NEW ORLEANS – The University of South Alabama's 10th-seeded women's basketball team (11-19) topped seventh-seeded Georgia State (12-18) 49-44 in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at Lakefront Arena on Tuesday evening.  With the game tied up at 43-43, Colby Davis made her only basket in the second half to put the South Alabama ahead with 41 seconds as the Jags outscored the Panthers 7-1 to end the game.
 
South Alabama advances to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament and will face No. 2 Texas-Arlington on Thursday at 5:00 p.m.
 
"(This game) was what I expected and what our team expected," said South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler.  "It was going to be a dogfight between our two teams.  We've both scouted pretty well against each other, and so we knew it was going to be difficult for points to be scored on.  I was just really proud of the guts we had to finish the ball game… and we had 15 assists on 18 made baskets.  That means we're sharing the basketball and sharing it around.  That's something we're always proud of."
 
The score was tied at 37-37 to begin the fourth quarter, and Genesis Perrymond had the only basket, a three-pointer, in the first four minutes of the quarter to give the Jags a lead.  The Panthers got the lead on a pair of free throws and a layup in consecutive possessions, but LaNeetra Guillory then made a fast break layup off a pass by Candice Williams with three minutes left.  Georgia State got a jumper to go in the next possession, and Chyna Ellis tied it up by splitting a pair of free throws.
 
South Alabama prevented Georgia State from making a field goal in their last four possessions of the game.  Williams hit a pair of free throws with 19 seconds left to make it a two-possession game, and Georgia State made it back into a one-possession game with a free throw five seconds later.  Perrymond missed both free throw attempts with 12 seconds left, and a Panther's three-pointer from the wing fell short.  Ellis grabbed the rebound and made both attempts at the charity stripe with three seconds to seal the win.
 
"My (assistant) coach Yolisha Jackson had everything scouted down the stretch," said Fowler.  "Every sideline out of bounds they had we had scouted in pre-game and pretty knew what was coming.  We had to make free throws down the stretch. Chyna Ellis was big at the end to give us that cushion.  I thought a big turning point was we hadn't scored in awhile and Colby Davis had the short corner pull-up jumper… and that gave us a little cushion and we went down and made a couple of defensive stops."
 
The Jags led for the majority of the game, including most of the first half.  Both teams were hitting shots in the first half of the first quarter.  South Alabama scored on five on its first eight possessions, and Davis hit two three's in that span.  The second one gave the Jags a 10-7 lead, which they held on for the rest of the quarter.  Perrymond hit the Jags' third three-pointer of the quarter for a 16-11 lead.
 
Georgia State grabbed the lead in the second quarter with a 9-2 run, but South Alabama responded by shutting it out for the last 5:36 of the first half for an 11-0 run.  Davis converted a four-point play after hitting her third three of the half off Shaforia Kines' pass to start the run.  Ellis then got a layup off a dish by Perrymond, and Perrymond got a jumper to go in off a pass by Kines.  Ellis made a free throw, and Davis ended the half by making a jumper with nine seconds left for a 29-20 halftime lead.
 
"The last three ball-games we've played pretty well," said Fowler.  "We gave (Little Rock) a good game. We played really well against Arkansas State on Saturday, and I thought today it just kind of carried over, especially the fact that we made shots.  All year long we struggled to make shots. I knew it was only 49 points, but for us we put the ball in the basket when we had to.  Again I'm just proud of that fact and that we moved the basketball."
 
South Alabama had its biggest lead of the game, 13 points, twice in the beginning of the second half.  The Jags started the third quarter on a 6-2 run. Perrymond made a fast break layup after Davis got a steal and Guillory and Williams made jumpers.  Georgia State stormed back into the game with a 15-2 run in the last six minutes of the quarter to tie the game up.  Ellis made a layup off a quick, leaping pass by Davis for the Jag's only basket during the Panthers' run.
 
The Jags shot 37.5% (18-48) from the field, 27.8% (5-18) from three and 53.3% (8-15) from the line and held the Panthers to 24.1% (14-58) from the field and 33.3% (5-15) from three.  Although the Jags lost the turnover battle 19-17, they finished with 15 assists and also had 12 steals and eight blocks.  South Alabama had the only four fast break points in the game.
 
South Alabama's starters combined for all but one point scored.  Davis scored 12 of her 14 game-high points in the first half and also had six rebounds, a game-high five assists and two steals.  Ellis recorded 12 points, a team-high eight rebounds, a game-high four blocks and an assists.  Perrymond also got in double-figures (12 points) in scoring and also had six defensive rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal.
 
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.
 
Join the Hardwood Club, the women's basketball specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All gifts to the Hardwood Club go directly to support the South Alabama women's basketball program. For more information on how you can join visit:  http://jaguarathleticfund.com/sports/2013/3/13/Hardwood%20Club.aspx?id=28
 
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).