Box Score - South Alabama 83, Georgia State 45 (.pdf)Post Game QuotesPhoto GalleryMOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team placed five players in double figures Thursday night and picked up its sixth Sun Belt Conference victory with an 83-45 win over Georgia State at the Mitchell Center. The 10 wins now give the program its first 10-win season since 2012-13.
The 38-point win was the largest for the Jags in conference play since defeating Troy by 37 (63-26) in Mobile on Jan. 29, 2012. The 83-points were also a season-high for the club and the most since scoring 80 at Georgia Southern last season.
"I think that our kids were just locked into the scout, and our defense tonight was able to turn into some offense," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said. "It was an outstanding job in how we shared the basketball, I asked them 'How much fun is this?' when we were moving and sharing the basketball. I told them that if we would keep moving the ball, we would get easy shots."
The Jaguars (10-12, 6-7 SBC) will continue its three-game homestand Saturday afternoon when they welcome Georgia Southern to the Mitchell Center. The game versus the Eagles is set to start at 2 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN3. Live stats and web streaming for the contest versus the Eagles 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.
Marquita Daniels led all scorers with 18 points – her fifth double-figure outing in her last six games – while also notching six of USA's 12 steals. The six steals for Daniels were a new career best for the sophomore.
Joining Daniels in double figures were LaNeetra Guillory (14), Colby Davis (12), Chyna Ellis (11) and Juliann Miller (10). Guillory – who had missed the last three games – carded a new career-best for the second straight game in which she has played. The Pearland, Texas, native was 6-for-6 from the field in 15 minutes of action and also added a pair of blocks.
"It was great to see LaNeetra Guillory — who sat out the last three ballgames after coming off a career high against Troy — come back and play the way she did," Fowler said. "It just gave us a boost because she provided another post option who can score. I'm excited about the confidence she is gaining. And the way we moved it [the ball] was a total team effort."
The game marked the first time since Feb. 18, 2012 against Western Kentucky that USA has had five players record double figures in the same game.
Davis finished one assists shy of matching a season best as she dished out six assists in the win. Redshirt freshman Genesis Perrymond also carded a career-high six assists to go along with her six points and career-best and game-high eight rebounds. As a team, South Alabama recorded a season-high 22 assists on its 29 made field goals. The 22 assists were the most by the Jags in a game since registering 21 against Spring Hill (12/4/12).
The loss for Georgia State (9-13, 4-9 SBC) was it's fourth in its last five outings and sixth in its last eight. Madison Newby led the club with nine points. GSU's leading scorer, Makeba Ponder, entered the game averaging 13.1 points per game, but was held to just six on 2-of-11 shooting. All six of her points came in the first quarter.
The Jaguars were 29-of-56 from the field for 51.8 percent – the second 50-plus shooting percentage this season in a game. USA was also 10-for-18 from long-range for 55.6 percent against the Panthers. The 10 three-pointers were the second-most for the club this season, just missing out on the 11 recorded earlier this year against Texas State.
The Panthers were just 17-for-52 from the field (.327) and 3-for-17 from beyond the three-point line (.176).
South Alabama forced Georgia State into 26 turnovers – the most by a Jag opponent this season – while limiting the Panthers to just five assists. USA also held a 27-10 advantage in the points off turnovers category. The game also marked the second-consecutive game that GSU has been held to 45 points. Georgia State entered play ranked third in the SBC in scoring offense, averaging 65.4 ppg.
"We've struggled scoring a lot of the season (with our defensive pressure), but tonight our defense put us in position to get some easy buckets," Fowler added. "We're talking a lot about the offense, but our defense held them to 45 points, it was outstanding. I was really proud of our effort on both ends of the floor."
Georgia State scored on its opening possession of the game, but the Panthers would hit just one of their next eight shots over a four-plus minute span. USA would take advantage of the GSU scoring drought and rattle off a 12-3 run. Daniels scored six points for the Jags during that time and capped off the run when she intercepted an inbounds pass and found Miller open for a fast break layup. Miller's bucket with just under five to go in the opening quarter put the Jaguars up by seven (12-5).
USA extended its lead out to double figures (17-7) two minutes later after a jumper by Ellis and a three-pointer from the right wing from Erin Autio, but the Panthers would quickly cut their deficit in half after a pair of free throws by Newby and a trey from Ponder with one minute, 38 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
South Alabama stretched its lead back out to double figures at 22-12 in the final minute. Guillory – seeing her first action after missing the previous three games due to illness – knocked down a turnaround jumper in the lane and on USA's next possession, Colby Davis drained a three from the left corner.
At the other end of the floor, Ponder connected from the top of the key just before the buzzer to trim the Jaguar lead to 22-15.
South Alabama set the tone for its first-half shooting during the opening 10 minutes of action as it shot 56.3 percent. USA also had nine assists on all nine of its made baskets.
The Jaguars exploded for 28 points in the second quarter and again shot over 50 percent to build its lead to 21 points. The 28 points in the second were the most points recorded by the Jags in a single quarter this season, besting the previous mark of 27 set against Texas State in the first quarter on Jan. 14.
Leading by seven (24-17), the Jaguars rattled off a 9-0 spurt and forced Georgia State into four turnovers during that same stretch. Of South Alabama's nine points during the run, six came at the foul line. USA was 14-of-18 at the stripe during the period. The Jaguars' one lone field goal during the run was a three-pointer from the right side of the arc by Davis – her second of the game.
Over the remainder of the quarter, South Alabama would continue to build upon its lead. With three minutes remaining before the half, Daniels found Perrymond open in the left corner for a three of her own to give USA a 42-22 advantage.
GSU would try to cut into the Jaguar lead in the final minutes, but USA would answer every score by the Panthers. Davis – who had 10 points in the first half – sent South Alabama into the locker room with a 50-29 lead when the junior sank a pair of free throws with 2.4 seconds remaining. Ellis (11) and Daniels (10) also recorded double figures in the first half for the Jags.
The 50 points in the first half were the most points recorded by USA in a half this season and the 55.6 field-goal percentage during the first 20 minutes of action was the most in the opening half this season, eclipsing the previous mark of 53.6 percent set against William Carey (12/15).
After a GSU bucket in the opening seconds of the second half, the Jaguars would gain even more breathing room as they rattled off a 10-0 run. During the next seven minutes, the South Alabama defense would force Georgia State into six turnovers and seven-straight missed shot attempts. Daniels capped off the 10-0 run for USA with a three from the left corner with two minutes, 40 seconds showing on the clock – one of her four in the game. Daniels' trey increased the South Alabama lead to 60-31.
On Georgia States next possession, Ashlee Cole ended the streak of misses and scored the Panthers first points in over seven minutes with a bucket.
However, over the final two minutes of the third, USA would close strong, outscoring the Panthers 10-2. The Jaguars capped off the run with their ninth long-range shot of the night, just before the horn to give USA a 35-point advantage (70-35).
For the third-straight quarter, South Alabama shot 50 percent in the game as it eight of its 16 shot attempts. GSU was just 3-of-12 in the period.
In the fourth, the Jaguar lead would grow to as much as 40 and Georgia State did not score its first points of the final quarter until six minutes in.
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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