MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team (8-4, 1-0) dominated the Georgia State Panthers (4-8, 0-1), 88-52, behind four double-digit scoring efforts to open Sun Belt Conference play on Friday at the Mitchell Center.
 
Savannah Jones lead the way with a game-high 15 points on 5-of-11 from the field, including 3-for-8 on three-point buckets and 2-of-2 from the charity-stripe. The redshirt freshman guard also brought down four rebounds, dished out three assists and rejected a pair of shots in the win.
 
Erin Autio collected 11 points on the evening. The senior guard went 5-for-5 at the charity-stripe, while adding three rebounds and a pair of helpers to her stat line.
 
Chyna Ellis and India Hall each contributed 10 points in the matchup. Hall had a season-high in points, making her first field goals of the season by shooting 5-of-8 from the field, and grabbed a season-high four rebounds, while dishing out an assist. Ellis rejected two shots and collected three boards on her 4-of-6 shooting night.
 
Kennedi Centers and Antoinette Lewis each had nine points. The sophomore and freshman forwards went 4-of-4 and 4-of-6 from the field, respectively. Lewis collected seven boards and Centers brought down five.
 
GAME FACTS
- A three-point play by Shaforia Kines gave the Jags their biggest lead of the first quarter, 18, and capped off a 10-0 run.
- South Alabama held Georgia State to 2-of-16 from the field in the opening quarter. GSU mad just one of its last 11 attempts to close out the first as USA lead 25-11.
- The Jags cruised in the second outscoring the Panthers 22-7.
- South Alabama closed out the second quarter on a 10-0 run
-A layup by Lewis gave the Jags their biggest lead of half, 29 points, as the second came to a close with South Alabama leading 47-18.
- USA shot 47.5 percent from the field in the opening half, as it held GSU to just 13.5 percent from the field.
- South Alabama held off Georgia State in the second-half outscoring the Panthers 41-34 in the final two quarters.
- The Jags won the rebound battle 49 to 45.
- USA dominated points off the bench and points scored in the paint winning each battle 53-18 and 44-18, respectively.
- South Alabama never trailed during the contest leading for 38:22, with the game being tied for a mere 1:38.
 
NOTES
- Georgia State's 13.5 shooting percentage in the first-half is the lowest by a Jag opponent in any half this season.
- The Panthers 21.3 percent from the field for the game was the worst by a South Alabama opponent this season.
- This was the second-time this season the Jags have had four-double digit scorers, last time was at Southern Miss on Nov. 30.
- Freshman Alexis Sykes scored her first career-points a Jag dropping eight in the win.
- Hall's 10 points tied a career-high that she set on Dec. 15, 2015, at the Mitchell Center against William Carey.
- Ellis recorded 10 or more points for the 10th time this season, while it was Jones' eight and Autio's third time this season.
- Lewis' seven boards tied her season-high for the third time this season.
- Ellis needs 18 blocks to become the all-time leader in Sun Belt Conference history and needs 39 points to reach 1,000 for her career.
- The Jags have played 101 games without going to overtime.
- This was the 526th consecutive game with the Jags making a three-point bucket.
 
THEY SAID IT
USA head coach Terry Fowler
Opening statement: "It was good to come out here and shake the rust off, you never know what you're going to get coming off a long layoff and we just came and really played well.  We got off to a great start shooting the basketball, but defensively we did an outstanding job holding them to 18 points in the first half.  I thought that set the tone for the rest of the game."
 
On what an emphatic win to begin Sun Belt Conference play does for the program: "It was huge because from a coaching standpoint you never know what you're going to get in that first game.  For us to come out and play like that — I thought in practices I could tell that our kids were ready to play games — it's been nine days since we had a game and I thought they were excited to play.  Now you get into a rhythm as we start to play every other day, we're looking forward to that and excited about it."
 
On what the team did defensively in the first half: "We talked about stopping their dribble penetration and contesting every shot, and I thought that's what we did.  Every shot they took in the first half was a contested shot.  They did a great job getting offensive boards in the first half, we tried to keep the ball out of the paint but even when they got in there every shot was a contested shot."
 
On being able to use so many players: "I thought it was big.  We are always telling our young ladies that everybody has an important role in our program, and whatever your role is, is important to the mission.  To have India come out and play well and Alexis Sykes come in gives them an opportunity, we may need them at some point but now they've been in the fire already."
 
Junior F/C India Hall
On her performance: "It was just my teammates giving me the ball and concentrating on finishing."
 
On getting a win to open Sun Belt play: "It's a good start, but we have plenty more to give.  We're a good team and I think we are going to go far in the conference."
 
Redshirt freshman G Savannah Jones
On winning the Sun Belt opener: "It was good for us because we start off 1-0 in conference, it gives us energy going into our next games.  It [the win] was a great feeling."
 
On her play in the game: "I was just going with the flow of the game, I wasn't thinking too much or hesitating and just playing."
 
UP NEXT
The Jags continue Sun Belt play against Georgia Southern at the Mitchell Center. Opening tip is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. on Sunday.
 
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).

Join the Jaguar Athletic Fund (JAF) Priority Fund, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to the Priority Fund directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give

—USA—