she could.”