MOBILE, Ala. ? Behind Ra’Shawna Sippio’s fifth career double-double Wednesday evening, the University of South Alabama women’s basketball team snapped a three-game skid with a 68-60 Sun Belt Conference victory over Troy at the Mitchell Center.

Sippio led USA with a career-high 22 points, 19 in the second half, while pulling down 11 rebounds and recording a career-best six blocked shots.  Shakira Nettles (16) and Jessica Starling (12) also finished the game in double digits for USA.  Troy was led by Kylie Morrissy’s career- and game-high 28 points.  Donette McNair led the Trojans on the glass with 15 boards.

USA (12-5, 3-3SBC) will next head on the road to take on Arkansas State Sunday afternoon at 2:05 p.m.  Troy drops to 8-8 on the season and 3-3 in the Sun Belt.

Morrissy opened the second period of play with four quick points and gave Troy its first lead of the night at 29-28 with a pair of free throws.  With the Lady Trojans holding a one-point advantage with under 18 minutes to go, Sippio took over the scoring for the Jags, recording South Alabama’s next 11 points.  Sippio gave USA a 41-36 lead when she hit one of her two attempts at the charity stripe at the 14:29 mark.

After the Sippio free throw though, McNair and Morrissy combined to reel off 11 unanswered points over the next two and a half minutes and helped the Trojans retake the lead.  McNair began the run with two straight baskets and Morrissy capped things off with six consecutive points, including a layup at the 12:08 mark to put Troy up 47-41.

After surrendering the big run, it was South Alabama’s turn to reel off points.  Morriah Smith’s pair of free throws with 11 minutes, 11 seconds left in the half ended the Trojan run and ignited a 10-0 scoring spurt for South Alabama.  Sippio kept things going with a turnaround jumper on USA’s next possession and Starling put the Jags back on top (48-47) with a three-pointer from the right wing.  Freshman Tashley Gaines’ trey with just over nine minutes to go then increased the advantage to 51-47.  Troy battled back though and retook the lead.

Morrissy’s free throws at the 6:37 mark gave Troy a 54-53 advantage, but that was the last lead of the night for the Trojans as from that point on USA closed the game on a 15-6 run and hold Troy to just 2-of-15 shooting the rest of the way.

With the game tied at 57-57 with under five minutes to play, Nettles and Starling put South Alabama out in front for good when the duo connected on back-to-back treys.  The two three-pointers were part of a string of 11 unanswered points for the Jags over the final three minutes.  The only other points that Troy would get would come on a Larelle Ropper three-pointer in the final closing seconds.

Both teams got off to good offensive starts to begin the game and kept it close over the first 11 minutes.  The Trojan offense was led early on by the duo of Morrissy and Alyce Shearing, who combined for all 15 of Troy’s first points.  Nettles paced the Lady Jags in the first 20 minutes of play with 10 points of her own.

After recording seven ties and exchanging the lead, Nettles broke a 17-all tie and ignited a 7-2 spurt when the junior drained a trey from the right wing with less than nine minutes to go before the half.  The run helped the Jaguar women take their largest lead of the half at 26-19.  Over that same five minute stretch, the USA defense held Troy to just one made field goal.  Sippio capped off the run and gave the Jags their seven-point lead when the senior knocked down one of her two opportunities at the free throw line.