MOBILE, Ala. ? The University of South Alabama women's basketball team limited Troy to 37.3 percent shooting and forced 21 turnovers Wednesday night to pick up a 58-48 victory over the Trojans in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams at the Mitchell Center.

USA (10-1,1-0 SBC) will next host Middle Tennessee Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m., as part of a doubleheader with the men’s team.  The Lady Trojans drop to 6-4 on the season and 0-1 in league play with the loss.  Jeanette Tucker was one of thee Lady Jags to record double figures in the victory for South Alabama.  Tucker’s 16 points was one point shy of tying the Jag senior’s career-high.  Shakira Nettles (11) and Patriece Brunner (10) also finished the game in double digits for the Jags. 

Troy was paced by Amy Lewis’ 16 points and Kylie Morrissy’s 11.  Morrissy also recorded a double-double for the Trojans as she recorded a game-high 10 rebounds. 

The Lady Trojans entered the contest ranked second in the nation in three-point shooting, but the Jaguar defense limited Troy to just 5-of-23 shooting from beyond the arc for 21.7 percent.

In the first half both teams had their offensive troubles as South Alabama started out just 1-of-9 from the field, while the Trojans committed six turnovers in the first five minutes of play.  Amy Lewis gave Troy an early 5-2 lead with a three-pointer from the top of the key with just under 15 minutes on the clock, but Tucker nailed three straight baskets to give the Lady Jags the lead again at 8-5.  With USA holding a two point advantage at 12-10 with just over eight minutes left before the intermission, Amanda Leonard found Karina Sproal cutting to the basket to ignite a six point spurt over the next two minutes.  Leonard later gave the Jags an 18-10 lead with a lay up of her own at the 5:59 mark.  With under four minutes to play in the opening half, South Alabama reeled off eight more unanswered points to take its largest lead of the period at 28-16 on a Tucker free throw.  Zena Lawerence converted an acrobatic lay up just before the half to cut the Lady Jag advantage to 10 (28-18)

The two key stats in the first half of play for Troy was in the turnover and three-point shooting areas.  The Lady Trojans committed 14 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play and hit just one of their eight opportunities from beyond the arc.  Troy came into the contest shooting 43 percent from long range.

After another Lewis basket to open the second half for the Trojans, South Alabama grabbed its largest lead of the game when Monique Jones laid the ball off the glass to cap off a seven point spurt and give USA a 35-21 advantage with 18 minutes left.  Coming out of a time out, Troy answered right back and cut the Jag advantage to 35-29 over the next two and a half minutes, but USA did not allow the Trojans to come any closer.  With under 11 minutes to go in the game, Brunner muscled in a field goal to put USA back up by double digits (46-36) at the 8:51 mark and Jessica Starling drained her second trey of the half a minute later to stretch the lead back out to13.  Troy made it interesting down the stretch, cutting the Jag advantage to 56-48 on a Lewis bucket with a minute and a half to go, but USA went on to pick up the 58-48 victory.