Game 8 - at Tennessee Tech Game Notes (.pdf)COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team will continue its four-game road swing on Tuesday night when the Jaguars travel to Tennessee Tech. Tip-off versus the Golden Eagles is set for 6 p.m. at the Eblen Center.
Live stats, web stream and the Jaguars audio broadcast of the contest versus Tennessee Tech can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com. The game will be shown on the OVC Digital Network.
South Alabama (3-4) enters Tuesday night's contest versus the Golden Eagles after falling 88-48 at Ole Miss on Sunday. The Jags only trailed by eight at the intermission, but the Rebels came out strong at both ends of the floor in the second half, shooting 60 percent from the floor and holding USA to just 17.4 percent shooting.
UM also held the Jags to just 14 points and four made field goals during the final 20 minutes of play, while also forcing 16 turnovers and recording 11 of the club's 20 turnovers. South Alabama didn't record its first made basket in the final period until the 11:30 mark. USA also ended the contest with a season-high 31 turnovers.
"Things didn't go the way we wanted them to against Ole Miss," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said. "We have to forget that game and move forward and try to take care of business against Tennessee Tech. That's the good thing about basketball. We don't really have a chance to stew around over bad performances. We get to go out and play quickly."
Breanna Hall led the team with 11 points in the loss. She has recorded double figures in all six of her games this season and 18 of her last 20 dating back to the '13-14 season. Hall leads the team and ranks third in the conference in scoring with 16.8 ppg. The Mesquite, Texas, native also ranks among the league leaders in free-throw shooting (third – .821), three-point shooting (fifth – .414) and three-pointers per game (T-fourth – 2.0). She has also scored double figures in 18 of her last 20 games dating back to the '13-14 season.
Junior forward Simonne Potts ranks second on the club in both scoring (8.0) and rebounds (5.9). Potts is also one of the top shooters in the Sun Belt as she is knocking down 56.4 percent from the field – fifth best in the league.
Chyna Ellis leads the Jags on the glass and is currently ninth in the conference in rebounding with 6.3 boards per outing. Ellis is averaging 6.0 ppg.
Fellow true freshman Marquita Daniels is coming off a 10 point, four steal outing in her first career start versus the Rebels. In her previous six games, Daniels had registered just three steals. She is averaging 7.3 points per game.
USA, which led the Sun Belt in three-point shooting last season, has struggled from beyond the arc this season as it is shooting just 27.2 percent from long range. The Jags were 2-for-11 versus Ole Miss.
Tennessee Tech (1-7) comes into the game versus the Jaguars after falling 72-60 at Sun Belt Conference foe Georgia State on Saturday. The loss versus the Panthers was the seventh straight for the Golden Eagles. TTU won its season-opener 73-56 at Florida International, but has not won since.
Tech has played eight games so far this season, seven of which have been on the road, and the lone home game came against nationally ranked Georgia.
South Alabama and Tennessee Tech have one common opponent so far as both have lost to Southern Miss.
"(Tennessee Tech) is has a similar team to last year as they return a lot of players from that team," Fowler said. "They are really big in the post and both their wing players really shoot the ball well. They will present some challenges to us. We are going to have to pick our poison with them. Are we going to allow post touches or are we going to get out on the perimeter and contest the threes. They also have a junior college transfer that's an unbelievable athlete and scorer. She gives them even more versatility.
"We're going to have to be solid in our principles and our fundamentals of what we want to do on the defensive end of the floor. We are going to have to get out and try to score some easy baskets at the offensive end."
Candace Parson led the Golden Eagles in the loss to Georgia State as she posted her first double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds on 6-of-13 shooting. She also had a block and two steals in the contest. Parson is averaging 9.5 points and 5.5 boards per outing in 2014-15. She is also shooting 45.6 percent from the field and leads the team with nine blocks.
Tennessee Tech is led offensively by newcomer Samaria Howard, who is averaging 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds. She is 11th in the Ohio Valley in scoring. Howard also paces the club with a 48.1 field-goal percentage - seventh in the OVC - and is tied for the team lead with Yaktavia Hickson in steals with 11. Like Parson, Howard is coming off her first double-double of the season with a 14 point, 11 rebound performance versus GSU.
The Golden Eagles are shooting 36.3 percent from the field and averaging 61.2 ppg, while allowing their opponents to shoot 46.6 percent from the floor and surrendering 74.9 ppg.
NOTES: The meeting between South Alabama and Tennessee Tech will mark just the second in the all-time series between the two programs. The Jaguars took the only other meeting in the series, defeating the Golden Eagles 66-58 in Mobile last season. South Alabama holds a 12-7 all-time record versus current Ohio Valley Conference members. The last time USA defeated an OVC member was last season (Tennessee Tech, 66-58).
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).
—USA—
