MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama's women's basketball team (7-12, 2-6) fell to Georgia State (6-13, 2-6) 71-54 on Thursday afternoon at the Mitchell Center.  After a jumper by Colby Davis tied the game up at 39-39 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Panthers went on a 14-4 run to secure their victory over the Jaguars.
 
"First of all, I have to thank our marketing and promotions' staff for getting the elementary school kids out here," said South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler. "It was a great atmosphere for our ladies, but unfortunately we couldn't come out on top. The second quarter was a killer for us. We only scored one point in that quarter. The key stat in the game that we talked about was rebounding. They pulled down 15 more than us. We just couldn't get anything going once we had the slow start."
 
The first half of the fourth quarter went back-and-forth with four lead changes and two ties.  Georgia State jumped out to a five-point lead with a jumper in its first possession, and South Alabama took the lead after back-to-back three-pointers by Shaforia Kines and Davis.  The Panthers regained the lead with a jumper in their next possession, but Erin Autio hit a pair of free throw right afterwards to make it a 37-36 lead for the Jags.  An and-one on a layup pushed by Georgia State was then answered by a jumper by Davis to tie the game up at 39-39.
 
The Panthers' fourth quarter run started with three-straight layups. Ellis got a layup of her own to cut the Jags' deficit to four points with two minutes left in the game, but Georgia State's K.K. Williams made two pairs of free throws to make it a three-possession game with a minute remaining.  Ellis made a jumper in the paint off an offensive rebound to make it 49-43 with 58 seconds left, and that would be the closest the Jags would get the rest of the way.  The Panthers iced the game away by going 6-8 at the free throw line in the final minute and allowing just one field goal by the Jags.  South Alabama went just 3-8 from the field with three turnovers in the last five minutes of the game.
 
The Jags trailed by 11 points early in the third quarter after the Panthers scored two quick baskets to start the second half.  South Alabama responded with an 11-0 run to tie the game up at 26-26.  Kennedi Centers started the run with a layup, and Davis then hit her first three-pointer of the game.  Kines capped the run with consecutive three's of her own.  Ellis had the last three points of the quarter for the Jags, and the Panthers entered the four quarter leading 32-29.
 
"I was proud of the way that we fought back," said Fowler. "I thought once we got up one that we would have a chance, but then they hit that big three. If we had gotten a stop right there and gotten another basket for some cushion, I thought we could have been able to withhold it. We just didn't have it today. We are going to see zone again on Saturday against Georgia Southern, so we just have to make those shots."
 
The lead changed five times during the first quarter with even play between the two teams.  Ellis hit a three in South Alabama's second possession of the game for its first lead.  LaNeetra Guillory made a jumper and Candice Williams made a layup after an offensive rebound by Ellis.  The Jags ended the quarter with a 5-0 run on a jumper by Guillory and a three-point play by Camryn London for a 12-8 lead.
 
South Alabama scored just one point in the second quarter, a season-low for points in a quarter this season.  The Jags were 0-9 from the field, including 0-5 from three, with six turnovers and only one offensive rebound.  Ellis split a pair of free throws for the only point of the quarter as Georgia State outscored them 12-1.

The Jags made just one-third of their field goal attempts in the game, going 17-51 from the field, 6-22 from three (27.3%) and 5-9 (55.6%) from the charity stripe.  The Panthers had the edge on the glass, outrebounding the Jags 45-30.  18 offensive rebounds lead to an 18-10 advantage in second chance points and 32-18 in points in the paint.

Ellis had team-highs of 11 points and three blocks and also had six rebounds.  Kines had nine points, going 3-4 from deep. Davis had eight points and three assists, and Genesis Perrymond had a team-high seven boards and three steals, a game-high four assists and two blocks.

"I always say, it's not like football because we don't wait a week," said Fowler. "We have a quick turnaround. We'll get in some film work and get some shots up tomorrow to prepare for Georgia Southern. We have the ESPN3 game for the Sun Belt, and it's another opportunity to get out on the floor."

As part of Coaches vs. Cancer, all players from both teams wore gold shoe laces and black t-shirts, and the coaches wore suits, sneakers with the gold laces and the same t-shirts in support for Appalachian State head coach Angel Elderkin.  Elderkin is currently fighting to defeat endometrial cancer after being diagnosed with the cancer during the summer, and each team in the Sun Belt Conference is doing the same as these two teams this weekend to raise awareness while also collecting donations towards cancer research along with the local staff from the American Cancer Society.

South Alabama hosts Georgia Southern on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the men's teams.  The Jags defeated the Eagles 55-46 on earlier this year on Jan. 5th.
 
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).