MOBILE, Ala. –The University of South Alabama women's basketball faces the two Texas schools of the Sun Belt Conference this week, starting with Texas-Arlington this Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
 
Fans can watch the game on a live video stream from USAJaguars.com, listen at http://995thejag.com/listen, or get updates on Twitter (@SouthALWBB) or live stats via USAJaguars.com.
 
The meeting between South Alabama and Texas-Arlington will mark the eighth in the all-time series between the two clubs.  The Mavericks hold a 4-3 record in the series.  The two teams split the season series last year with the home team prevailing for the win in the two games.  The Jaguars won 59-55 on Jan. 16th, and the Mavericks won 53-49 on March 3^rd.  South Alabama swept the season series in the first year (2013-14) they played each other as Sun Belt opponents, and both games were overtime victories for the Jags.  Texas-Arlington swept the series the next season. 
 
Fourth-year South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler and fourth-year Georgia State head coach Krista Gerlich are both 3-3 against each other's schools.  The Panthers will come to the Mitchell Center later this month on Saturday, Feb. 25th at 2:00 p.m.
 
Last week the Jaguars won at Georgia Southern 55-46 and Georgia State 77-47 for the team's first Sun Belt win and winning streak of the season.  It also marked the first time South Alabama swept Georgia State and Georgia Southern in its road trip in the Peach State since the two schools joined the Sun Belt Conference four years ago.
 
South Alabama cruised past Georgia State.  All 11 Jaguars that played scored in the game as the team shot 48.3% (28-58) from the field, 33.3% (7-21) from three and 70% (14-20) at the free throw line.  South Alabama outscored Georgia State 45-15 in the first half.
 
The Panthers scored the first basket of the game, and then the Jaguars went on a 17-2 run.  The lead grew to 30 with a little over three minutes remaining in the first half.  South Alabama shot 55.6% (15-27) from the field (a season-high for the first half), 46.2% (6-13) from three and 75% (9-12) from the charity stripe in the first half.  The 24 points in first quarter were the most the Jags have scored in any quarter this season. The Jags had season-highs in assists (20) and field goals (28), tied a season-high in made three-point field goals (seven) and turned the ball over a season-low nine times.  South Alabama enjoyed a 27-9 advantage in points off turnovers, 12-2 in fast break points and 30-13 in points off the bench.
 
South Alabama had four double-digit scorers:  Chyna Ellis (14 points), LaNeetra Guillory (12), Genesis Perrymond (12) and Candice Williams (10).  Ellis tied her season-high in blocks with a game-high five rejections and five rebounds, two assists and a steal.  Perrymond dished out a career-high seven assists, tied a career-high with four steals and had four rebounds.
 
Ellis was instrumental in the Jags' two victories on the Georgia road trip, leading the team in made field goals (11), field goal percentage (50.0%), offensive (10) and total rebounds (15), blocks (eight) and points (25).
 
On the season she is averaging 3.0 blocks per game that tops the Sun Belt and ranks 12th in the NCAA.  She has had a block in all 13 games played this season. With just two more blocks Ellis would have sole possession of third place in the program's all-time career blocked shots leaders (179 blocks), moving ahead of Adrian Vickers (1987-90).  To become the all-time leader in rejections by the end of this regular season, she needs to just average 1.9 per game the rest of the year.  She is also on pace this season to surpass her rejections mark from last season.
 
Texas-Arlington (10-3, 3-0) enters the game on a three-game winning streak and is one of three undefeated teams (Little Rock and Troy) left in the Sun Belt.  The Mavericks have won five of their past six games and are 3-2 on the road, 1-0 on a neutral court and 6-1 at home.  Texas-Arlington was picked to finished 3rd in the conference preseason coaches' poll and received one first-place vote.
 
The Mavericks had a nine-game streak of forcing 20 or more turnovers come that ended against Texas State, falling just three short. Texas-Arlington is 15th in the nation at 22.08 forced per game.  The Mavericks are third in the conference in scoring defense at 59.6 ppg, and the offense is third in scoring (67.6).
 
Junior center Rebekah VanDijk is just 15 points from 1,000 career points.  VanDijk leads the conference in rebounding (9.5 rebounds per game) and offensive rebounds (4.4 offensive rebounds per game), is second in scoring (17.6 points per game) and field goal percentage (53.9%) and has recorded seven double-doubles this year.  Junior guard Cierra Johnson ranks first in the SBC in steals and 16th in the nation (3.2 steals per game), third in assist-turnover ratio (1.3), fourth in assists (3.4 assists per game) seventh in field goal percentage (42.6%), 13th in scoring (11.9 ppg) and 15th in rebounding (6.2 rpg).
 
The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are scheduled for a week of March Madness in the Big Easy.  New Orleans will once again be home to the two championships that will take place at Lakefront Arena from March 7-12 and ticket books can now be purchased from your our ticket office.  For more information, visit the Sun Belt Conference's championship central websites - Men's Championship – Women's Championship – and be sure to follow the @FunBelt on social media - @SunBelt.
 
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).