Box Score (PDF)

MOBILE, Ala. -  The University of South Alabama women's basketball team out-played East Tennessee State on Monday night at the Mitchell Center to come away with an 81-74 victory. With the win, South improves to 5-0 on the season and becomes just the second team in program history to start a season with five wins in a row. The Jags were led by a stellar performance from Antoinette Lewis. 

Lewis dropped a team-high 24 points, brought home 12 rebounds, and blocked six shots on the way to her second double-double of the season. The sophomore forward from Memphis, Tenn. connected on 10-of-12 shots from the floor and was ferocious on the glass, leading both teams with five offensive rebounds. 

Shaforia Kines and Savannah Jones were there to shoot the ball from outside tonight, as they both went 4-of-7 from behind the arc. Kines played a game-high 35:47 and put up 23 points, while Jones finished with 18. The pair hit back-to-back threes to start off the fourth quarter, which set up a 12-2 run for the Jags and helped build their lead back up to double digits. 


GAME FACTS
 - South ended the first quarter on a 10-1 run to build a 22-13 lead. 
 - ETSU went on a 11-3 run to start the third quarter to cut the game to a one-point South lead. 
 - Jones went 7-of-11 from the field and hit four three-pointers, finishing the game with 18 points. 
 - South shot 56.4 percent from the field for the entire game, and shot 66.7 percent in the fourth.
 - The Jags put up nine blocked shots in the contest to ETSU's zero.  
 - South led for a total of 36:41 in the game and didn't get down by more than two in the contest. 
 - The Jags biggest lead in the game capped out at 14, with 4:47 to play in the second. 
 - Erica Haynes-Overton led ETSU, and all scorers, with 25 points. 
 - ETSU shot 69.2 percent from the field in the third quarter to close the Jags lead to four, but connected on just 36.8 percent of attempts in the fourth. 


NOTES
 - The last time South started a season 5-0 was 1984-1985; that team won its first 12 games and finished the year with a 19-10 mark. 
 - This is the second time in program history a team has won its first five games of the season. 
 - Lewis' double-double marks her second this season and fifth of her career. 
 - This was the first ever meeting between the two schools. 
 - Kines' 23 points in the game bumped her season average to 14.5 ppg, she now leads the team. 
 - The Jags 11 three-pointers in the game ties their season high, set against Spring Hill in the opener. 

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Terry Fowler
Opening statement: "I'm just so proud of our kids. We got off to a fast start. We talked about doing that. In the third quarter, we knew East Tennessee State was going to come out. They've been playing really well in the third quarter. We got a little stagnant, but we were able to come out in the fourth quarter and make some shots and finish it off at the free throw line. We shot over 50 percent from the field and from three. This group has different players that can score and everybody stepped up tonight." 

On the team's balance in scoring: "Balance is the key word. We're really balanced; it's inside out. We can create it with the dribble, we can move it with the pass, and we have kids that can play one-on-one. I thought the big shot that Damaya hit off the left was huge for us and really gave us a big confidence boost."

On the team's chemistry: "This group has really taken to each other. It started in the summer. We've had several conversations about it. They're always together. They spend an awful lot of time together. It's carried over onto the floor and it's visible for everyone to see."  

Sophomore Antoinette Lewis
On her approach to the game: "Offensively, my team trusts me to score when I get the ball. We focus on playing inside out all the time in practice. I was determined to get rebounds. Coach said if we out-rebound this team, it will better our chances of winning. Defensively, I was trying not to foul. I did, but that's ok. I was just trying to be aggressive because the more aggressive team would win."

On the team's chemistry: "It's so much fun. We come to practice and we challenge each other. For game days, we have fun. We play, and that's what it's all about for us." 

Up next: South Alabama will head back out on the road to take on Tennessee State on Thursday, November 29. Tip off versus the Tigers is set for 6 p.m. at the Gentry 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).

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

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