MOBILE, Ala. - The University of South Alabama women's basketball team improved to 9-0 on the season with a 97-40 win over the Faulkner Eagles on Monday night at the Mitchell Center. 

With 11 players recording a point and five scoring in double-digits, it's safe to say the Jaguars 97-point night was a total team effort. Jala Buster and Alexis Sykes recorded new career-highs in points, Devyn Lowe recorded the first points of her career, the bench accounted for 45 points, and the field contributed for a season-high 22 assists. 

Sykes used an electric fourth quarter to lead the way with 17 points for the Jaguars. Sykes shot 4-of-5 from beyond the arc in the fourth to finish in double figures for the first time in her career. 

Antoinette Lewis continued to show her dominance down low for the Jaguars. The reigning Sun Belt Player of the Week contributed to the win with 14 points and eight rebounds. Lewis shot 7-of-11 from the field and led the Jags in rebounding for the fifth time this season. 

The 9-0 start by the Jags is the second-best start in program history, second only to the 12-0 mark set by the 1984-1985 team.  

GAME FACTS
-    Playing in the third game of her young career, Buster knocked in all three of her field-goal attempts, and went 4-for-5 from the free-throw line to finish with a career-high 10 points. 
-    Savannah Jones returned to the starting lineup and recorded 13 points, finishing in double figures for the 29th time of her career. 
-    Shaforia Kines contributed to the effort with 11 points, two assists, and five rebounds. 
-    Lowe, a freshman guard shot 2-for-2 from beyond the arc finishing with six points, the first of her career. 
-    Mahogany Vaught didn't find the back of the rim tonight, but led plenty of her teammates there. Vaught finished with a team-high six assists. 
-    Freshman guard, Damaya Telemaque started her eight-consecutive game tonight and finished with six points, five assists, and five rebounds. 
-    The Jags shot 49.4 percent from the floor, and 38.5 percent from three while Faulkner shot 26.3 percent and 16.7 per-cent respectively. 
-    South went on a 18-0 run beginning at the two-minute mark in the third until the seven-minute point in the fourth. It was the largest scoring run of the season for the Jags. 
-    The Jags out-rebounded Faulkner 55-36 and pulled in 25 offensive rebounds. 
-    South put up 52 points in the paint compared to the Eagles 16. 
-    Faulkner committed 25 turnovers to the Jags 10. 

NOTES
-    With the win, the Jags have now won nine-straight games in a single season for the seventh time. Nine in a row is tied for the fifth longest winning streak in program history. 
-    97 points for the Jaguars is the most the team has scored in a game since a 97-46 win over Spring Hill on Dec. 7, 2011. 
-    A season-high 11 Jaguars recorded at least one point in the contest. 
-    The Jags had five scorers in double-digits for the second time this year. 
-    Faulkner recorded just six points in the first quarter. The lowest amount of points in the first quarter by a Jaguars opponent this season, and the second time a Jags opponent has not scored more than six in a quarter this year. 
-    The Jags held a 61-point lead with four minutes left in the game. That sets the mark for the largest lead of the season for South.
-    The 57-point margin of victory is the largest this season, outpacing the previous mark of 22 vs. Alabama State. 

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Terry Fowler
Opening statement: "I really thought we came out and played well in the first quarter. Coming off the finals break we basically had a week off, so I was pleased with our effort there. I wasn't pleased with how we finished the second quarter. I thought we had some lapses on the defensive end of the floor. I really challenged our team to come out and play to the standard that we wanted to play and start setting the tone as we move into the Florida International tournament this weekend in Miami. To their credit, they answered the challenge in the third quarter and did a great job. It was awesome to get a lot of our players in the game. They made plays and I think you can see in some of our younger players that there is a lot of talent on this team. We're excited about that moving forward, but we've got to be ready to move on for a tough New Mexico State team." 

On getting a convincing win before a road trip: "It was huge. One of the things we talked about was that there are going to be five games a season where you're not going to make shots, so you've got to be able to play really well on the defensive end of the floor. In the first half we weren't making shots and we weren't playing as well as I wanted us to play on defense. Even though the score indicated that we were, we weren't doing the fundamentals. We also feel like there are five nights a year where you're not going to miss anything. Like I said, I thought we answered the challenge on both ends of the floor. Our defense really helped our offense in the second half." 

Guard Alexis Sykes
On how the team played in the second half: "Coach's key word tonight was 'urgency' and we really tried to run our motion sets a lot. He kept telling us to pass the ball and swing the ball. We kept getting good looks and everybody was confident tonight." 

On successfully shooting threes tonight: "When we called a timeout, I was 0-for-3. Coach Fowler and the whole coaching staff kept telling me to keep shooting the ball. When a coach tells you to keep shooting the ball, it's the greatest feeling of 'wow, they've got so much confidence in me.' When I was hitting threes I was looking at the bench to say thank you. It's a good feeling because my teammates encourage me a lot. It's the greatest thing when your teammates are giving you high fives after you shoot a three and they're telling you to keep going."

Up next: South Alabama travels to Miami, Fla., for the FIU Holiday Tournament. The Jags will face New Mexico State on December 20 and either Alcorn State or FIU on Dec. 21. Tip off vs. the Aggies is slated for 1 p.m. on Thursday. 

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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