Box Score - Troy 78, South Alabama 67 (.pdf)

TROY, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team placed three players in double figures – Breanna Hall (18), Colby Davis (14) and Amber Yelding (12) – but it wasn't enough as Troy managed to pick up a 78-67 victory Thursday night at Trojan Arena.  

The Jaguars (4-19, 1-13 SBC) will now return home to host Texas-Arlington on Saturday.  Tip-off versus the Mavericks is set for 2:05 p.m.  

The game against UTA will be part of the national "It's on Us" campaign that was established this past September in hopes of advancing the goal of preventing sexual assault.  South Alabama's game at Georgia State next week will also be part of the initiative.  Members of both teams will wear their Sun Belt "It's On Us" t-shirts during both their pregame and halftime warm up periods of the games.  USA, along with other Sun Belt member institutions, is participating in order to bring awareness to the campaign.  The organization of these rallies will act as a way of demonstrating that sexual assault is an unacceptable behavior, that safe harboring perpetrators is intolerable, and that support for victims is imperative.

Hall ended the night 6-of-12 from the field, including 5-for-9 from beyond the arc.  The 18-point outing, marked the 19th double-figure game of the season for the Mesquite, Texas, native and the 31st in her last 35 outings.  

Davis and Yelding both ended the night 5-for-9 from the floor and each had a pair of three-pointers.  

Davis finished just two points shy of tying her season high and also added six rebounds and three assists, while the 12 points for Yelding set a new season-best.  The Daphne, Ala., native chipped in with three assists of her own and three rebounds and was one of three Jaguar players to record three steals in the loss.  USA had 12 as a team, which tied a season-best which came in its last outing against Georgia State.

Freshman center Chyna Ellis nearly recorded her fifth double-double of the season with nine points and 20 rebounds after being limited in the first half due to foul trouble.  Led by Ellis, USA held a 45-36 edge on the glass.  Ellis also had a pair of blocks.

While South Alabama did manage to shoot 40 percent from the field, including 10-of-28 from beyond the three-point line, the Jaguars tied a season high with 31 turnovers.  The Trojans (14-9, 9-5 SBC) posted 20 steals and turned those miscues in to 37 points and held a 22-4 advantage in fast break points.  Troy had five players end the night with three steals apiece – Caitlyn Ramirez, Ashely Beverly-Kelley, Assiata Miago, Lacey Buchanon and Rachel Reid.

"I thought the transition baskets [tonight] were critical," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said.  "[Troy] was able to get a lot of easy baskets when we were fighting so hard to get back into the game.  They were able to give themselves a cushion with those baskets."

Beverly-Kelley – a preseason first-team all-league selection – led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting.  The junior guard also had seven rebounds and dished out seven assists.  Ramirez and Ronita Garrett also finished the game in double figures with 14 and 12 points, respectively.  

Troy posted 21 assists on its 31 made baskets and shot 44.3 percent from the floor in the win.  The Trojans were also 12-of-15 at the charity stripe.  

South Alabama led 8-6 early on after a three-pointer by Marquita Daniels at the 18:10 mark, but USA would go scoreless over the next three-and-a-half minutes, allowing the Trojans to claim a 12-8 lead.  The Jaguars relied on the outside shot early on as nine of the team's first 11 shot attempts were from outside the arc.

Ellis' put back at the 14:12 mark tied the contest back up at 12-12, but Troy would reclaim the momentum as the Trojans rattled off seven unanswered points, the first four coming from Maigo.  Troy would continue to build its lead as the 7-0 spurt was the first part of a 25-4 run for the Trojans.  During the scoring spurt, the duo of Beverly-Kelley and Garrett led the way combining for 16 of Troy's 25 points.  Beverly-Kelley recorded all 10 of her first-half points during that stretch, while Garrett had six of her eight.

South Alabama didn't help its cause during that same stretch as it committed nine of its 15 first-half turnovers, including a stretch in which it turned the ball over on five of its six possessions.

Garrett gave Troy its largest lead of the opening period when the senior knocked down a pair of free throws with five minutes, 37 seconds remaining before the half, giving the home team a 37-16 advantage.  The Trojans were 7-of-8 at the charity stripe during the first 20 minutes of action, while USA didn't get the line.

The Jaguars were able to chip away at the deficit and get as close as 12 (43-31) during the final minute, but Kristen Emerson's layup at the other end of the floor sent the Trojans into the locker room with a 45-31 advantage.

Davis led USA during the first half with nine points off the bench on 4-of-6 shooting.

Early on in the second half, Davis connected from the left wing four-and-a-half minutes into the final period to narrow the Trojan lead to 11 (49-38), but coming out of a 30-second time out, Troy quickly regained control and rattled off an 11-1 run over the next four minutes.  During the run, the Trojans would record three Jag turnovers – all right underneath the South Alabama basket, leading to nine easy points by Troy – before Beverly-Kelley's three from the right corner capped off the scoring and put Troy up 60-39 with 11 minutes, 32 seconds to play.  

Down 20 a minute later, South Alabama charged right back, nailing three-straight treys – one by Yelding and the last two by Hall – to again pull within 11 at 63-52 at the 9:40 mark.  But, as they had done each previous time, the Trojans quickly answered back with another run – this one a 14-0 spurt over a three minute stretch.  Six different players scored for Troy during the run and Dajia Williams put the home team up 75-52 with six-and-a-half minutes to play.  

Still trailing by 21 with five to play, the Jaguars continued to fight and scored the final eight points to make the final margin 78-67.

NOTES: The meeting between South Alabama and Troy marked the 40th in the all-time series between the two programs.  Troy holds a 21-19 lead in the series.  The Trojans have won four-straight in the series.  Prior Since the Trojans joined the Sun Belt during the 2005-06 season, South Alabama has taken 15 of the 21 meetings.  Troy also holds a 13-6 advantage in the series on its home floor, including a 78-53 win in Troy last season.  South Alabama is 2-21 in its last 23 Sun Belt games following the loss to GSU and has lost 13-consecutive league road games (17 overall).  The 31 turnovers by South Alabama versus the Trojans tied a season high (31, at Ole Miss).  The 12 steals by the Jags also tied a season best (12, vs. Georgia State).  The 21 assists by Troy were also the most by a Jag opponent, eclipsing the previous high of 20.  The 18-point outing by Breanna Hall against Troy, marked the 19th double-figure game of the season for the Mesquite, Texas, native and the 31st in her last 35 outings.  

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).

—USA—