Game 10 - vs. Arkansas State Game Notes (.pdf)

MOBILE, Ala. – With the non-conference portion of its schedule now complete, the University of South Alabama women's basketball team will open up Sun Belt Conference action Tuesday night when the Jaguars welcome defending league champ Arkansas State to the Mitchell Center.  Tip-off versus the Red Wolves is set for 5:05 p.m.

Live stats and web streaming of the contest versus Arkansas State can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com.

South Alabama (3-6, 0-0 SBC) enters its Sun Belt opener after taking a nine-day break since its last outing at UAB before the Christmas break.  The Jaguars struggled in the first half offensively, recording just nine points and fell 73-43 to the Blazers.  

USA led by three early on, but suffered a 15-minute scoreless stretch and recorded just one made field goal over the final 18-plus minutes of the opening half.

Breanna Hall led USA offensively in the loss as she dropped in 16 points, her 13th consecutive game to record double digits and the 20th in her last 22 outings dating back to last season.   Hall currently ranks third in the SBC in scoring with 17.6 points per game.  She also ranks among the league leaders in field-goal percentage (13th – .465), free-throw shooting (3rd – .844), three-point shooting (4th – .465) and three-pointers per game (3rd – 2.5).  Her three-point shooting percentage ranks 26th in the nation in the latest stats.

Following Hall, the Jags have four players averaging just under seven points per game.  Freshman guard Marquita Daniels enters the game versus the Red Wolves at 6.9 ppg.  Chyna Ellis (6.3), Simonne Potts (6.2) and Colby Davis (6.0) are right behind Daniels.

Ellis also leads the club and ranks eighth in the league in rebounding with 6.8 boards per outing.  The 6-2 Jag center is also tied for third with Louisiana-Monroe's Sharnice Brooks with 1.4 blocks per outing.  Ellis pulled down 10 rebounds at UAB and recorded a career-best four blocks.

Fellow post player Taylor Jenkins (1.1) is tied for sixth in the league in blocks, while as a team, South Alabama is tied with Georgia Southern for first in the Sun Belt with 4.0 per game.

Arkansas State (5-5, 0-0 SBC) – the defending Sun Belt champion and the league's preseason favorite – after also breaking for Christmas.  The Red Wolves last outing was back on Dec. 22, a 74-68 loss to Florida Gulf Coast.  Prior to the loss versus FGCU, ASU had picked up wins at Kent State and at Missouri State.

The Red Wolves lead the Sun Belt and rank 35th in the NCAA in field-goal percentage, connecting on 44.9 percent of their attempts.  ASU has four players ranked in the top 15 of the conference ranked in that same category individually.  Junior guard Amanda Lawson is tied for fifth in the Sun Belt knocking down 50 percent of her shot attempts.  Fellow juniors Khadija Brown-Haywood (.481) and Aundrea Gamble (.473) are ranked 10th and 12th, respectively.  Jasmine Hunt is 15th at .456.

"Arkansas State is an outstanding basketball team as they are the defending regular-season champion and preseason favorite," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said.  "They have a solid group returning that includes last season's player of the year. They have high expectations of themselves.  Coach (Brian) Boyer does an outstanding job of giving opponents multiple defenses to prepare for and putting his players in position to succeed on the offensive end as well.

They play an array of defenses and do a great job of disguising them.  We must be able to recognize their different looks and execute.  They do a great job of forcing and scoring off of turnovers and we must value the basketball.  Offensively, they get the ball into the paint through penetration or post play.  We have to keep the ball out of the paint area to be successful."

Gamble – the reigning and preseason player of the year – has been just as strong this season for Arkansas State.  Gamble is second in the conference and 35th in the NCAA in scoring (19.3), while also leading the Red Wolves in rebounding (5.8) and assists (40).

She is second in the SBC in assists, fifth in free-throw shooting (.803) and tied for 11th in rebounding.

Brown-Haywood sits just outside of double figures with 9.6 ppg and leads the club with 20 steals.  

Senior guard Hanna Qedan is averaging 8.9 points per outing and is close behind Brown-Haywood with 17 steals.  Qedan leads the club behind the arc as she has made 36.4 percent of her long-range attempts.  Qedan is sixth in the Sun Belt in three-point shooting.

Jessica Flanery is also a threat from deep as she is right behind Qedan in three-point shooting, knocking down 35.7 percent of her attempts – seventh-best in the league.

NOTES: The meeting between South Alabama and Arkansas State will mark the 42nd in the all-time series between the two programs.  The Red Wolves hold a 31-10 advantage in the series.  ASU has won three-straight in the series, including both meetings last season.  Arkansas State defeated South Alabama 71-58 in Mobile a year ago.  The Jaguars are 7-14 versus the Red Wolves in the series in games played in Mobile.  South Alabama holds an all-time mark of 17-13 in Sun Belt Conference openers.  The Jaguars also hold an all-time mark of 19-11 in Sun Belt Conference home openers. Last season, South Alabama defeated Western Kentucky 74-65 in its SBC opener in Mobile.  With that win, USA has now won four of its last six SBC home openers.   The Jaguars and the Red Wolves have opened up Sun Belt play one time (2010-11), where Arkansas State picked up a 68-53 win in Jonesboro, Ark.

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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