MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team (11-5, 4-1 SBC) took down the Troy Trojans (7-9, 2-3 SBC), 79-68, with four-double digit scorers and helped head coach Terry Fowler collect his 50th win at South Alabama on Saturday at the Mitchell Center. The Jags are 4-1 to start Sun Belt Conference action for the first-time since the 2011-12 season.
 
Savannah Jones put up a 20-point effort as she shot 7-of-14 from the field, including 4-for-9 on three-pointers. The redshirt freshman also collected three rebounds and assisted on a pair of shots.
 
Chyna Ellis had a slow start, but picked it up after being held scoreless in the first quarter. The senior center recorded 13 points and grabbed nine boards, missing her eighth double-double of the season by one rebound, and had a pair of assists and steals to go with one block. Ellis has 276 career blocks and is four blocks away from becoming the all-time leader in SBC history.
 
Shaforia Kines and Erin Autio each recorded their fourth game of 10 or more points this season. Kines made a pair of shots, including a three-pointer, and went 7-of-7 on free-throw attempts for 12 points. She also grabbed five boards, had three steals and an assist. Autio collected 10 points on a 4-of-7 shooting night, making two of her four three-point attempts. The senior guard also had four rebounds and three assists.
 
Antoinette Lewis and LaNeetra Guillory each had nine points. Lewis grabbed six rebounds, while Guillory grabbed four and had a game-high three blocks. Genesis Perrymond recorded a game-high eight assists.
 
Amber Rivers scored a game-high 25 points for the Trojans on an 11-20 shooting night and grabbed eight rebounds. Rivers came into the matchup averaging 13 points per game.
  
GAME FACTS
- Troy started on a 9-3 run in the first two minutes of the contest.
- USA answered back with an 8-0 run to take a two-point lead.
- The Trojans were up six in the final seconds of the opening quarter, but Autio drained a three-pointer as time expired to cut the deficit to three.
- USA went 10-of-15 from the field in the first quarter.
- In the second, South Alabama outscored Troy 21-13, including closing the quarter on 10-2 run, to lead 44-39 at the half.
- The Trojans kept it close in the third by only being outscored by 1, but the Jags pulled away in the fourth, outscoring the Trojans 18-13, for the 11-point victory.
- South Alabama shot 10-for-11 from the charity-stripe in the fourth quarter.
- Troy outrebounded South Alabama 45-39, but USA took the defensive glass 31-29.
- The Jags converted 21 Trojan turnovers into 17 points.
- Troy took points in the paint and bench points 32-28 and 33-32, respectively.
- The Trojans went 2-of-17, 11.8 percent, on three-point buckets, the lowest percentage by a USA opponent this season.
- South Alabama shot 44.4 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from the beyond the arc.
 
NOTES
- South Alabama's 11-5 record is the best start since the 2008-09 campaign.
- Jones had her third 20-point game of the season and today was the eighth time in her nine contests to score 10 or more points.
- Ellis has scored 10 or more points in 10 of her last 11 games and has had just two games this season with less than 10 points.
- Kines made seven free-throws to best her previous career-high of two.
- The Jags have shot better than 40 percent from the field in 11 of their 16 games and are 10-1 in those games.
- USA is 10-2 when scoring 60 or more points, including 7-0 when scoring at least 70.
- South Alabama overcame a first-quarter deficit for the third time this season.
- Today marked the third-time this season the Jags have had four double-digit scores and they have had at least two in every game except for one.
- South Alabama has collected 20 assists in five games this season.
- USA has played 105 consecutive games without going to overtime.
 
THEY SAID IT
USA head coach Terry Fowler
Opening statement: "I'm just excited about how we came out and played. Early in the ballgame both teams were going punch for punch, and we were able to get some separation at the end of the second quarter. In the third quarter we were able to break the press a little better and get some easy baskets. We did a good job on the boards in the second half when we had to, giving them one shot opportunities, rebounding and then going down and executing on the offensive end."
 
On the win: "Coming off the big road win at UTA it was huge for us to keep the momentum going. This three-game homestand that we have coming up is really important to us as we get deeper and deeper into Sun Belt Conference play. To come back and win this game against a rival, to keep our momentum going and keep gaining confidence is what was crucial tonight."
 
On seeing the team play with confidence: "Hey, they are just playing; today Genesis Perrymond was making play calls. We're just clicking right now.  It's shot making, it's on the defensive end of the floor, we need to continue it. It's about the everyday process, not worrying about the results of the game; our kids have been focused on each and every day and each rep, that's what has been exciting for me as a coach."
 
On the importance of three-point shooting in the game: "They really trapped on one side of the floor, and as they trapped we were able to get the ball reversed and we got wide-open looks against their defense. We have some kids who can really shoot the basketball, and they were able to make some of those.  I thought we needed to get out on their shooters, they have a couple of kids who really shoot the ball well. After the first quarter we got out and defended them a little better, that was a big difference."
 
On what has changed from last year to this season: "We have five seniors who are motivated, it's the maturity. We have a freshmen group that came in that is very talented and they have lifted the tide, even though they are not playing a lot they are still good enough players and we haven't had to spend a lot of time on them. But our trip to Canada this summer is what was really huge, it has played a big part; we got so far ahead that when we got to the first practice on Oct. 1 we already had the offense and defense in so we were able to jump start."
 
Senior G Erin Autio
On her shooting early in the game: "I feel like I've struggled the last few games shooting, I haven't been playing my game necessarily. My teammates just keep telling me to shoot, they believe in me and my coaches believe in me so I just let it fly and hoped it would go in."
 
On the win: "It's a huge win, it always feels good to beat Troy. It was a big win."
 
Redshirt Freshman G Savannah Jones
On the win: "It was a huge win for us because Troy is a pretty good defensive team, they tested us tonight with the press and I thought that we handled it well."
 
On the team's confidence: "We just keep each other up and stayed positive. We have a next-play mentality in our heads so it is easy to bounce back from that."
 
UP NEXT
The Jaguars return to action on Thursday with a home SBC contest against Coastal Carolina. Opening tip is scheduled for 5:05 p.m.
 
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).

Join the Jaguar Athletic Fund (JAF) Priority Fund, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to the Priority Fund directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give

—USA—