Box Score - Tennessee Tech 70, South Alabama 66 (.pdf)

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – After trailing back as much as 17 points in the second half, the University of South Alabama women's basketball team pulled within one in the closing seconds, but saw its rally attempt come up short as Tennessee Tech held on for a 70-66 win at the Eblen Center.

USA (3-5) pulled within one with 14 seconds to go and had a chance to take the lead, but missed a three-pointer that would have given the Jags the lead.  Samaria Howard later sealed the win with a pair of free throws with 3.3 seconds left.  Tennessee Tech (2-7) hit seven free throws in the final minute of play to give the Golden Eagles just enough of a margin.  

"It was disappointing to lose tonight," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said.  "We just put ourselves in such a whole and had to fight and try to come back.  We just have to figure it out.  Late in the game we were able to get a lot of high-lows because they were trying to front our post players.  Taylor Jenkins was able to convert some of those baskets.  That was big for us.  Late in the game, they started taking those away from us and we started to hit some shots in the corner."  

With the loss, the Jaguars have now lost nine-straight road games dating back to last season – which ties for fifth-longest streak in program history – and 17 of their last 18 away from the Mitchell Center dating back to the end of the 2012-13 season.

The Jaguars (3-5) will next close out its current four-game road swing at UAB on Sunday, Dec. 21.  Tip-off versus the Blazers is set for 1 p.m. at Bartow Arena.

Breanna Hall led the Jaguars with 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting, including a 6-for-11 showing from the three-point line.  The 24 points tied a season high for the senior guard.  The six treys were also a new career best and the most by a Jag in a game since Jessica Starling who had six at Florida Atlantic on Jan. 1, 2009.  

Hall registered 14 of her points during the final 20 minutes of action.  She has recorded double figures in all seven of the games that she has played this season and dating back to last season, has ended the night in double digits in 19 of her last 21 outings.

Also joining Hall in double digits for USA was Taylor Jenkins with 12 points and Colby Davis with 11.  Jenkins also ended the night one rebound shy of a double-double as she led the club with nine boards.  She was 5-of-8 from the field and tied a career-high with three blocks.

Freshman post player Chyna Ells had nine points and seven rebounds to go along with a pair of blocks.  South Alabama scored 40 of its 66 points inside the paint and shot 42.2 percent for the game, knocking down 27 of its 64 attempts.  The Golden Eagles were 22-of-55 from the field for 40 percent.

The key stat on the night was at the foul line, where Tennessee Tech went to the line 33 times, hitting 22 of those opportunities, while South Alabama was just 5-for-11 at the stripe.  The Golden Eagles were 17-for-25 at the line in the second half, while USA was 1-for-2.

TTU was paced by Samaria Howard's 23 points.  Howard – who also grabbed seven rebounds – did most of her damage at the line, connecting on 11 of her 13 attempts.  

Yatavia Hickson 13 points and Hanna Goolsby chipped in with 12.  Like Hickson, Goolsby was solid at the line, hitting seven of her 10 opportunities.  Hickson also added a game-high four steals.

Led by the play of Hall early on, South Alabama got off to a quick start, taking a 10-3 lead a little over three minutes into the contest.  Hall was responsible for eight of the Jaguars' first 10 points and hit three of her first four shots, including a pair of three-pointers.

Following Hall's three with just under 17 minutes showing on the clock, USA would go into an offensive drought over the next several minutes and Howard's layup on the ensuing Golden Eagle possession would ignite a 14-1 run for the home team.  

Hannah Goolsby capped off the scoring for TTU with five-straight points and her trey from the left wing with 10-and-a-half minutes gave the Golden Eagles a 17-11 advantage.

Davis finally recorded a field goal for the Jags with nine minutes, 56 seconds remaining in the first half, the first made bucket for USA in nearly seven minutes.

With six minutes showing on the clock, Davis added another bucket to pull USA within four (21-17), but over the next four-plus minutes, TTU extended its lead back out to as much as 14 (32-18) after a three-pointer from Hickson.

South Alabama made a late charge just before the end of the first half and pulled within single digits at 36-28 after back-to-back baskets by Juliann Miller with 17 seconds remaining, but Hickson would connect on her second trey of the half just before the horn to send the Golden Eagles into the locker room holding a 39-28 advantage.

Howard got Tennessee Tech off to a quick start at the beginning of the second half as she scored 10 of the Golden Eagles' first 13 points.  TTU extended its lead out to as much as 17 three-and-a-half minutes into the final period when Howard found Hickson for a fast break layup to put the Golden Eagles up 47-30.

Following Hickson's bucket though, South Alabama began to fight back, rattling off eight unanswered points.  Hall began the scoring with a three-pointer and Amber Yelding then came up with a steal and dished the ball off to Hall for an easy layup.  Rachel Cumbo then connected from the left side of the arc with less than 15 minutes showing on the clock to cut the deficit to 47-38.

USA kept chipping away at the Tennessee Tech lead and trailing by seven (61-54)  with just over five to play, the Jags again cut into TTU's advantage, pulling within three a minute later after buckets by Davis and Jenkins.  

Hall later narrowed the margin to 63-61 with her fifth three-pointer of the night from the right corner at the 1:38 mark and then with 14 seconds remaining, connected on her sixth three to cut the deficit to 67-66.  

Forced to foul, Goolsby would hit one of her two attempts, giving USA a chance to tie or take the lead, but Yelding's three from the top of the key with four seconds showing on the clock would not fall.  Howard then hit both her attempts at the foul line to seal the four-point win.  

NOTES: The meeting between South Alabama and Tennessee Tech was just the second in the all-time series between the two programs.  Each club now has a win on its home floor. South Alabama holds a 12-8 all-time record versus current Ohio Valley Conference members.  With the loss to Tennessee Tech, the Jaguars have now lost nine-straight road games dating back to last season – which ties for fifth-longest streak in program history – and 17 of their last 18 away from the Mitchell Center dating back to the end of the 2012-13 season.  Breanna Hall led the Jaguars with 24 points, her seventh double-figure scoring game this season and 19th in her last 21 outings dating back to last season.  Hall had a career-high six treys against TTU, the most by a Jag in a game since Jessica Starling who had six at Florida Atlantic on Jan. 1, 2009.  

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).

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