Box Score - UL Lafayette 69, South Alabama 50 (.pdf)

LAFAYETTE, La. – Chyna Ellis recorded her third double-double of the season, but the University of South Alabama women's basketball team struggled offensively, fell 69-50 on the road to UL Lafayette Thursday night at the Cajundome.

Ellis finished the night with 16 points and 11 rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting from the field in 28 minutes of action.  She also added two blocks in the loss to increase her season tally to 44.  With the two-block performance, Ellis also moved into fifth place all alone, passing Shaniece Brunner (98 – 2006-07, '09-10).  

The Jaguars (6-10, 2-5 SBC) will now continue on the road as they travel to take on UL Monroe.  Tip-off versus ULM is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.  Live stats and both audio and web streaming for the contest versus the Warhawks 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.

Ellis was the lone Jag to register double digits as Erin Autio also chipped in with nine points for the Jags in 11 minutes of action.

South Alabama had four blocks as a team in the loss and now have 101 on the season.  The 101 blocks mark the eighth time USA has eclipsed the century mark in blocks and are the seventh-most in a season.

The Jaguars struggled to find their offensive touch for much of the game, ending the night just 19-of-52 from the floor for 36.5 percent.  South Alabama scored 11 points in the final two minutes of play to narrow the final margin.

UL Lafayette improved 13-3 on the season and 6-1 in conference play with the win.  The win also moved the Ragin' Cajuns to 6-0 on their home floor this season and extended the club's home win streak to 10 dating back to the end of the '14-15 season.

ULL placed three players in double figures led by Jaylyn Gordon's 14 points, who also had five rebounds, five assists and three steals.  Kia Wilridge – who was 5-for-8 from the floor – added 12 points, while Keke Veal had 10.  Breionne Cooper just missed double digits, ending the night with nine points.  

"I thought (ULL's) guard play just really dictated things to us tonight," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said.  "We were never able to get into a flow (offensively) and I just felt like we weren't in attack-mode.  (Coming into the game) I thought our guards were going to have an advantage attacking their post players on our pick and roll.  We just never did though.

"You look at the stats and they had 44 points in the paint.  We thought we had a size advantage there, but they outscore us 44-26.  UL Lafayette did an outstanding job of just playing through the possession.  There were several times where the shot clock was under four or five (seconds) and they were able to come up with a basket.  They are a championship-caliber team."

Attacking the paint both in the half-court and in transition, UL Lafayette connected on 30 of its 59 shot attempts for 50.8 percent.  They are the first team since Central Florida earlier this season to shoot 50 percent of better in a game.

The Ragin' Cajuns forced USA into 18 turnovers, converting those into 16 points, while turning the ball over just nine times of their own.  ULL also held a distinct advantage in the points in the paint category, outscoring the Jaguars 44-26.   

Ellis scored on each of USA's first three possessions and put the Jaguars up by five, two minutes into the contest, but the Ragin' Cajuns would tighten up their defense over the final eight minutes.  The Jaguars would miss eight of their final nine shots of the opening quarter and turn the ball over six times.  

ULL would take advantage and outscore South Alabama 20-3 and take a 12-point lead after the first 10 minutes of action.  Gordon and Wilridge led the charge offensively for the Ragin' Cajuns during the run as they each had six points.  

Gordon put UL Lafayette up 21-9 with a bucket with 49.9 seconds remaining in the first period.  Gordon then scored ULL's first four points of the second and extended the Cajun advantage out to 25-9 after a pair of free throws at the 8:14 mark.

Coming out of the under five media time out, Marquita Daniels recorded a steal and went the length of the floor for a layup to cut the deficit to 10 (25-15) with four minutes, 40 seconds remaining before the half, but Jodi Quinn would take back the momentum for ULL with a 15-foot jumper.

Quinn's bucket would start an 8-2 run for the Ragin' Cajuns to close the quarter.  Veal sent UL Lafayette into the locker room with a 33-17 halftime advantage as the senior knocked down a jumper of her own in the closing seconds.  

South Alabama was just 7-of-27 from the field for 25.9 percent, and turned the ball over 10 times, while ULL was 14-for-32 from the field for 43.8 percent and turned the ball over just four times.

The Jaguars hit just one of their last seven shot attempts to close the second quarter and two of their last 13.

The nine points for South Alabama in the first quarter and the eight-point output in the second marked the first time since the Central Florida game on Nov. 24 that USA has failed to record double figures in either of the first two quarters of play.  The Jaguars had a four and six-point showing during the first two 10-minute periods against the Knights.

Ellis drained a three-pointer – the first of the 6-2 sophomore center's career – on South Alabama's opening possession of the second half to trim the deficit to 33-22, but over the next five minutes, the Jaguars would not record a field goal and scored just one point.  During that time, ULL was able to extend its lead out and eventually build as much as a 20-point advantage.  UL Lafayette took the 43-23 lead when Cooper got behind the Jag defense for a fast break layup off a defensive rebound with three-and-a-half minutes to go in the third.

USA was able to get as close as 16 two more times in the third, the last coming after a layup by Ellis with a minute-and-a-half remaining in the third, but the Ragin' Cajuns would later extend their lead back out.

ULL shot 72.7 percent in the fourth and led by as much as 30 (68-38) until a late 11-1 run to close the game by the Jaguars.

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—