Game 6: at Southern Mississippi Game Notes (.pdf)MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team will close out its two-game road swing Sunday afternoon when the Jaguars travel to take on Southern Mississippi. Tip-off versus the Golden Eagles is set for 2 p.m. at the Reed Green Coliseum.
The game will be the third in the last six days for the Jaguars as South Alabama played Florida at home on Tuesday, and then traveled to Alabama State on Thursday. It will also mark the third-straight game against postseason club from last season. Both the Gators and Hornets earned berths in the NCAA tournament, while the Golden Eagles were in the WNIT a year ago.
"The scheduling just fell this way for us," third-year head coach Terry Fowler said of the three games this week. "Southern Miss is a team that was in the WNIT last year. They are a physical team and really want to push the ball in transition. They also want to put pressure on you and try to get you to turn the ball over in order to get some easy baskets."
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 Sunday's game against Southern Mississippi after picking up a 47-43 road victory at Alabama State.
"From the confidence that I thought we gained in the Florida game, we also showed that in our road game at Alabama State on Thursday night," Fowler said. "I can see our team coming together. The Southern Miss game will be another big road test for us. We have to continue to remember the three things that we have kind of hung our hat on the last week. We got to make sure we stay together through adversity, compete and have a belief that we can accomplish the things we set out to do. Our bench has also been awesome for us lately. If we do those things and continue to play with energy, I think we have some good things coming towards us."
The Jaguars, playing with just eight players and without their leading scorer Marquita Daniels along with three other players due to injury, were led by Genesis Perrymond's 12 points. Perrymond was 4-of-7 from the floor and scored 11 of her 12 points in the third period. Perrymond also hit a clutch free throw with 10.5 seconds remaining to help seal the win. She also had four assists and four steals in the win.
Perrymond is second on the club offensively with 9.6 ppg and leads the team with nine three-pointers and a 31.0 three-point percentage. Perrymond also paces the club in assists (10) and steals (12).
The Jaguars used a strong defensive effort against the Hornets on Thursday as they held them to just 26.4 percent shooting and a 2-of-17 performance from beyond the three-point line (11.8 percent).
USA held Alabama State to just two points in the second quarter and over a nearly 14-minute stretch that covered the end of the first quarter until the early part of the third, forced the Hornets to miss 16-consecutive shot attempts.
Daniels leads the club offensively on the season with 10.3 ppg.
Chyna Ellis leads the team and the Sun Belt with 9.3 rpg and is averaging 6.3 ppg. Ellis is also tied with UL Monroe's Alashia Hunter for the league lead in blocks. She has 10, including five against ASU.
The Jaguars lead the Sun Belt in that category with 5.4 per contest.
Southern Mississippi enters Sunday's contest versus the Jaguars with a 4-2 record. The Golden Eagles won their third-straight game in their last outing, capturing a 69-57 victory at Tennessee Tech. USM jumped out to a 20-6 lead in the first quarter and fought off a fourth quarter charge by TTU to pick up the 12-point road victory.
The Golden Eagles shot 50 percent in the second half and 44.8 percent for the game, while also forcing 20 turnovers and converting them into 26 points.
Brittany Dinkins and Jayla King combined to score 40 of Southern Miss' 69 points. Dinkins led the way with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while King was 7-of-11 from the field and finished with 19 points.
Southern Mississippi is led offensively by the trio of King, Caitlin Jenkins and Jerontay Clemons.
King leads the club with 11.7 points per outing and is connecting on 50 percent of her attempts. King is also second on the team on the glass with 5.7 rpg.
"They have a transfer from South Florida in Jayla King, who is really playing lights-out basketball for them," Fowler said. "Caitlin Jenkins in the post is also having a good season. They have two post players that provide them with a great presence down low. Ultimately, most games come down to what happens in the paint and we are going to have to try to control the paint at both ends of the floor."
Jenkins is averaging 10.8 ppg and leads USM on the glass with 8.4 boards per game - tied for fourth in Conference USA. Jenkins is shooting 48.1 percent from the floor and she has eight of the Golden Eagles' 19 blocks.
Clemons, a 5-8 senior guard from Coldwater, Miss., comes into the contest averaging 10.0 ppg.
Dinkins sits just outside double figures as she is averaging 9.3 ppg. Dinkins' nine three-pointers are tied with teammate Brittny Norris for tops on USM's roster. Dinkins is knocking down 40.9 percent of her three-point attempts.
Freshman guard Keri Jewett-Giles has done a solid job at both ends of the floor. Jewett-Giles leads the club with 17 assists and her 18 steals are tied for the most in the conference. She is averaging 3.0 steals per game, which is second-best in CUSA and ranks 32nd in the NCAA.
The Golden Eagles are third in C-USA in scoring defense and three-point field-goal defense.
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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