Box Score - Texas State 73, South Alabama 71 (.pdf)Post Game QuotesPhoto GalleryMOBILE, Ala. – For the second-straight game, senior guard Juliann Miller carded a career high in points, but it wasn't enough as the University of South Alabama women's basketball team saw Texas State erase an 18-point second-half deficit and defeat the Jags, 73-71 Thursday morning in its annual "Pack the House" game at the Mitchell Center.
South Alabama led 44-26 with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter, but the Bobcats used a pair of 13-2 runs during midway through the third and to start the fourth to rally back and retake the lead for good.
"Thanks to the University of South Alabama for providing an unbelievable atmosphere for our student-athletes; the attendance was 2,880 but it felt like 5,000. It was great for our kids," acting head coach Dan Presel said, who was filling in for Terry Fowler who missed the game due to illness. "We played well to start and were up 18 with eight to go in the third [quarter]. Texas State went to a 2-3 [zone] and we really got stagnant. Most importantly, we were not able to get the stops required to win the game. We pride ourselves on playing great defense in the half court and tonight we were unable to live up to the standard that we have created."
The game was part of South Alabama's annual "Pack the House" event and marked the fifth season that USA has hosted the event.
The Jaguars (5-9, 1-3 SBC) will now host UT Arlington on Saturday with tip off set for 2 p.m. at the Mitchell Center. Live stats and web streaming for the contest can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com. Fans can also keep up with in-game updates by following action on the program's twitter account @SouthALWBB.
Miller led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-5 from the three-point line, while also pulling down six rebounds and dishing out three assists in 31 minutes of action. Miller scored 15 of her 21 points in the second half, recording seven in the third and eight in the fourth quarter. The 20-point outing by Miller marked the first by a Jag this season.
Genesis Perrymond also finished the contest in double digits with 14 points and five assists on 6-of-11 shooting, while Erin Autio added 10 points. Colby Davis and Marquita Daniels each just missed double figures with nine points apiece. Davis had both a game-high and a career-high six assists in the loss. As a team, South Alabama dished out a season-high 17 assists, while committing just 14 turnovers.
The 17 assists were the most by a Jaguar team since recording 17 against Spring Hill last season.
South Alabama shot 44.3 percent from the field for the game, knocking down 27 of its 61 shot attempts. Led by Miller, USA also connected a season-best 11 times from beyond the arc.
The difference in the game though came at the foul line, where Texas State (8-6, 3-1 SBC) was 20-for-26, including 9-of-13 in the second half, while USA finished the game 6-for-8 at the charity stripe, but did not attempt a free throw during the final two quarters.
The Bobcats placed five players in double figures – the second team to do so this season against the Jaguars (Southern Mississippi, 12/6) – and were led by Taeler Deer's 14 points. Deer was 6-for-12 from the field and dished out a team-high five assists. Of her 14 points, 12 came in the second half on 5-of-8 shooting.
Like Deer, Ayriel Anderson also came up big for Texas State during the final two quarters, scoring 12 of her 13 points during that time. All three of Anderson's second-half field goals came from beyond the arc. She also grabbed five of her six rebounds and played all 20 minutes of the final two quarters.
Kiani Lury also had 13 points, while Kaitlin Walla and Raven Burns finished with 11 and 10 points respectively.
Texas State scored on its opening possession of the game – a three-pointer by Burns – but over the next four-plus minutes, the Bobcats would go cold. Riding the vocal crowd, South Alabama took advantage and erupted on a 16-2 run during that time. The Jaguars got off to a hot start, knocking down six of their first nine shot attempts. USA would how on to shoot 71.4 percent from the field during the first 10 minutes of action, connecting on 10 of its 14 shot attempts.
Chyna Ellis began the scoring for South Alabama with a turnaround jumper in the lane and then a minute-and-a-half later, Miller knocked down a trey from the right corner. After a pair of free throws by Davis, Ellis and Taylor Jenkins worked a high-low offense for another easy bucket.
After a pair of free throws from burns, Autio sparked the Jag offense with five-straight points. Autio knocked down a three from the top of the top of the key with five minutes, 42 seconds showing on the clock and then after a defensive stop at the other end of the floor, Daniels found Autio behind the Bobcat defense for an easy layup. Perrymond capped off the 16-2 run and gave USA a 16-5 advantage with a basket with just over four minutes remaining in the first.
Deer recorded Texas State's first made basket in over six minutes on the ensuing possession following Perrymond's bucket.
The Bobcats would pull within eight, but Autio again put USA up by double digits with her second three of the game, this one coming from the left corner at the 2:14 mark to extend the Jag lead to 22-10.
USA led 27-15 at the end of the first after Ericka May hit one of two at the foul line in the closing seconds of the period. Texas State was just 3-of-12 in the first quarter, but kept themselves in the game going 8-of-10 at the foul line.
The 27 first-quarter points were a new high for the club in a single period, eclipsing the previous high of 25 set against Arkansas State on Jan. 2.
After not scoring for the first two-and-a-half minutes of the second, Davis broke the ice and gave South Alabama its largest lead of the contest as the junior guard from Wylie, Texas drained back-to-back treys, USA's fifth and sixth of the contest. Davis' three with just over seven minutes showing on the clock gave the Jags a 33-17 advantage.
Following Davis' three-pointers, USA would go scoreless over the next four minutes. During that time, Texas State was able to chip away at the Jaguar lead, narrowing the deficit to nine (33-24) on a layup by Whitney Apari at the 4:19 mark.
That would be as close as the Bobcats would get for the remainder of the first half, as USA would find some offense and score six of the final eight points during the final three minutes. Daniels' fast-break layup with under a minute to go stretched the Jaguar lead back out to 12 (38-26).
South Alabama was 13-of-27 in the opening 20 minutes of play for 48.1 percent, while holding Texas State to 7-of-28 shooting for 25 percent. The key stat during that time came from behind the arc as the Bobcats were just 1-for-12 from long range, while USA had six three-pointers. Texas State entered the game shooting 34 percent from the arc.
South Alabama extended its lead out to 18 two minutes into the third after a 12-foot jumper by Perrymond at the 7:54 mark. A little over a minute later, Perrymond banked in her second three-pointer of the afternoon to put USA up by 12 (47-29).
Following Perrymond's trey though, Texas State would quickly get itself back in the game, as the Bobcats rattled off a 13-2 run of its own over three-minute stretch. The Bobcats used a balanced effort during the run as seven different players scored. Ti'Aira Pitts ignited a string of nine unanswered points for TSU during the run with a bucket at the 6:20 mark. Anderson hit a pair of free throws with just under five minutes to cap off the 9-0 run and trim the deficit to 47-38.
Texas State would continue to claw its way back and make it a one-possession game (54-51) with under a minute remaining in the third after back-to-back treys from Anderson, both from the left corner. Coming out of a long time out though, USA would score on its final possession of the period as Ellis grabbed an offensive rebound and laid the ball of the glass to give the Jags a five-point advantage (56-51) that they took to the fourth.
The Bobcats outscored the Jaguars 25-18 in the third with the difference being at the foul line where they were 7-of-10.
Texas State would put up another 20-point quarter in the fourth. The Bobcats continued to hold momentum and opened the final 10 minutes of play up with another 13-2 run. Lurry and De'Joinae Calloway each recorded a basket during the opening minute.
The first four minutes, 17 seconds of the fourth proved to be pivotal as Texas State connected on six of its first seven shot attempts, while the Jaguars managed to hit just one of their six during that stretch. Deer capped off the TSU run and put the visitors up six (64-58) with a jumper at the 5:43 mark.
USA attempted to rally back late. Trailing by six still (67-61) with less than four to go, Miller connected from the left corner and then after a steal by Perrymond, Miller raced down the floor for a lay up to trim the deficit to 67-66 with just over three to go.
South Alabama got two more defensive stops at the other end of the floor, but could not capitalize as Deer recorded a steal of her own and went the length of the court for a layup of her own.
The Jaguars continued to fight in the final minutes and twice got within one, the last coming at 72-71 when Davis found Perrymond open for a layup off an inbounds play with one minute, eight seconds showing on the clock.
With 23 seconds remaining, South Alabama sent Anderson to the line for a pair of free throw attempts. Anderson missed the first but hit the second. Trailing by two, the Jags called a time out with 5.8 remaining to set up a play for Miller. USA decided to go for the win and drew up an open look from the right wing for the senior, but her three-pointer was just off the mark and rattled out as the final horn sounded, giving Texas State the two-point win.
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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