Game 13: at Georgia State game notes (.pdf)ATLANTA, Ga. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team will close out its two-game Sun Belt Conference road trip Saturday morning when the Jaguars travel to take on Georgia State. Tip-off versus the Panthers is set for 11 a.m. (CT) at the GSU Sports Arena.
The game will be aired on ESPN 3 and live stats and web streaming – both video and audio – 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 Saturday's game against the Panthers with a 4-8 overall record and a 0-3 mark in Sun Belt play. USA dropped its third-straight outing Thursday night, falling 57-43 at Georgia Southern. The Jags got off to a hot start, scoring 20 points during the first 10 minutes of play, but struggled offensively over the final three quarters scoring just 23 during that time.
The Jaguars hit seven three-pointers, but attempted a season-high 31 shots from long range. Erin Autio led the club offensively with 13 points off the bench, her third double-figure outing of the season. Autio had three three-pointers in the loss and is shooting 33.3 percent from beyond the arc on the year.
USA's leading scorer Marquita Daniels was held to a season-low against the Eagles, scoring just one point. Daniels enters the contest against GSU averaging 9.7 points per game. Daniels recorded a career-high and South Alabama Mitchell Center record 37 points against the Panthers in the first meeting between the two clubs last season.
The Atlanta, Ga., native ended the afternoon 13-of-18 from the field with three three-pointers and was 8-of-12 at the foul line. Daniels also recorded a career-best five steals in the loss.
South Alabama currently leads the Sun Belt and is seventh in the NCAA in blocks, averaging 6.1 per game.
The Jaguars are also 34th nationally in field-goal percentage defense (.353) and 42nd in scoring defense (55.9). USA is first in the league field-goal percentage defense and third in scoring defense and three-point field-goal defense (.297).
Chyna Ellis is first in the Sun Belt and 29th in the NCAA in blocks with 2.5 per game. She has 30 on the season. She ranks seventh on USA's career blocks chart as she has 86 for her career. With her three-block performance against Georgia Southern, Ellis has now had multiple blocks in each of her last five contests, including four with three or more.
Georgia State enters play this weekend with a 6-6 overall record and a 1-2 mark in the SBC. GSU is coming off a 97-90 loss against Troy at home Thursday night. The Trojans shot 44.6 percent from the field and outscored the Panthers 27-19 in the third quarter to take the lead for good. Troy also had three players record 21 or more points.
GSU placed four players in double figures in the loss led by Madison Newby's 20 points and six assists. As a team, the Panthers registered 20 assists, the club's third 20-assists outing this season. Newby (9.7 ppg) leads the team and the Sun Belt in that category with 57 assists this season. She is averaging 4.8 per contest.
Newby has been the top scorer in conference action for GSU as she is averaging 15.7 ppg in those games. The freshman point guard is shooting a team-best 57.8 percent from the field, which also ranks fourth in the SBC. She also has 23 steals.
Preseason second-team all-SBC selection Makeba Ponder is having a solid sophomore season. Ponder is tied for first in three-pointers per game (2.4) and ranks ninth in the league in scoring (13.1), fifth in free-throw shooting (.778) and 15th in steals (1.7).
Another true freshman has made an impact on the Panther lineup. Astaja Tyghter is also averaging double figures with 10.2 ppg. She is fourth in steals (2.5), tied for ninth in defensive rebounds (4.3), tied for 12th in the Sun Belt in rebounding with 5.8 per game and ranks 12th in field-goal percentage (.453).
Tyghter is coming off a 19-point, nine-rebound performance in her last outing against Troy.
JUCO transfer Alaysia Mitchell has also had an impact for GSU. She is just shy of double figures with 9.8 ppg and her 6.2 rebounds per game are 10th-best in the Sun Belt. Mitchell is shooting 45.9 percent from the field, which is 15th in the league. She also leads the SBC in offensive rebounds, pulling down 3.4 per game.
"Georgia State has plenty of depth on their roster," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said. "Different players on their team can beat you in different ways. They play multiple defenses and on the offensive end they really want to push the ball and try to get some easy scores. In the half court, they run a lot of different offensive sets that we are going to have to prepare for. They are a team that we are going to have to keep off the glass."
As a team, Georgia State leads the conference in offensive rebounds (16.2) and ranks second in the SBC in scoring (72.2), rebounding (40.2) and steals (10.7). The Panthers are 25th in offensive rebounds and 28th nationally in steals.
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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