Box Score - Arkansas State 62, South Alabama 50 (.pdf)
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MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team held a 12-point halftime lead Tuesday night over Arkansas State, but the Red Wolves rallied back in the second half to pick up a 62-50 victory in both teams' Sun Belt Conference opener at the Mitchell Center.

USA shot just 18.8 percent in the final frame and turned the ball over 18 times to finish the contest with 26.  Arkansas State recorded 19 of its 40 second-half points of the Jag miscues, while also shooting 50 percent from the field and connecting on 16 of its 22 attempts at the foul line in the final frame.

"I thought the first half (tonight) was the best basketball we've played all year," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said.  "We've had four good practices since we've come back from the break, and the things you saw in the first half were indicative of the four days that we had.  We just have to build on that and continue to play at that pace.

"We told our ladies at halftime that Arkansas State is a championship caliber ball club, and that they were going to pick the intensity up and get after us in the second half, which they did.  And we had some crucial turnovers in the second half that gave them a chance to get back in it and then stretch it out.  We didn't do ourselves any favors making shots down the stretch either.

"I'm disappointed in the loss, but saw a lot of promising things.  Chyna Ellis played an outstanding basketball game, we've got to get some other people on board to help her and Bre[anna] Hall."

The Jaguars (3-7, 0-1 SBC) will now head to Arlington, Texas, to take on Texas-Arlington on Saturday, Jan. 3.  Tip-off versus the Mavericks is set for 5 p.m. at the College Park Center on the UTA campus.

Chyna Ellis led South Alabama with a season-high 17 points and 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.  Ellis was 8-of-11 from the field in the game and also added three blocks and a steal.  

Breanna Hall posted her 14th-straight double-figure game with 16 points on 5-o-f-10 shooting.  She hit two of her four three-point attempts and all four of her free-throw opportunities.  Hall has now recorded double figures in 21 of her last 23 outings dating back to last season.

The Red Wolves improved to 6-5 overall and 1-0 in league play with the win.  Aundrea Gamble led the way offensively for ASU with 19 points – 17 of which coming in the second half.  Gamble was 6-for-12 from the field and hit five of her seven free-throw attempts.  She also had both of ASU's three-point buckets.

Hanna Qedan and Jamie Ruffins also ended the contest in double digits, finishing the night with 12 and 10 points, respectively.  

Arkansas State led by three (7-4) five minutes into the contest, but the Jaguars rattled off a 9-0 run over a three-minute stretch to take a six-point lead.  Brittany Webb found Ellis open underneath for a basket at the 14:45 mark.  Hall then connected from the left wing a minute later.  Taylor Jenkins capped off the scoring and put USA up 13-7 with just over 12 minutes showing on the clock when the junior forward knocked down a pair of buckets.  

The Red Wolves battled back and cut the deficit to two (15-13) on a jumper in the lane by Jasmine Hunt with less than 10 to go, but on the Jaguars' next possession, Rachel Cumbo drained a trey from the left corner and was fouled on the play for a four-point play.  

Holding a 21-18 advantage with under seven minutes remaining in the opening period of play, Ellis sparked the Jags again as the freshman post player recorded two more buckets to ignite an 8-0 spurt.  Grace Farnsworth's jumper just inside the arc along the left side at the 4:21 mark gave South Alabama its first double-digit lead of the night at 29-18.

Gamble cut the ASU deficit to seven (29-22) with a floater along the left baseline with three minutes, 19 seconds remaining in the half, but Ellis again had the answer as she helped extend the USA advantage back out to 35-22 with a bucket at the 1:28 mark.  Ellis led all scorers during the first 20 minutes of action with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting.  She also pulled down eight rebounds as the Jags held a 25-13 advantage on the glass in the first half.

USA connected on 16 of its 33 shot attempts in the first stanza for 48.5 percent, while the Red Wolves were just 8-of-26 for 30.8 percent.

The second half was much different for the Jaguars as USA would only connect on three of its 16 shot attempts and turn the ball over 18 times.

The Red Wolves came out of the intermission and quickly cut into South Alabama's lead, opening the half on a 7-0 run and trimming the deficit to 35-29 after a Ruffins bucket at the 17:22 mark.

Hall finally knocked down USA's first basket of the second half when the senior connected just inside the arc as the shot clock was winding down five-and-a-half minutes into the period to put South Alabama up 38-31.

With less than 12 minutes to go in the game, ASU took advantage of USA's offensive struggles as the Red Wolves erupted for a 17-0 run to retake the lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the first half.

Gamble – who had been held to just two points in the first half – led the charge for Arkansas State as she recorded nine of the visitor's 17 points.  Gamble began the scoring with a trey from the top of the key and later added her second three of the game at the 10:28 mark to put ASU back out in front (43-40).  Qedan later capped off the run and gave ASU a double-digit lead (50-50) with a layup with seven minutes, 47 seconds remaining.

Over the first 12 minutes of the second half, South Alabama was just 1-of-10 from the field and committed 10 turnovers.

Despite the offensive struggles, the Jaguars kept battling and cut the deficit to single digits at 59-50 with under a minute to play after another three-pointer by Hall, but that would be as close as USA would get as the Red Wolves went on to pick up the 12-point victory.

NOTES: The meeting between South Alabama and Arkansas State was the 42nd in the all-time series between the two programs.  The Red Wolves hold a 32-10 advantage in the series.  ASU has now won four-straight in the series.  The Jaguars are 7-15 versus Arkansas State in the series in games played in Mobile.  South Alabama holds an all-time mark of 17-14 in Sun Belt Conference openers.  The Jaguars also hold an all-time mark of 19-12 in Sun Belt Conference home openers.  South Alabama freshman post player Chyna Ellis led team with a season-high 17 points and 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.  With her 16 points, USA's Breanna Hall has now recorded double figures in 14 straight games and 21 of her last 23 outings dating back to last season.  

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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