MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team will see its first action of the season Thursday night when it welcomes Auburn-Montgomery to the Mitchell Center for an exhibition game.  Tip-off versus the Warhawks is set for 7 p.m. and admission is free.  The meeting will be the first between the two clubs since the 1989-90 season.
 
Live stats, audio and web streaming for the contest can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com.  Fans can also keep up with in-match updates by following action on the program's twitter account @SouthALWBB.
 
USA returns three starters and six other letterwinners from last season's squad, led by the junior duo of Marquita Daniels and Chyna Ellis.  Marquita Daniels was selected to the preseason all-Sun Belt First Team while Ellis was selected to the second team.
 
Daniels enters the 2016-17 campaign as the top returning scorer for the club.  The Atlanta, Ga. native averaged 11.3 ppg, while also leading the team in steals (2.3 spg) and three-pointers made (34).  She earned third team all-conference honors last season after ranking third in the league in steals per game and 17th scoring.  Her 61 steals were third-most by a sophomore in school history.
 
Ellis earned conference defensive player of the year honors, the first in program history, in addition to being named third team all-conference last season.  Her 82 blocks were four shy of tying the school record for most blocks in a single season, ranking first in the Sun Belt and 22nd nationally in blocks per game (2.73).
 
South Alabama will have to replace two startrs from last year's squad, Taylor Jenkins and Juliann Miller.  Miller led last year's team in field goal percentage (47.6%), averaged 7.0 pppg and started all but one game while Jenkins started in 22 games and averaged 6.1 ppg and 4.4 rpg.
 
USA also welcomes four newcomers to the squad -- true freshmen Shaforia Kines, Camryn London, Kennedi Centers and Savannah Jones.  Redshirt sophomore Candace Wiliams is eligible to play this year after sitting out last season after transferring from James Madison.
 
Auburn-Montgomery is coming off a 23-10 overall record and a 13-5 mark in the Southern States Athletic Conference a year ago.  AUM reached the 2016 NAIA Women's Basketball Championship as a sixth seed as one of 16 teams to garner at-large bids.
 
 The Warhawks are transitioning to Division II after previously being in the NAIA.  They are a future member of the Gulf South Conference, beginning play in the conference next year.  They are in its second year of the three-year NCAA Division II membership process and are scheduled to be a fully-approved NCAA member in 2018-19.
 
The Warhawks return only one starter and letterwinner from last year's squad, Kaylan Withrown.  Withrow averged 12.0 ppg, made 134 three-pointers and shot 88.0% from the free throw line, 35.4% from the field and 34.8% from three.
 
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).