Game 11 - at Texas-Arlington Game Notes (.pdf)MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team will begin a two-game road trip this weekend when the Jaguars travel to take on Texas-Arlington on Saturday. Tip-off versus the Mavericks is set for 5 p.m. at the College Park Center.
Live stats and web streaming of the contest versus Texas-Arlington can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com.
South Alabama (3-7, 0-1 SBC) comes into the contest versus UTA after falling 62-50 to preseason league favorite Arkansas State on Tuesday night. USA held a 13-point halftime lead, but shot just 18.8 percent in the second half and turned the ball over 18 times in the second half versus the Red Wolves.
Freshman center Chyna Ellis led the club in the loss with 17 points and 13 rebounds - both season highs for the Cordova, Tenn., native. It was also her second double-double of the season. Ellis was 8-of-11 from the field versus ASU.
Ellis currently ranks eighth in the Sun Belt on the glass, pulling down 7.4 boards per outing. She is fourth in the conference in offensive rebounds and ninth in defensive rebounds. Ellis is also second in the conference in blocks with 1.6 per game. Ellis has recorded seven blocks in her last two outings, including three against the Red Wolves.
As a team, South Alabama leads the SBC in blocks with 3.9 per game.
Senior guard Breanna Hall continues to have a solid senior campaign. The Mesquite, Texas, native ranks third in scoring in the latest league rankings. Hall is also ranks among the league leaders in field-goal percentage (13th – .468), free-throw shooting (second – .861), three-point shooting (fifth – .468) and three-pointers per game (third – 2.2).
With her 16-point outing versus ASU, Hall has scored double figures her last 14 games and 21 of her last 23 games dating back to the '13-14 season.
Texas-Arlington (7-3, 1-0 SBC) enters the game versus the Jaguars after opening up conference action with a 64-52 victory over Georgia Southern. The win was the fourth-straight for the Mavericks and improved UTA's record to 5-1 this season at home. The seven wins have already eclipsed the program's total from a year ago.
"First of all, Texas-Arlington has done an excellent job of adding depth to their program this season," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said. "They have some great size on their team and that's going to present some problems for us. They play multiple defenses and do a lot of different things on that end of the floor, which is one of the reasons they have been able to hold some of their opponents around 50 points.
"We are going to have to take care of the basketball and give ourselves some scoring opportunities. That's going to be crucial for us since UTA is so strong at the defensive end of the floor."
UTA leads or ranks among the league leaders in several stat categories entering Saturday's contest. The Mavericks are first in the Sun Belt in scoring defense, scoring margin, field-goal percentage defense, rebounding margin, assists and assists/turnover ratio. Texas-Arlington is allowing just 48.9 points per game and outscoring its opponents by 15.5 ppg. UTA is also fourth nationally in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense. UTA has held six of its 10 opponents this season to 52 points or less, including four below the 40 points.
The Mavericks are second in the conference in three-point field-goal defense (.272) and steals (11.2).
Freshman center Rebekah Van Dijk has begun her collegiate career in an outstanding fashion as she is averaging a double-double on the year with 12.4 ppg and 11.5 rpg. Her 11.5 rebounds per game rank 13th nationally and her field-goal percentage is 12th-highest. She ranks 15th in the conference in scoring and leads the league on the glass, while also ranking second in field-goal percentage (.591). She is also pulling down 8.0 rebounds on the defensive glass – ninth-best in the NCAA. Van Dijk also has seven double-doubles which is 13th-most in the nation.
UTA's defensive attack is led by three players who rank in the top 4 in steals. Cierra Johnson leads the Sun Belt and ranks 17th in the NCAA in that category with 3.1 steals per outing. LaShanda Green is third in the conference in that category with 2.6 per game and Chaun Williams is fourth with 2.4 per game.
Green comes in as the SBC leader in assists, dishing out 4.6 per contest. Green's 2.7 assist-turnover ratio is also tops in the conference and her .833 free-throw percentage is fifth-highest.
Amara Wainwright is the top threat from the outside for the Mavericks as she is knocking down 47.4 percent of her three-point attempts. Williams is tied for 10th in the Sun Belt in that category (.333).
Like the Jaguars, UTA ranks among the conference leaders in blocks as the Mavericks are tied with Louisiana-Monroe and Appalachian State for third in the Sun Belt in blocks with 3.7 per game.
NOTES: The meeting between South Alabama and Texas-Arlington will mark the fourth in the all-time series between the two programs. The Jaguars hold a 2-1 advantage in the series. USA won both meetings last season, each of which went into overtime. South Alabama 73-72 in Arlington in the first meeting a year ago and the Jags then rallied back and captured a 60-57 victory in the regular-season finale in Mobile. South Alabama holds an all-time mark of 15-15 in Sun Belt Conference road openers. Last season, the Jaguars fell 61-42 at Arkansas-Little Rock in their first league road contest. USA has lost three of its last four SBC road openers.
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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