Box Score - South Alabama 69, Spring Hill 42 (.pdf)
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MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team used a 25-0 run midway through the second half to pull away from cross-town rival Spring Hill Tuesday evening as the Jags captured a 69-42 victory over the Badgers at the Mitchell Center.

"Anytime you get a win, we're pleased with that," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said.  "For the first 25 minutes of the ballgame, we just didn't have any energy or any spark and that was disappointing.  I thought that during the last 15 minutes of the game, we played really good team basketball and it was really a credit to our defense.  We started making some baskets that allowed us to pick up and get into our press.  We turned (Spring Hill) over and got some energy off some easy baskets as a result of our defense.  We were able to finish the game at the end and execute some things in our half-court offense."

The Jaguars (3-2) will now head out on the road for the first time this season when they travel to take on Nicholls State on Saturday.  Tip-off versus the Colonels is set for 1 p.m. at Stopher Gym.  The game will be the first of four-straight away from Mobile for South Alabama.

During the pivotal five-minute run, South Alabama knocked down nine of its 11 shot attempts and forced six Spring Hill turnovers, three of which coming off of steals.

Simonne Potts led the Jaguars with her second-double of the season, ending the night 17 points and 13 rebounds – both new career best for the junior forward.  Potts was 7-for-9 from the field and hit three of her four opportunities at the foul line.  Of her 13 rebounds, five came on the offensive glass.  She also added a pair of blocks at the defensive end of the floor in her 29 minutes of action.

Also carding double digits for South Alabama in the win was Marquita Daniels and Breanna Hall who finished with 15 and 10 points, respectively.  Daniels was 7-of-10 from the floor, while all 10 of Hall's points came during the second-half run.  

Freshman post player Chyna Ellis added eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks of her own in the win.

After shooting just 25.8 percent in the first half, South Alabama bounced back and connected on 17 of its 31 attempts in the final period of play for 54.8 percent shooting.  USA ended the contest shooting 40.3 percent from the field.

USA also held a huge advantage at the foul line getting to the stripe 25 times and converting 16 of those opportunities.  Spring Hill was just 5-of-6 at the charity stripe.

The Badgers also shot just 24.6 percent (16-of-65) from the field and 21.9 percent in the second half.  

Elissa VandeWaa led Spring Hill with 11 points and eight rebounds, while Jennifer Clark also chipped in with 10 points – all of which came during the first 20 minutes of action.

The South Alabama defense forced 26 Spring Hill turnovers and converted those into 27 points.  

The Badgers did hold a slim 50-44 advantage on the glass, pulling down 21 offensive rebounds.

As would be the case for most of the first half, both clubs struggled on the offensive end of the floor to start the game.

South Alabama took an 11-6 lead at the 12:36 mark on a free throw by Grace Farnsworth, but USA would go cold over the next four-plus minutes and hit just one field goal.  

Spring Hill took advantage and tied the contest back up at 13-13 with under 10 minutes remaining as Clark drove the lane for a layup just before the shot clock expired.  On the Badgers' next possession, Clark drained a trey from the left wing to tie things up.  

Two minutes later, South Alabama would find a brief spark and reel off six points, the last three coming on an and-one play by Potts with six minutes, 32 seconds remaining before the half.  Potts led USA during the first 20 minutes of play with nine points.

SHC would narrow the deficit to two with under four to play in the first half, but Juliann Miller and Rachel Cumbo each hit both their free-throw opportunities to extend the Jag lead back out to 23-17 with just under two minutes to go before the intermission.  

The Badgers wouldn't go away though and quickly made it a one-possession game again after a bucket by Alishia Drayton and another three-pointer by Clark with 51 seconds showing on the clock, but on the ensuing Jaguar possession, Cumbo drained a trey of her own, this one coming from the left wing.  Cumbo's three was the first of the night for South Alabama as it had missed its first five attempts and was just 1-of-7 in the first stanza.

With time winding down, Clark – who led all scorers with 10 first-half points – drew a foul with 1.5 seconds and hit both her attempts at the charity stripe.  Following the two bonus shots, South Alabama took a 26-24 lead into the locker room.

Both teams struggled offensively in the first half as the Jaguars were 8-of-31 from the field for 25.8 percent, while Spring Hill connected on nine of its 33 attempts for 27.3 percent.  USA did force 13 first-half turnovers by the Badgers.

South Alabama and Spring Hill trade baskets for the first nine minutes of the second half with the Badgers pulling within one on five different occasions.

SHC's Amee Smith hit one of her two free throw attempts with 10:53 remaining to cut the deficit to 35-34.

However on ensuing South Alabama possession, Hall ignited the Jaguar offense as the senior knocked down a three-pointer from the right wing.  The bucket was the first of the night for Hall – who entered the game tied for the scoring lead in the Sun Belt.  The main two scorers for USA during the key run were Hall and Daniels who combined for 15 of the Jaguars' 25 points.  

Ellis capped off the scoring four South Alabama and gave the Jags a 60-34 advantage with less than six minutes remaining in the contest.

VandeWaa ended the scoreless streak for Spring Hill with a trey with four minutes, 34 seconds showing on the clock, but South Alabama held control the rest of the way and cruised to the 27-point victory.

NOTES:  The meeting between South Alabama and Spring Hill was the 32nd in the all-time series.  USA now holds a 29-3 advantage in the series and has won 16 straight, dating back to the 1982-83 season. The Jaguars are also 21-1 on their home floor over SHC and 7-0 at the Mitchell Center.  Last season, South Alabama defeated Spring Hill 66-42 at the Mitchell Center.  Junior forward Simonne Potts recorded her second double-double of the season with 17 points and 13 rebounds – both new career best.  Marquita Daniels also a season-high 13 points in the victory.  The key stretch of the game came midway through the second half as USA turned a one-point lead into a 26-point advantage courtesy of a 25-0 run.  During the pivotal five-minute run, South Alabama knocked down nine of its 11 shot attempts and forced six Spring Hill turnovers, three of which coming off of steals.

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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