PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Southern University Lady Jaguars (8-2) picked up four more wins Saturday at the Rattler Classic and sit in third going into bracket play with a 9,197 total, 183.94 average, just 42 pins out of second. Southern shot a 4,643 on the day for a 185.72 average. Three Lady Jaguars finished in the top 12 individual standings.
"The girls came out of the gate red hot today," said head coach
Barry Doyle. "We immediately jumped from fifth to third and held on to that spot all day."
The first matchup on the day was against the team that ended the Lady Jaguars season last year, Alabama State University who received votes in the preseason poll. Looking for revenge, Southern would come out rolling. After a few tough breaks, the Lady Jaguars started making marks when it counted and rolled their first 1,000 game of the season.
Nyla Wilson led the pack with a 231. Seeing her first action in an individual game,
Jayden Hauck came out with a 216.
Alanna Coward and
Kelsey Quinney had impressive 193 and 190, respectively.
Jailyn Rogers rounded out the scoring with a 187. The Lady Jaguars 1,017, 203 average, was 99 pins better than ASU, 918.
Next up was the host of the Lady Jaguars next tournament, No. 17 Tulane Green Wave. The transition made this tough for Southern, while Tulane was able to maneuver through. Rogers led the scoring with a 204 and Hauck shot a 185. Tulane would shoot 1,046 to take the game over Southern's 878.
The schedule turned to rematches and next up for the Southern was Jackson State. The game would be just as close as the previous meeting and the result would be the same, a Southern victory. This game came down to the 10th frame with JSU holding a small lead. Wilson led off with a 210 and put the team within reach. JSU transfer,
Raja Anderson came up with three big strikes in the 10th for a 181. Hauck would throw her second 200 with a 224. A split on a 5-bagger for the Tigers gave Rogers a chance to close out the game. She struck on the first ball and locked up the win at 891-876.
Grambling was up next for the Lady Jaguars and another dominating win would be the result. After shooting a subpar score the game before, Rogers bounced back in a big way with a 238.
Kymberly Jackson came in for her first full game action and shot a 189. Wilson finished with a 187, followed by Hauck with a 172. SU defeated the other school by over 200 pins, 942-727.
With the Lady Jaguars sitting in third, Texas Southern was up next and they were no match either. Anderson led Southern with a 202, while Rogers followed close behind with a 195. Hauck and Wilson continued with their consistent performances, shooting 180 and 173, respectively. The Lady Jaguars would get their eighth win against a SWAC team, 915-750.
"Everyone contributed at some point today, striking when needed," Doyle said about the team's performance. "It was a total team effort to get through the day. I am very proud of how they worked as a team, showed composure during adversity and grinded out some tough games."
Hauck finished her first collegiate tournament with a top 10 showing, shooting a 977 (195.4 avg.) for the 5-game set for the 10th spot. Wilson was right behind in 11th with a 969 (193.8) and Rogers was in 12th at 967 (193.4).
UP NEXT
The Lady Jaguars will take on Jackson State for the third time in the tournament when bracket play begins Sunday morning. The winner will take on the loser of Tulane and Emmanuel. The loser will take on the winner of Alabama State and Florida A&M.
UP NEXT
The Lady Jaguars will take on Jackson State for the third time in the tournament when bracket play begins Sunday morning. The winner will take on the loser of Tulane and Emmanuel. The loser will take on the winner of Alabama State and Florida A&M.
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