LONG ISLAND, N.Y. ? Behind Monique Jones' career-high 25 points, the University of South Alabama women's basketball team captured a 63-51 victory over the College of Charleston in the first round of the LIU Turkey Classic Friday afternoon at the Recreation, Wellness and Activity Center on the Long Island Campus.

“Monique really stepped up for us tonight and that’s what we expected out of her coming into the season,” said South Alabama women’s basketball head coach Rick Pietri.  “She made plays for us when we had to have them made tonight.”

USA (3-1) will close out tournament action, Saturday when the Lady Jags take on LIU at 4 p.m.  The Blackbirds advanced to the championship game of their home tournament with a 62-52 victory over Cleveland State in the first game of the day on Friday.

The Lady Jags came out in the first half on fire, knocking down four of their first five shoots from the floor within the first four and a half minutes of play.  The College of Charleston (1-3), however, kept it close and took its first lead of the day after a Melissa Chambers basket at the 13:32 mark.  USA went cold offensively over the next several minutes and did not record another field goal until a Monique Jones three-pointer from the right wing with nine minutes, 25 seconds remaining in the opening half.  Erika Smith put the Cougars up 25-22 at 6:18 mark with her third straight bucket.  The Jags came right back and after a jumper from Tiffany Sanders and an acrobatic shot from the baseline with three minutes, 23 seconds to play in the first stanza, USA reclaimed the lead.  Valencia Boswell put the Lady Jags up 33-27 with an offensive putback with just under a minute to play, before heading into the locker room with a 33-29 lead.

Jones led South Alabama in the first half with 13 points, hitting three of her four opportunities from three-point range.

Five straight points from Jade Hughes trimmed the Jaguar lead to 40-38 at the 15:36 mark of the second half, but back-to-back baskets from Jones stretched the South Alabama advantage back out to 44-38 two minutes later.  The Lady Cougars would get no closer the rest of the way as USA eventually stretched its lead out to as many as 13, before taking the 63-51 victory.  Jones was the offensive force again for the Jags in the second half accounting for 12 of South Alabama’s 30 points in the period.

USA out-rebounded College of Charleston 52-29 on the night and recorded 20 offensive boards.

Jones led all scorers with a game-high 25 points, while Woodard chipped in with 15.  The Lady Cougars were led on the night by Hughes’ 14.