Game 4: vs. Florida Game Notes (.pdf)MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team returns to action Tuesday night as the Jaguars welcome Southeastern Conference foe Florida to the Mitchell Center. Tip-off versus the Gators 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 (1-2) returns to action against the Gators after a week off for the Thanksgiving holiday. In their last outing, the Jaguars suffered a 77-36 loss at home to Central Florida. USA struggled at both ends of the floor, allowing the Knights to shoot 50 percent from the floor and only knocking down 26.3 percent of its own shot attempts.
The Jags three leading scorers – Marquita Daniels, Genesis Perrymond and Chyna Ellis – came into the contest averaging a combined 32.5 ppg, but were held to just five points total between the three of them.
Redshirt freshman Erin Autio came off the bench to lead the club offensively with career highs in both points (12) and rebounds (9). She is now averaging 4.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
Daniels paces South Alabama offensively through three games, as she is averaging 10.2 ppg, which ranks 15th in the latest Sun Belt standings. Daniels is also sixth in the league in free-throw shooting (.818).
Ellis' 9.3 rebounds per game average not only leads the team, but also tops the Sun Belt. The 6-2 sophomore also ranks second in the conference in defensive rebounds (6.3) and fifth in offensive rebounds (3.0). Prior to her three rebound game against UCF, Ellis had 12 and 13 rebounds in her first two outings.
Fellow sophomore LaNeetra Guillory made her first collegiate start against Central Florida and had seven points, five rebounds in 26 minutes of action. Guillory was starting in place of senior forward Taylor Jenkins who missed the game due to injury.
South Alabama has struggled from beyond the three-point line this season, connecting on just 15.7 percent of its attempts. USA was just 2-of-20 against the Knights in its last outing.
Florida enters the game versus South Alabama after improving to 5-1 on the season and winning the Omni Hotels Classic. UF won its fifth-straight game and the tournament championship with an 83-61 win over the host Buffaloes and are currently receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
The Gators opened the season with a six-point loss at Temple, but then defeated then seventh-ranked Florida State 82-72 in Gainesville.
Florida is shooting 46.5 percent from the field, averaging 87.3 ppg and is defeating its opponents by an average of 20.7 points per outing. The Gators have scored 82 points or better in all six of their games this season. UF ranks leads in the SEC in steals (14.8), is second scoring, field-goal percentage and blocks (6.0) and is third in assists (17.0). The Gators also rank among the NCAA leaders in several categories in the latest rankings – steals (second), scoring (ninth), field-goal percentage (24th) and scoring margin (29th).
"Florida is a very aggressive team at the defensive end of the floor and they play multiple defenses," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said. "They are also really balanced on the offensive end. They have multiple kids hovering right around double figures. On any given night, any of those kids could explode for them. Ronni Williams is the player though that really gets them going. She's a very athletic player in the post and plays with a lot of energy. They're playing great basketball right now and their entire team seems to be on a mission."
Florida has multiple scoring options as nine players area averaging 6.7 ppg or better, including three in double figures. In the tournament's championship game against CU, the Gator bench came up big, recording 52 of UF's 83 points.
The Gators are led offensively by junior guard/forward Ronni Williams who is averaging 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds, while knocking down 56.1 percent of her field-goal attempts.
Simone Westbrook and Haley Lorenzen also enter Tuesday night's contest averaging double figures with 10.5 and 10.2 ppg, respectively. Both Westbrook and Lorenzen were named to the all-tournament team, while Lorenzen was also selected as the tournament's MVP. Lorenzen is shooting 55.1 percent from the floor and pulling down 6.0 rpg.
Westbrook is also shooting 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the three-point line and is tied for the team lead in assists with 21.
Redshirt freshman Carlie Needles leads the club with 10 treys on the 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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