Game 18: at Troy Game Notes (.pdf)

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team will close out its three-game Sun Belt Conference road trip Tuesday evening when the Jaguars travel to take on in-state conference rival Troy.  Tip-off versus the Trojans is set for 5:15 p.m. at Trojan Arena.

Live stats and both audio and web streaming for the contest versus the Trojans 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.

South Alabama (7-10, 3-5 SBC) comes into Tuesday night's contest fresh off a 63-57 win at UL Monroe on Saturday.  The Jaguars trailed by as much as eight, twice in the second half, but rallied back to pick up the six-point win.  Colby Davis' three-pointer with 30 seconds to go, made it a two possession game for the Jaguars.  USA held the Warhawks to just seven points in the final quarter and scoreless over the final three minutes, 34 seconds of the game.

The three Sun Belt wins have already eclipsed South Alabama's tally from last season and the two league road wins have already equaled what the Jaguars had over the last two seasons combined.  Turnovers proved to be a key stat category for USA in the win.  The Jaguars committed a season-low nine turnovers in the game and scored 21 points off of ULM's 15 turnovers.

Over the last five games, two players have led the way offensively for the Jaguars.  Senior guard Juliann Miller has recorded double figures in three of those five outings and is averaging 12.6 points per game and shooting 52.3 percent from the field during that same stretch.

Sophomore Chyna Ellis has is almost averaging a double-double over her last five games with 11.6 ppg and 9.4 rpg.  The 6-2 center has 19 blocks and is averaging 3.8 blocks an outing during that time.  

Ellis is first in the Sun Belt and ranks 20th in the NCAA in blocks with 2.88 per game.  She has 49 on the season, which is second-most by a sophomore in program history.  She also have 105 for her career, which is fifth-most at USA.  Ellis has posted five or more blocks five times this season and in her six conference games this season, and is averaging 3.88 bpg.  She has had two or more blocks in 14 of her 17 games, including each of the last 10.

South Alabama currently leads the Sun Belt and is ranked seventh in the NCAA in blocks, averaging 6.4 per game.   South Alabama has 109 blocks on the season, which are tied with the '03-04 squad for sixth-most in a single season in program history.  The 109 blocks also rank 14th-most in the NCAA.

The Jaguars are also 33rd nationally in field-goal percentage defense (.355) and 50th in scoring defense (57.5).  USA leads in the league field-goal percentage defense and three-point field-goal defense (.284), and is second in scoring defense.

Troy enters play this week with a 10-7 overall record and a 5-3 mark in conference play.  On Saturday, the Trojans dropped their second-straight game, falling 56-53 at UL Lafayette.

For the second-straight game, the Trojans entered the fourth quarter holding a lead only to surrender it and allow a 20-plus point quarter to their opponent.  Troy was outscored 21-12 by the Ragin' Cajuns and 27-14 on Thursday by ULM.  The Trojans led UL Lafayette by 12 points at halftime and by six entering the final quarter, but Troy turned the ball over seven times and was held to just nine shot attempts.

"The one thing that Troy does is they just flat-out score," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said.  "Ashley Beverly-Kelley is a great offensive threat for them, but they also have other weapons as well.  We've got to be able to score (Tuesday night) and make Troy take the ball out of the net so we can get back and set up our half-court defense.  We really need to make it a half-court game.  They play multiple defense and we have to be able to recognize those, along with taking care of the basketball.  We can't give them easy buckets off turnovers.  We just need to try to control the tempo of the game."

As a team, the Trojans lead the Sun Belt in scoring (84.3), assists (15.6), steals (11.4) and three-pointers per game (7.8).  Troy is second in field-goal percentage (.436), free-throw shooting (.725), rebounding offense (40.4), assists/turnover ratio (0.8) and offensive rebounds (15.5), and third in three-point percentage (.335) and turnover margin (+4.1).

Troy also ranks among the national leaders, entering the game fifth in the NCAA in scoring, sixth in turnovers forced (23.18),12th in steals per game, 25th in three-point percentage and 34th in scoring margin.

Not only is Troy one of the top offensive teams in the country, but the Trojans are also averaging 70 shot attempts a game.

Troy's top two scorers – Ashley Beverly-Kelley and Caitlyn Ramirez – were each held to eight points apiece in the loss.  Beverly- Kelley, a first-team all-SBC selection, has lived up to the preseason billing and is in contention for player of the year honors.  The senior guard ranks in the top 10 in the Sun Belt in eight different statistical categories.

Beverly-Kelley leads the Sun Belt and ranks 35th in the NCAA in scoring with 19.4 ppg.  She also leads the conference in at the foul line, knocking down 85.5 percent of her attempts, and is second in assists/turnover ratio (1.5) and steals (2.82), third in assists (3.9) and 10th in field-goal percentage (.464), three-pointers per game (1.5) and minutes per game (31.1).  She has 48 steals and ranks 26th in the NCAA in that category.

Ramirez posted a career-high 27 points and 16 rebounds against UL Monroe last week.  The 6-2 forward is 10th in the SBC in scoring and rebounding with 13.1 ppg and 6.5 rpg.  Ramirez is also second in the league and 12th in the nation with a 58.2 field-goal percentage.  Ramirez is also a threat at the foul line as she has converted 73.6 percent of her attempts at the charity stripe, which is eighth-best in the Sun Belt.  

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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