Jackson comes through in clutch for SU women

• By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Mar 9, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Southern junior guard Deidra Jackson took another step in her evolution Saturday — finding a way to carry her team even on an off night for her and her teammates.

Jackson came through with nine straight points in the final seven minutes, and Freda Allen hit two free throws with 3.5 seconds to play, as the Jaguars held off Texas Southern 45-42 at the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

Jackson had 15 of her 19 points after halftime, while Allen added eight points, six rebounds and two steals for Southern (12-15, 10-8 Southwestern Athletic Conference).

“It’s the same thing I told (former SWAC players of the year Jacklyn) Winfield and (Rolanda) Monroe: We’re going to win it or lose it with your hands on the ball,” Southern coach Sandy Pugh said.

With center Fredrieka Lewis fouling out with 5:14 left and Texas Southern hanging on, Pugh turned the game over to Jackson, letting her drive the lane to score on layups or get to the free-throw line.

“You have to (come through),” Jackson said. “If I’m going to be the big dog, I’ve got to.”

Southern, which finished fourth in the conference standings after winning its final two regular-season games, will play fifth-seeded Arkansas-Pine Bluff (11-18, 9-9), which swept the Jaguars in two games this season, at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament in Birmingham, Ala.

“It feels good to win two in a row again,” Pugh said. “It was a struggle, but I’ll take it.”

Jessica Hornage had 10 points off the bench to lead TSU (8-20, 6-12), which placed ninth and won’t advance to the SWAC tournament.

Jackson, a 74.2 percent free-throw shooter, finished 7-for-12 at the free-throw line. At one point, she missed two front ends and was 2-for-6. She was also 6-for-18 from the floor.

“I actually asked her to take me out,” Jackson said. “I was hoping one of my teammates would step in and be able to do it, but she said no.”

“She was saying, ‘Coach, I’m not in a rhythm. I just don’t feel it,’” Pugh said. “I told her at halftime, that’s the difference between good players and great players. … Even if they can’t score, great players figure out other ways.”

Southern, which never trailed, used a 9-1 surge to go up 20-9 on Hannah Kador’s free throw with 4:31 until halftime. But TSU’s 11-2 spurt, including a banked-in 3-pointer from Hornage, got the Lady Tigers within 32-30 with 7:24 left.