MOBILE, Ala. – Alexis Sykes hit four three-pointers in the first four minutes of the second quarter, sparking a 12-1 run in the University of South Alabama women's basketball team's 82-38 exhibition victory over William Carey Thursday at the Mitchell Center.

Sykes finished the night with a game-high 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc, with Antoinette Lewis adding 15 points and three blocked shots in 15 minutes for the Jaguars.  South shot 44.9 percent from the field overall while recording 22 assists on 31 baskets.

Rachel Thompson led the Lady Crusaders with eight points while Mallory Thompson scored seven and Shantavia Hughes supplied six.

GAME FACTS
- Despite going over five minutes without a field goal in the opening quarter, when Thompson converted a layup with just over three minutes remaining it drew the Lady Crusaders within one point, 10-9.
- Back-to-back threes from Demaya Telemaque and Sykes helped spark a 7-2 run for the Jags as they ended the first period with a 17-11 advantage.
- Sykes connected on her first five threes in the contest, with four of those coming in the first four minutes of the second quarter as South pushed its lead to 29-12.
- After limiting WCU to just 4-of-35 shooting (11.4%) in the opening half South led 40-16 at the break.
- The Jag lead was 64-25 at the end of three quarters after the Lady Crusaders were limited to just one field goal in the first six-and-a-half minutes of the period.
- In addition to making nine three-pointers, South recorded 38 points in the paint and had a 20-6 edge in fast-break points.

NOTES
- South has now won 18 of its last 19 exhibition outings dating back to the 2000-01 campaign.
- While the Jaguars lead the all-time series with William Carey 3-1, it marked the second time in the last five years that South has defeated the Lady Crusaders in an exhibition contest.
- South's bench outscored the Lady Crusaders' reserves 51-15, highlighted by a 22-0 advantage in the opening half.
- Not only did the Jaguars forced 19 turnovers, they allowed WCU to convert just 3-of-20 (15%) tries from three-point range.
- Sykes posted 11 points in 11 appearances as a freshman last season.
- Lewis — the only player other than Sykes for either team with a double-digit point total — scored in double figures 11 times a year ago, her first at the collegiate level.
- Savannah Jones and India Hall shared team-high honors with six rebounds apiece for the Jags.
- Jayla Morrow was credited with six assists against only one turnover in just over 18 minutes of action.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Terry Fowler
Opening statement: "Any time you can get a win you'll take it, but there are some things we have to improve upon.  I thought we shot the ball well, starting with Alexis, but we have to improve our rebounding — we gave up too many offensive rebounds — and we didn't make free throws.  I just felt like we didn't really have an offensive flow, we didn't move the ball like we are capable of with the extra pass; you saw spurts of it tonight, but we are capable of really moving the ball and getting it popping to find an open player and make a shot.  As we prepare for Spring Hill next week, we'll just go back to the drawing board after watching this film and get back at it."
On the first game against outside competition this season: "It was good from the standpoint that it was the first time we had the uniforms on, you had pregame introductions and all those things; you get that out of the way and keep some of those nerves at bay.  I told them, though, that once you throw the ball up it's basketball, it's the same thing.  We just have to go to work and be ready to play.  Our season won't be defined by this game or the next game, we are continually trying to build and at the end of the season be the best team that we possibly can be."
On replacing Chyna Ellis: "I think any time you lose Chyna Ellis — especially on the defensive end, she made up for a lot of people's mistakes there — we're not going to block the shots that she did but we still can take away the paint from people, that's what we're going to have to do.  It's more of a team effort without Chyna in there.  We're just excited about seeing this group grow, nine of the 14 kids are freshmen and sophomores.  Let's see where we are tonight, and when we're talking in March let's see the progress that they've made.  I'm looking forward to that."

Sophomore G Alexis Sykes
On her shooting in the game: "It felt amazing, when I was subbed out for the first time I didn't know I had made 5-of-5 threes.  My dad passed away, but it felt like he was in the gym and that his spirit was with me every time I shot the ball.  I actually shed a tear at halftime because everything you work for was finally coming true."
On playing outside competition for the first time this year: "It was fun.  We had 27 practices, we look good sometimes in practice but when you get to see and play other people you can figure out if our offense or our defense is really that good.  It's good feedback for us to see what we need to fix and what we need to work on."

Up next: The Jaguars will open the regular season with a 7 p.m. (CST) contest Wednesday against Spring Hill at the Mitchell Center.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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