Game 1: vs. Spring Hill Game Notes (.pdf)MOBILE, Ala. – Returning to the court for the first time in 11 days, the University of South Alabama women's basketball team will officially open the 2015-16 regular season Tuesday night when the Jaguars welcome cross-town rival Spring Hill to the Mitchell Center. Tip-off versus the Badgers is set for 7 p.m.
Live stats and web streaming for the contest can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com. Fans can also keep up with in-match updates by following action on the program's twitter account @SouthALWBB.
South Alabama comes into its season opener after earning a 69-48 exhibition win over Montevallo back on Nov. 6. Sophomore center Chyna Ellis recorded 17 points and 12 rebounds to go along with four blocks, while redshirt freshman Genesis Perrymond also chipped in with 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals to lead the Jaguars in the win.
Of Ellis' 12 rebounds, seven came on the offensive glass. Perrymond was 6-of-12 from the floor, including 4-of-9 from beyond the three-point line.
Since the exhibition win, Fowler has liked what he's seen in practice from his club.
"Last week, we had four of the best practices that we've had this season from a competitive and execution standpoint," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said. "It was good to see us play in adverse conditions in practice, fight through it and grow from it."
South Alabama is coming off a 5-24 overall record and a 2-18 mark in the Sun Belt a year ago. The Jaguars were picked by the league coaches to finish 10th in this year's preseason poll.
USA returns seven letterwinners from last season's squad, led by the sophomore duo of Marquita Daniels and Ellis. Daniels enters the '15-16 season as the top returning scorer for the club after averaging 10.4 ppg, while also leading the team in assists (47) and steals (53). Her 53 steals were the second-most ever by a freshman at South Alabama.
Ellis, who was selected to the Sun Belt Conference's preseason third team, last month played in 28 games as a true freshman for the Jags, starting 23. The 6-2 center averaged 8.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per outing. Her 7.8 rebounds where fifth-best in the SBC. Ellis also ranked first in the league in blocks with 2.0 per game. Her 56 blocks were not only fifth-most in a single-season, but also set a new freshman mark in that category.
Ellis led the club with seven double-doubles and was tied for fourth in the SBC in offensive rebounds (2.9) and tied for fifth in defensive rebounds (4.9).
Spring Hill comes into Tuesday's contest after suffering a 66-64 season-opening loss at West Alabama on Sunday. The Badgers rallied back from a 10-point second-half deficit versus the Tigers and tied the contest up in the final minute, but UWA's Catherine Taylor's bucket with 4.1 seconds left put the Tigers up 66-64. Spring Hill had layup attempt roll off the rim at the buzzer.
Camry Johnson led the way offensively with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting and Leah Washington pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds in the loss for SHC.
Spring Hill also suffered a 65-46 exhibition loss on Friday against South Alabama's next opponent, Southern. The Badgers turned the ball over 30 times in that contest and were outscored 36-18 in the second and third quarters in the 21-point loss.
"(Spring Hill) is a team that plays extremely hard," Fowler said. "They are undersized, but do an excellent job of rebounding. They play 10 to 12 players a night and because of that, they are able to stay fresh. They are a club that really gets after you at the defensive end of the floor. At the offensive end, they are a team that is able to make the outside shot, but my biggest concern going into the game is making sure that we keep them off the glass and don't give them second-chance shots."
In their two games this season, Spring Hill has averaged 43 rebounds per contest, including 15 per game on the offensive glass.
Washington is the top returning scorer from last season's squad which finished with a 14-12 overall record and an 11-7 mark in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
The 14 wins last season by the Badgers where nine more than the previous season and marked the program's first winning season in 10 years.
Washington averaged 6.7 points and 6.7 rebounds as a sophomore. Senior guard Natalie Harper knocked down 42.7 percent of her attempts from outside the arc a year ago.
The Badgers will be replacing their top two scorers from the 2014-15 season – Elissa Vande Waa (8.3 ppg) and Twarner Witherspoon (7.1 ppg).
South Alabama defeated Spring Hill 66-42 at the Mitchell Center a year ago.
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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