Game 12 - vs. Georgia State Game Notes (.pdf)

MOBILE, Ala. – Coming off a nine-point victory in its Sun Belt opener, the University of South Alabama women's basketball team will look to pick up its second conference victory Saturday afternoon when the Jaguars host Georgia State.  Tip-off versus the Panthers is set for 2:05 p.m. at the Mitchell Center.  

Live stats and web streaming for the contest versus Georgia Sate will be available at www.USAJaguars.com.

"(Georgia State) is very athletic and they really like to run and push the basketball," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said.  "They like to get a lot of transition baskets, so we are going to have to get back on defense against them.  They play multiple defenses to switch things up, so we are going to have recognize what defense they are in and then get in the appropriate offense."  

South Alabama (3-8, 1-0 SBC) comes into Saturday's game after picking up a 74-65 victory over Western Kentucky on Wednesday in its conference opener.  USA connected on nine of its 12 three-point opportunities versus the Lady Toppers and was led by a career-high 21 points from senior guard Meghan Dunn in the nine-point win.

Coming into play this weekend, the Jaguars lead the Sun Belt in three-point shooting as they are knocking down 37.3 percent of their attempts and averaging 7.1 treys per outing.  USA has had seven or more threes in eight times this season.

Dunn - who has scored double figures in each of her last five outings - leads the team and is tied with Troy's Ashley Beverly-Kelly for 10th in the league in scoring with 13.0 points per game.  Dunn is also tied for second in the Sun Belt in treys per game (2.2) and is sixth in three-point shooting, knocking down 40.0 percent of her attempts from the arc.

Along with Dunn, sophomore guard/forward Rachel Cumbo has been a threat from the outside.  The Houston, Texas, native currently leads the SBC with a 53.1 three-point percentage and is ninth in the league with 1.5 threes per game.  She is also second on the club with 8.6 ppg after posting 17 versus WKU.  Cumbo was 4-of-5 from long range against the Toppers and 5-of-6 at the foul line.

Jennifer Johnson (8.4) and Colby Davis (8.1) have also had sold seasons offensively for the Jags this season.  Johnson is second in the conference in blocks with 1.3 per game.  Over her last five outings, the Tulsa, Okla., native has posted 11 of her team-high 13 rejections.

Senior forward Ronneka Robertson - who collected her fifth double-figure outing on the glass versus WKU with 11 rebounds - is second in the Sun Belt with 9.1 rebounds per game.  

Like the Jaguars, Georgia State (5-8, 1-0 SBC) enters this weekend's action after opening league play with an 85-77 victory over Troy at home.  The game versus the Trojan's marked the first-ever Sun Belt contest for the Panthers as this is their first season in the conference.  

All five starters registered double figures in the New Year's Day victory and were led by freshman Haley Gerrin's 17 points.  Gerrin was 7-for-12 from the field.  The 6-2 post player is averaging 8.3 ppg and leads the club in shooting with a 55.3 field-goal percentage - second-best in the Sun Belt.  

The Panthers' top offensive threat is senior guard Kendra Long.  Long ranks ninth in the SBC in scoring (13.3) and has scored double figures 10 times, including three 20-point efforts.  She also has 40 assists and 27 steals and ranks as the program's career three-point leader with 186 made threes during her four-year career.

"(Long) is a great player," Fowler said.  "She's the all-time leader in three-pointers there.  She's also a player who has a great pull up game.  She's very versatile and can put it on the floor, so we're going to have to get out on her."

Gaby Moss (7.6 ppg) paces GSU and ranks second behind Cumbo in three-point shooting as she has connected on 47.4 percent of her long-range attempts.  She had 16 points in her last outing and was 4-of-5 from the arc versus the Trojans.

As a team, Georgia State is averaging 9.0 steals per contest and has three players - Alisha Andrews (3rd), Long (T-4th) and Kayla Nolan (6th) each averaging two steals per game and ranked in the top six of the league in that category.  

Andrews also leads the Sun Belt in assists with 4.8 per game, while Nolan sits just outside double figures at 9.8 ppg.

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:  The meeting between South Alabama and Georgia State will be the fourth in the all-time series and first between the two clubs since the 1996-97 season.  GSU holds a 2-1 advantage in the series and won the last meeting 82-70 in the championship game of the Georgia State Invitational in Atlanta, Ga. USA scored a still school-record 112 points versus the Panthers during the 1987-88 meeting in Mobile. The Jags are 1-0 versus GSU on its home floor.
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