ATLANTA – The University of South Alabama's women's basketball team (7-7, 2-1) jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter and never looked backed as it cruised past Georgia State (5-9, 1-2) on Saturday afternoon at GSU Sports Arena.  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.
 
"Georgia State changes defense a lot, and I asked our team to keep its composure with the basketball," said head coach Terry Fowler.  "We were going to be able to turn good shots to great ones, and the players certainly executed the game plan to get those excellent scoring opportunities."
 
South Alabama outscored Georgia State 45-15 in the first half, including 24-6 in the first quarter.  The Panthers scored the first basket of the game, and then the Jaguars went on a 17-2 run.  Chyna Ellis got the Jags on the board with a layup, and Candice Williams gave the Jags the lead for good with 7:11 remaining in the quarter.  Genesis Perrymond hit a three-pointer in the next possession, and Ellis got a layup before the media timeout.
 
Camryn London hit a three after the break.  Shaforia Kines made a layup on the fast break and then hit her own three-pointer.  In the last two minutes of the quarter the Jags went on a 7-0 run.  Erin Autio and LaNeetra Guillory both hit a pair of free throws, and Genesis Perrymond made a three with a couple of seconds left.
 
The Jags started the second quarter on a 7-1 run to increase their lead by over 20 points.  Ellis made a layup on South Alabama's first possession, and Perrymond added another layup.  Colby Davis hit a three-pointer after the Panthers made a free throw, and Autio then made both free-throws in the next trip down on the offensive end.
 
The lead grew to 30 when Guillory made a jumper to give the Jags 41 points with a little over three minutes remaining in the first half.  Alyese Givens hit a corner three, and Ellis split a pair of free throws for the last four points of the 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, and the 21 points in the second quarter were the third-most.  Georgia State was limited to 16.1% (5-31) from the field and 0-7 from three.
 
"Defensively our kids executed the scouting report on Georgia State," said Fowler.  "We challenged them to be disciplined on that side of the court, and we did a great job of doing so.  There were a few mishaps along the way but overall it was a solid effort and performance."
 
The Jaguars had their biggest lead of the game in the third quarter.  Guillory and Autio hit back-to-back layups that gave South Alabama a 35-point lead (56-21) with 3:41 remaining in the quarter.  Georgia State outscored South Alabama (16-13) in third quarter with the Jags doing so for the other three quarters.
 
Georgia State cut its deficit down to 21 in the beginning of the fourth quarter on an 11-3 run as the Panthers' Haley Gerrin and Astaja Tyghter combined for all 11 points.  South Alabama ended the comeback attempt with a 14-2 run that covered over five minutes of action.  Five different players scored in the last run of the game.
 
South Alabama 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.  The Jags forced the Panthers into 19 turnovers with nine steals, and they also had eight blocks.  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:  Ellis (14 points), Guillory (12), Perrymond (12) and Williams (10).  Ellis tied her season-high in blocks with a game-high five rejections and five rebounds, two assists and a steal.  Guillory went 4-7 from the field and 4-4 from the line and had two blocks and rebounds.  Perrymond dished out a career-high seven assists, tied a career-high with four steals and had two three-pointers and four rebounds.  Williams went 4-6 from the field and had two rebounds and three assists.
 
South Alabama swept Georgia State and Georgia Southern in its road trip in the Peach State for the first time since the two schools joined the Sun Belt Conference four years ago.  The Jaguars entered 2017 with a three-game losing streak and are now undefeated this month after the road trip.
 
"Our kids committed to playing basketball the way we can and want to," said Fowler.  "They trusted the process and committed to each other.  We needed something good to happen for us, and the win at Georgia Southern I think is something that can propel us as we continue to move forward with conference play."
 
South Alabama hosts the two Texas schools in the conference next week, starting with Texas-Arlington on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
 
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).