Box Score

Gleason Post-Game Interview (video)

HOUSTON – Shanice Steenholdt recorded a double-double, but Houston Baptist ran into a hot-shooting South Alabama team, as the Lady Jags defeated HBU, 83-53, Friday night at Sharp Gym in the season opener for both teams.

Steenholdt led HBU (0-1) with 14 points while also grabbing a team-high 11 rebounds. Erin McGarrachan scored 11 points and was tied with Monet Neal with five boards apiece.

Mary Nixon scored a game-high 22 points for South Alabama (1-0), while also tying for the team high in rebounds with Brianna Wright with seven each. Mansa El added 15 points for the Lady Jags. USA shot 52 percent from the floor and 35 percent from beyond the arc.

HBU jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead on baskets by Steenholdt and McGarrachan, but a three pointer by El started an 8-0 run by the Lady Jags, as they led 8-4 with 15:33 remaining in the opening half.

Rachel Arthur's jumper at the 14:50-mark cut the deficit to two at 8-6, but that was the closest the Huskies came the rest of the game. Nixon hit a jumper, followed by a three-pointer by Nixon, which forced HBU to call a timeout down 13-6 with 13:49 remaining in the first half.

After Devyn Weymouth hit two freebies to make it 19-14 USA with 11:50 left in the first half, the Lady Jags used a 22-5 run in a span of five minutes to lead the Huskies, 41-19, with 6:02 remaining.

HBU scored four straight to stop the run, using three free throws made by Steenholdt and McGarrachan, USA got a jumper and a pair of layups to lead by 25, 49-24, with three minutes left. The Huskies got as close as 21 the rest of the opening half.

Steenholdt led HBU with seven points and six rebounds in the first half. Nixon led USA with 16 points and was tied with Veronica Cherizol with five rebounds each.

USA started the first half on a 5-2 run in the first two minutes of the second half before Arthur's three-pointer made the score 57-35.

HBU cut the deficit to 19, 61-42, following a jumper by McGarrachan, but the Huskies were plagued with turnovers, resulting in points for the Lady Jags. Three Husky turnovers on consecutive possessions resulted in four USA points.

USA's largest lead of the night was 33 following a made free throw by Diamonesha Sophus with 42 seconds remaining. The Huskies made it 30 on the next possession as Steenholdt had a three-point play with a layup and a free throw on the final scoring of the night.

HBU will look for its first win of the season when the Huskies welcome Schreiner University to Sharp Gym on Monday, Nov. 12 at 7 pm.