Box Score - Southern Miss 93, South Alabama 68 (.pdf)

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HATTIESBURG, Miss. – After trailing by as much as 18 early in the second half, the University of South Alabama women's basketball team rallied back and got as close as four, but Southern Miss used a 19-0 run to pull away and pick up a 93-68 win at Reed Green Coliseum.  

USA (0-2) will return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 20, when the Jaguars welcome Nicholls State to the Mitchell Center for their home opener.  Tip-off versus the Colonels is set for 7 p.m.

"I saw some positive things tonight," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said.  "The fact that we were able to fight back and make it a four-point game was good.  Once it got to that point, anything could happen, but we turned it over and gave up a couple and-one opportunities.  But, I saw some positive strides from game one to game two and we just got to keep making those strides.  We've got to work on not turning the ball over and probably more importantly, shore up the defense end of the floor."

Meghan Dunn and Ronneka Robertson each recorded 18 points off the bench for the Jaguars.  Dunn was 5-of-10 from the field and four-for-5 from the three-point line.  Dunn also had four free throws and set a new career mark in assists with six.  Robertson knocked down six of her 1o shot attempts and was 6-of-8 at the foul line.  The 18 points by Robertson were a new career high for the senior forward.

"I thought we attacked well tonight," Fowler said of the offense.  "They pressured us early, but once we settled down against the press, we were able to attack and got layups, which got (Southern Miss) out of the press and gave us a good chance to get back in the game.  A key to that though, was we got stops.  Once they weren't scoring, they couldn't press.

"Meghan Dunn didn't start tonight, but came in and did a great job for us.  Ronneka (Robertson) also did a good job coming in and giving us some aggression on the boards.  Colby Davis and Breanna Hall also attacked the basket and that's what they've got to continue to do."

Breanna Hall and Rachel Cumbo also notched new career-best in the loss, finishing with 13 and 10 points, respectively.  

Southern Miss improved to 2-0 on the young season with the win and had three players post 20-point efforts.  Jamierra Faulkner led all scorers with 27 points on 12-of-20 shooting.  The senior USM point guard also dished out 12 assists and nearly recorded a triple-double with seven steals.  In her first two games of the season, Faulkner has recorded 29 assists.

USM had 25 assists in the game and turned the ball over just 12 times.  

As a team, the Golden Eagles finished with 17 steals and forced 25 Jaguar turnovers.  Southern Miss converted those miscues by South Alabama into 39 points.  

Ashley Folsom and Tamara Jones each finished with 23 points – new career best for both players.  Folsom was 10-for-15 from the field and had five blocks, while Jones, who was limited in the first half due to foul trouble, had all 23 of her points in the second period of play and pulled down 14 rebounds – five on the offensive glass and nine at the defensive end of the floor.

For the game, the Golden Eagles were 38-for67 for 56.7 percent.  USA, which struggled to shoot the ball in its opener, was 22-for-53 for 41.5 percent and connected on seven of its 12 three-point attempts.    

Trailing by 15 at the break, Southern Miss looked as if it were going continue where it left off in the first half as Faulkner knocked down a jumper just inside the arc on the Golden Eagles' first offensive possession.  However, the Jaguars answered right back with a 17-4 run over the next seven minutes and trimmed the deficit to 55-51 on a jumper by Robertson at the 12:56 mark.  Robertson, who was also limited in the first half after picking up a pair of early fouls, 11 of South Alabama's final 12 points during the run.

Southern Miss didn't help its self during the early part of the second half, as the Golden Eagles hit just three of their first 15 shots to begin the final frame.  

USM looked as if it had ended the Jaguar threat as it quickly stretched the lead back out to 11 (62-51) with just over 11 minutes left to play following a trey from Faulkner, but South Alabama again came charging right back and narrowed the game to 64-60 less than two minutes later after back-to-back three's by Dunn and a trey from Cumbo at the top of the key at the 9:36 mark.

Following a 30-second time out by the home team though, Jones ignited the pivotal 19-0 run for Southern Miss when Alex Coyne found Jones open for a jumper.  Jones keyed the run for Southern Miss as she dropped in 10 of her 23 second-half points during that stretch.

South Alabama, which had shot the ball well to that point, missed its next 11 shots during the nearly seven minute scoreless drought and turned the ball over five times.  

From there, the Golden Eagles went on to pick up the 25-point victory.

As it did most of the first half, Southern Miss attacked the post early on as 12 of the Golden Eagles' first 14 points came inside the paint.  USM hit six of its first 10 shot attempts and took advantage of four Jaguar turnovers, jumping out to a 14-2 lead less than five minutes into the contest.  USA also missed its first six shot attempts during the opening stretch.

While struggling from the field in the early going, the Jaguars stayed in the game at the foul line, as they first five attempts at the stripe.  Hall finally ended the field-goal drought for USA when she drove the lane and converted an old-fashioned three-point play at the 15:01 mark.  

Over the next several minutes, South Alabama began to protect the ball better and chipped away at the Southern Miss advantage and Dunn cut the deficit to seven (25-18) with under nine minutes to go with a trey from the right wing.  Dunn had 12 points for the Jaguars during the first 20 minutes of action.  

The Golden Eagles though regained control with a 7-0 spurt over the next minute-and-a-half and extended their lead back out to 32-18 and later headed into the locker room with the 49-34 halftime advantage.

The duo of Folsom and Faulkner led the way during the first period of play for Southern Miss as they combined for 31 points.  Folsom was 8-for-10 from the field and had 17 points in the half, while Faulkner was 6-of-9 from the field for 14 points.  She also had seven assists in the period.

As a team, USM shot 62.5 percent in the first half, connecting on 20 of its 32 field goal attempts

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).

NOTES:  With the loss, South Alabama falls to 15-12 in the all-time series and 3-11 in Hattiesburg.  USA is also now 74-122 versus current Conference USA opponents.  The 18 points by Ronneka Robertson were a new career high for the senior forward.  Breanna Hall (13) and Rachel Cumbo (10) also notched new career best versus Southern Miss.  The 93 points scored by Southern Miss were the most recorded by the Golden Eagles in the series since scoring 91 in a game versus the Jags during the 1997-98 season.  Prior to the game versus Southern Miss, senior forward Jennifer Johnson was suspended indefinitely from the team.  Sophomores Sharon Sanders (guard) and Taylor Jenkins (forward) made their first collegiate starts for the Jags Tuesday night at Southern Miss.

—USA—