MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama's women's basketball team (9-19, 4-13) fell 50-44 to Little Rock (22-7, 16-1) on Thursday night at the Mitchell Center.  Never trailing in the game, the Trojans went on a 7-0 run in the beginning of fourth quarter for a 10-point lead and held on for the victory.

"I thought we got off to a slow start in the first quarter, but our kids really played hard from that point forward," said South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler.  "They [Little Rock] are the No. 1 team, the Sun Belt regular season champions, and we gave them a run for their money and fought down to the very end.  When we got to the fourth quarter we told our kids, 'What else can you ask for?  You have a great opportunity here.'"

"I was very pleased with our rebounding effort — we did an outstanding job on the glass — but we also have to take advantage of those opportunities to get those second-chance shots, and we didn't do that at a high or efficient enough rate to put more points on the board.  We held this team to 50 points playing a 2-3 zone; I thought that was a great move for us and our kids really executed in it."

The two teams combined for just 13 points in the third quarter.  Little Rock opened the quarter on a 6-2 run for an eight-point lead, but South Alabama held it scoreless for the last 5:37 of the quarter.  India Hall made a layup, and LaNeetra Guillory converted a three-point play after getting fouled on a made jumper in the paint.

Entering the fourth quarter with a 31-28 lead, the Trojans went on their 7-0 run for after the two teams traded baskets to start the quarter.  The Jaguars cut it down to five points after Colby Davis made the only South Alabama three-pointer of the game and Genesis Perrymond scored a fast break layup.  Four times the Jags reduced their deficit to four points, but each time the Trojans responded with a layup or a pair of free throws.  Little Rock iced the game away by going 8-8 at the free throw line with less than two minutes remaining in the game. The Jags committed nine turnovers in the quarter.

"The one thing we have to improve upon is turnovers," said Fowler.  "I thought we did an outstanding job in the first half, but we just had some crucial turnovers in the fourth quarter that hindered our chances of making a comeback."

The Jags were flat on offense to start the game, and the Trojans outscored them 14-6 in the first quarter.  South Alabama was just 2-14 from the field and 0-2 from three in the quarter.  Little Rock had two 7-2 runs, one to start the game and another one after Davis ended the first run with a layup.

Little Rock scored the only two baskets in the first three and a half minutes of the second quarter, but South Alabama outscored it 15-7 in the rest of the quarter.  Williams converted on a three-point play for the Jags' first points of the quarter to start a 9-2 run.  India Hall made a layup in the next possession after getting an offensive rebound, Erin Autio added another layup on a pass from Davis, and Genesis Perrymond scored on a fourth-straight layup.  Davis would then get her own three-point play after getting fouled on a jumper in the lane, and the last three Jags' points of the first half came at the free throw lane.

"There was a play that we ran for Candice Williams where she caught it and drove the ball extremely hard, and from that point on it set the tone for us that if we play with that kind of aggressiveness we can get to the basket," said Fowler.  "I think she got and and-one on that particular play and from that point on it gave our kids some confidence, and we kept going from there."

South Alabama finished the game shooting 29.1% (16-55) from the field, 7.7% (1-13) from three and 78.6% (11-14) at the charity stripe.  The Jags held the Trojans to 33.3% (17-51) from the field and 20.0% (2-10) from three.

South Alabama held a sizeable advantage on the glass (44-30) and had turned 20 offensive rebounds into a 12-6 advantage in second chance points and 30-18 edge in points in the paint.  The Jags had just seven assists to 21 turnovers, which led to a 15-3 advantage in points off turnovers for the Trojans.

Davis was the only Jag to score in double-digits with 12 points on 5-10 shooting from the field and making her only free throw attempt and also had two assists and a team-high two steals.  Chyna Ellis pulled down 10 rebounds and also had seven points and a game-high four blocks.  Perrymond scored eight points and had eight boards, two assists and a steal.

South Alabama closes out the regular season with Arkansas State on Saturday at 1:00 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).