SAN MARCOS, Texas – The University of South Alabama's women's basketball team (9-17, 4-11) fell 55-39 to Texas State (15-11, 10-5) on Thursday night at Strahan Coliseum.  The Bobcats used an 8-2 run to pull away from the Jaguars in the third quarter and led by double digits for the last 11 minutes of the game.
 
"I was just really disappointed with the lack of aggressiveness on the offensive end of the floor," said South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler.  "We did a good job on the defensive end, but they shot the ball well from the three-point line.  We have to match the effort on defense with our offense."
 
Entering the second half trailing 26-18, South Alabama scored the first two baskets of the third quarter and held Texas State scoreless for nearly four minutes.  Candice Williams hit a jumper just inside the three-point line on the first possession, and Chyna Ellis made a layup after gathering up an offensive rebound.
 
Toshua Leavitt started the Bobcats' 8-2 run with a three-pointer, and Texas State added five more points in the next two possessions.  LaNeetra Guillory ended the run with a jumper just inside the free throw line off a dish by Williams and converted a three-point play that cut South Alabama's deficit to seven points with 2:49 left in the quarter.  The Bobcats scored the next five points on back-to-back possessions, and Guillory hit another jumper in the paint before the quarter ended.
 
The Bobcats stretched their 10-point lead heading into the fourth quarter to 17 points.  Texas State started the quarter on a 7-0 run, holding South Alabama scoreless for almost four minutes.  The closest the Jags would be for the rest of regulation was 14 points, as they scored just 10 points in the quarter.
 
The first quarter was close between the two teams with one tie and two lead changes.  Texas State scored the first basket of the game, but South Alabama grabbed an early 6-2 lead with the six points coming in two possessions.  Williams hit a jumper, and Centers was fouled on a made layup from a pass by Williams.  Centers missed the free throw attempt, but Ellis rebounded her miss and got her own layup.
 
Texas State got the lead back for good with an 8-0 run by hitting two three's and making a layup in three-straight possessions.  South Alabama cut its deficit down to one point twice, but Texas State responded both times with a layup and a pair of free throws.  The Bobcats nearly held the Jags to a five-minute scoreless stretch before Erin Autio drove inside off a pump fake for a layup with 28 seconds left in the quarter.
 
The Bobcats outscored the Jags 12-7 in the second quarter and had a 9-1 run after Autio drained a three off a pass by Colby Davis.  South Alabama went scoreless for almost a six-minute stretch before India Hall split a pair of free throws.
 
"The first time we played them, we held them to 57 points and then just 55 tonight," said Fowler.  "Defensively again we did a good job and outrebounded them.  The story of the season is the struggles on the offensive end.  We have to give ourselves opportunities to score to be in these games."
 
The Jags finished just 27.5% (14-51) from the field, 16.7% (3-18) from three and 72.7% (8-11) from the line.  South Alabama had just six assists and lost the turnover battle 18-9, leading to 11 steals and a 15-10 advantage in points off turnovers for Texas State.
 
South Alabama won the rebounding battle 41-35, and turned 15 offensive rebounds into a 10-5 second chance points' advantage.
 
Leavitt scored a game-high 17 points for the Bobcats and went 6-8 from the field and 5-6 from three.
 
"Leavitt can shoot the ball from deep," said Fowler.  "We had to extend the defense out with her deep range, and a couple times they moved the ball around and found her open spotting in the corner or somewhere else behind the line.  She was just hot tonight."
 
Williams scored a team-high nine points and also had three rebounds and two assists.  Centers and Guillory both had seven points, and Ellis had game-highs of 12 rebounds and three blocks.
 
South Alabama closes out its Lone Star State road trip with Texas-Arlington on Saturday at 2:00 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).