MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama's women's basketball team (7-13, 2-7) fell to Georgia Southern (8-12, 4-5) 53-45 on Saturday evening at the Mitchell Center.  The Jaguars rallied back from being down 11 points to make it a one-possession game on three occasions, but an 8-0 run by the Eagles that started halfway through the fourth quarter secured the victory for them.
 
"They got out on a 7-0 run to start the game, and we fought back to kind of make it a game," said Fowler.  "We gave up 16 points in the first two quarters, so they were on a pace to get their average which was right around 64 points.  I challenged the team at halftime to do a better job on the defensive end of the floor, and I thought we did; in the third quarter we hold them to two points and put ourselves in a situation to have a chance to win the ballgame starting the fourth quarter down one.  Some untimely turnovers and some missed shots cost us down the stretch and we had to start fouling to try and get ourselves back in the game and they were able to make free throws."
 
Entering the second half trailing 32-21, South Alabama outscored Georgia Southern 12-2 in the third quarter.  The Eagles were just 1-12 from the field and 0-5 from three and had three turnovers as the Jaguars were able to cut their deficit to one point when Genesis Perrymond hit a three-pointer with over a minute left.
 
Kennedi Centers made a layup off a pass by Candice Williams on South Alabama's first possession of the second half.  After a layup by Georgia Southern, Shaforia Kines hit a three-pointer in the next possession before Ellis hit two-straight layups.
 
The Jags were not able to get a lead in the fourth quarter as the Eagles scored the next point each time it became a one-possession game.  Ellis made a jumper in the paint to make it 37-35 in the beginning of the fourth quarter, and Georgia Southern's Alexis Foulks made her own jumper in the paint in the next trip down on the offensive end.  Ellis made a pair of free throws after gathering an offensive rebound, and Foulks hit a three-pointer right afterwards.  After Perrymond made her fourth three of the game to make it 42-40 with 5:59 left in the game, the late fourth quarter run started for the Eagles.
 
Alexis Sam got the run going with a three-pointer, Foulks hit another three and Jessica Marcus made a layup with 2:13 remaining. The closest the Jags came was a five-point deficit with 46 seconds left after Colby Davis made a layup and Kines converted a three-point play after getting fouled on a layup.  Georgia Southern then made three free throws and prevented South Alabama from scoring.
 
"Those are always the toughest 2-3 inches to get over the top, but you have to keep working," said Fowler.  "We have to keep going, we can't stop because any momentum that you have if you stop, you lose it and now make the extra traction up.  We're just not making shots.  When you give up 53 points, you think you are going to win the ballgame.  Our defense is travelling with us — we are doing a great job on that end of the floor — but we have to get it done on the offensive end, and we will.  It's going to take a little time, but we have to keep believing; the number one thing is that everyone has to believe."
 
South Alabama was shut out in the first six minutes of the game as Georgia Southern jumpeqd out to a 7-0 lead.  The Jags would score the next five points on two free throws by Davis and a three-pointer by Perrymond, and the Eagles responded with another 7-0 run.
 
Erin Autio made a pair of free throws to start the second quarter, and Georgia Southern went on an 8-0 run to give itself a 24-12 lead.  The two teams traded baskets the rest of the quarter.
 
South Alabama shot 28.6% (16-56) from the field and 21.4% (6-28) from three and was perfect from the charity stripe (7-7).  The Jags had a slight edge on the glass (40-38) but turned the ball over three more times (16-13) that helped the Eagles have the advantage in points off turnovers (25-12).
 
"We have to shoot the basketball better," said Fowler.  "We have to shoot at game speed in practice, we have to attack the glass and get to the basket.  We have to score.  Shooters need to see the ball go through the net, shooting is repetition and confidence.  You have to have the right mindset that the next shot is going in, and you have to feel that from everybody in our program.  If we keep shooting the basketball the breakthrough is going to come."
 
Ellis recorded her third double-double of the season with game-highs of 13 points and 13 rebounds while also recording two steals, two assists and a game-high three blocks.  She now has 55 rejections this year, moving from tied for eighth to sole possession of seventh place in program history for most blocks in a single-season.  She passed Genevieve Delk's 2005 total of 52 blocks and Orphie Moore's 1986 total of 53 and needs two more to move ahead of her freshman total.
 
Perrymond was the only other double-digit scorer for South Alabama and made four three-pointers for 12 points while also having four rebounds, two steals and a block and assist.  Kines and Davis both had six points, and Davis also had five rebounds and a team-high three assists.
 
As part of Coaches vs. Cancer, all players from both teams for the second-straight game 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 will have six days of rest before heading upstate to face intrastate foe Troy next Saturday at 2:00 p.m.  The game will be broadcasted on ESPN3.
 
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).