Box Score - South Alabama 60, Georgia State 52 (.pdf)ATLANTA, Ga. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team received a pair of career-high efforts Saturday afternoon as Chyna Ellis and Juliann Miller combined for 35 points to lead the Jaguars to a 60-52 Sun Belt Conference road victory over Georgia State at the GSU Sports Arena.
"We stuck together today and kept fighting, so it was really good to get a road win, especially after the Georgia Southern game (on Thursday)," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said. "This was one of those games that was either going to make us or break us. We were great in practice yesterday and I thought our players were really locked into the scout and did an outstanding job.
"I thought the way Chyna (Ellis) played in the first half really gave her a lot of confidence and that paid big dividends for us. Juliann Miller has been a steady player for us, but we have told her recently that she needs to take more opportunities and tonight she was able to knock down her pull up jumper and finish at the rim. She did an outstanding job."
Ellis was 7-of-14 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 at the foul line in the win. The 6-2 sophomore also pulled down 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season, while also posting five of South Alabama's 10 blocks.
The 10-block performance marked the third time this season that USA has reached that mark in a game (vs. Florida on Dec. 1 and vs. Arkansas State on Jan. 2). Over its last three games, South Alabama has recorded 28 blocks and now has 83 on the year.
The double-double was Ellis' first since recording 14 points and 12 rebounds against Spring Hill on Nov. 17. Ellis has now had 15 blocks in her last three games and with the five blocks against Georgia State, the Cordova, Tenn., native moved into sixth on USA's career blocks list, passing former Jag Dina Jones (1992-95). Ellis how has 91 for her career.
Miller connected on six of her nine shot attempts and four of her six free-throw opportunities. She also grabbed six rebounds in her 32 minutes of action.
Genesis Perrymond finished with eight points, all coming during the final 10 minutes of the contest. She was a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line in the win. As a team, USA was 18-for-22 at the charity stripe for 81.8 percent. The outstanding free throw shooting helped off-set a 2-for-18 performance from the three-point line by the Jags.
The Jaguars (5-8, 1-3 SBC) will now return home to host Texas State in the program's annual "Pack the House" game. Tip-off is set for 11 a.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-match updates by following action on the program's twitter account @SouthALWBB.
Along with the solid free throw shooting, one other key stat came in the second half as the Jaguars turned the ball over just six times during the final 20 minutes of play after recording 11 miscues during the first half.
The win snapped a three-game skid both on the season and in the series for South Alabama. It was also USA' first win in the series in Atlanta as it has been winless in its three meetings versus the Panthers on their home floor.
Georgia State dropped to 6-7 overall and 1-3 in the Sun Belt with the loss. GSU entered the game as the second-leading scoring team in the Sun Belt, averaging 72.2 points per game, but the Jag defense held the Panthers 20 points below that average. The 52 points were also a season-low for the Panthers, eclipsing their previous mark of 56 points scored at Alabama.
Makeba Ponder led Georgia State with 18 points, while pulling down six rebounds and four steals. Ponder was held to just five points in the second half and just one of eight shooting from the field. Alaysia Mitchell nearly recorded a double-double, finishing the game with 11 points and nine rebounds.
The South Alabama defense also held Madison Newby to just one point. The freshman point guard had averaged 15.1 ppg in her first three league outings.
Like Thursday night, South Alabama got off to a good start during the first quarter, scoring 19 points. Ellis led the Jaguar offense early on, scoring South Alabama's first eight points that included a pair of and-one opportunities.
After a three-pointer and jumper by Miller with just over five minutes remaining in the opening period of play, USA would not record another field goal. The Jaguars would though capitalize at the free throw line though and hit six straight at the charity stripe, eventually building as much as a five-point advantage (17-12) after a pair of free throws from Miller with three minutes, 37 seconds remaining in the period.
The Jaguars were a perfect 8-for-8 at the foul line during the first 10 minutes of action.
Ellis scored another bucket on USA's second possession of the second quarter to increase the Jag lead to 21-17, but that would be South Alabama's last points for the next three-and-a-half minutes. USA would miss its next six shot attempts.
The Panthers would take advantage of the offensive slump and rattle off six unanswered points and retook the lead (23-21) following a 12-foot baseline jumper by Astaja Tyghter with just over six minutes showing on the clock.
Ellis would end the scoring drought for the Jaguars with another basket – her 12th point of the afternoon – and on USA's next possession Miller would connect as well to put the Jaguars back out in front 25-24.
The lead would be brief for South Alabama though as Ponder – who had 13 points in the first half, including seven in the second quarter – drained her second trey of the afternoon to give GSU a two-point lead at 27-25.
Ponder continued to spark the Panther offense as she hit a pair of free throws to break a 27-all tie. After a Jaguar turnover at the other end of the floor, Mitchell got out in transition for an easy bucket to put the Panthers up 31-27.
With just over two minutes remaining before the intermission, Marquita Daniels connected from the left corner to trim the deficit to one (31-30). A minute later though, the Panthers would again get out in transition following a missed shot by South Alabama. Mitchell was the beneficiary for Georgia State at the other end of the floor with another easy bucket. Mitchell's basket would be the last scoring for either team in the quarter as the Panthers headed into the locker room with the 33-30 lead
Ellis was a perfect 5-for-5 for South Alabama from the field during the first 20 minutes of action, but the rest of the club managed to shoot just 5-of-28.
Coming out of the intermission, South Alabama got a defensive stop to start the third and then scored on a Taylor Jenkins turnaround jumper in the lane on its first possession. USA though would miss its next five shots and see Georgia State increase its lead to 37-32 four minutes into the quarter.
Miller provided a spark for the Jag offense though as she knocked down back-to-back pull up jumpers to cut the deficit to one. With just over three minutes to go in the third, Perrymond found Ellis open in the lane of a turnaround jumper to give USA its first lead of the half. A minute later, Daniels gave the Jags a three-point advantage as the sophomore pulled down a defensive rebound and then went coast-to-coast for a layup, putting USA up 40-37 and capping off an 8-0 run.
At the other end of the floor, Mitchell would score GSU's next five points to put the Panthers back out in front. Mitchell's and-one play with 58.9 remaining in the quarter, giving the Panthers a 42-40 lead.
With under 30 seconds to play in the period, Erin Autio looked as if she were going to send the two teams into the fourth period tied as she intercepted a Georgia State pass and went the length of the floor for a layup. GSU's Haley Gerrin would draw the foul with 6.2 showing on the clock. She hit one of her two attempts to give Georgia State a 43-42 lead.
South Alabama kept things going at the start of the final quarter and quickly reclaimed the lead. Perrymond, who had been held scoreless for the first three quarters of play, knocked down a jumper just inside the arc on USA's first possession. A little over a minute later, Colby Davis drove the baseline and scored an off-balanced lay up in the lane to increase the Jag lead to 46-43.
Ponder trimmed the Jaguar advantage to one (48-47) with a jumper at the 6:16 mark, but that would prove to be the last made field goal for the Panthers. GSU would miss its final six shot attempts. The conference's top team on the offensive glass would also get just two offensive rebounds for the remainder of the game and no second-chance opportunities during the final 3:22 of the contest.
South Alabama pushed its lead back out to six over the next four minutes, taking a 53-47 lead with two minutes, 33 seconds showing on the clock. Jenkins found Ellis open down low for another easy bucket to give the Jaguars the six-point advantage.
The Jaguars sealed the game during the final 1:10 of the game, knocking down seven of their eight free-throw attempts. Perrymond, who prepped at nearby Parkview High School in Lilburn, Ga., located 30 minutes from Atlanta, went a perfect 6-for-6 at the stripe in the final 34 seconds to clinch the eight-point victory.
"We were able to get the ball into the right players' hands at the end of the game," Fowler said. "Chyna Ellis got (the free throw shooting) started early for us, getting to the line and hitting four early. The last three or four days we have really put a lot of work into our free throw shooting."
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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