MOBILE, Ala. - The University of South Alabama women's basketball team improved to 8-0 with a 77-65 non-conference home victory over Alabama State on Sunday afternoon at the Mitchell Center. After an electric start to the game that saw the Jags head into halftime with a 17-point lead, the Lady Hornets battled back and trailed by only two at the end of the third. The Jags didn't flinch in the face of adversity and out-shot Alabama State 27-17 in the fourth, to seal up the win. 

South held on and took control in the fourth thanks in large part to the reigning Sun Belt Player of the Week, Antoinette Lewis. Lewis shot 6-6 from the floor and 7-13 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, turning in 19 of her 21 points in the final quarter of action. The sophomore forward from Memphis Tenn., finished with a team-high 21 points and brought in five rebounds. 

Jayla Morrow made her fourth start of the season and put up a career-high 16 points. Morrow connected on 67 percent of her shots from the floor and nailed all three of her three-pointers. It was the sophomore guards first-career game finishing in double digits, scoring 12 in the first half alone. 

The 8-0 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
- South had four players in double-digit scoring for the third time this season. 
- Damaya Telemaque finished with 13 points on 4-12 shooting. Today marked the fifth time the freshman guard has scored in double figures. 
- Savannah Jones put up 12 points and was a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line. 
- Christen Carter led the Jags in rebounds for the first time in her career. The redshirt junior brought in six boards. 
- South began the game on an 11-0 run, and shot 4-6 from beyond the arc in the first quarter. 
- Alabama State recorded its first point at the four-minute mark and first field-goal at the 3:13 mark of the first. 
- The Jags went on a 14-2 run to start off the second quarter, and went into halftime with a 17-point lead. 
- Alabama State outscored the Jags 25-10 in the third quarter, tied it up at 48, and trailed by two heading into the fourth. 
- The 15-point deficit in the third quarter was the largest the Jags have seen in a single quarter all season. 
- The Jags shot 2-12 in the third and sent Alabama State to the line 18 times in the quarter. The Lady Hornets connected on 15 of those attempts and shot 50 percent from the floor in the quarter. 
- Lewis' 19 points in the fourth quarter are the most by a Jag in a single quarter this season. 
- South shot 44.6 percent from the floor in the game compared to 36.7 percent for Alabama State. 
- The Jags made all of their threes in the first half, and were 0-3 from beyond the arc in the second half. 


NOTES
- With the win, the Jags improve to 8-0 for the second time in program history. 
- The 1984-1985 South women opened the season 12-0 before suffering their first defeat. 
- In a single season, eight wins in a row is tied for the seventh longest streak in program history. 
- Jayla Morrow hit a three to open the scoring for the fourth time this season for the Jags.
- Jala Buster recorded her first-career points in the contest. The redshirt freshman finished with two points in four minutes played. 
- Nine Jaguars scored in the contest, tying a season-high for the number of players to record a point in a game.
- South committed a season-low 11 turnovers in the game.  The Jags forced 20 on the defensive side. 
- The Jags improve to 23-5 all-time vs. Alabama State, and have won four in a row over the Lady Hornets. 


THEY SAID IT
Head coach Terry Fowler
Opening statement: "This time of the year with finals going on, we're just happy to get out of here with a win. I thought we played well, especially in the second quarter and the start of the third quarter. I thought we relaxed and kind of took it easy. Antoinette Lewis got in foul trouble, so we kind of lost our inside presence and then some shots didn't fall for us. Defensively, we kept sending them to the line and they were just making up points by shooting free throws. They had 14 offensive rebounds in the third quarter. At the start of the fourth quarter, I thought we came back out, weathered the storm, and were able to get some easy baskets from our defense. That gave us a cushion and from there we were able to play. We were making our free throws down the stretch."

On fighting through adversity to get to 8-0: "It was good. This team talks a lot about handling adversity. We're undefeated right now, so we haven't had the final 'nail in the coffin' adversity. We've fought through things. Our lineups are different. We didn't start Savannah Jones tonight and Kennedi Centers didn't play, so our rotations are off. We've got different people doing different things and stepping into different roles. They excelled in those roles and were able to help us come out on top." 

Guard Jayla Morrow
On getting the win and improving to 8-0: "First, I want to give all praise to the man above because without him I wouldn't have the opportunity that I have. Coach Fowler's a good coach and we believe in him. We did what we practiced and we executed." 

On getting back into the game in the fourth period: "We went into the locker room at halftime and Coach said we've got to limit our turnovers. We went out there and did what he said. Alabama State is a good team. We knew they were going to have some runs and we were going to have some runs. It's all about who gets the last run." 

On preparing for Alabama State after the big win over Alabama: "You really can't be complacent. We didn't get complacent about the win; we treat everybody the same way. On any given night, you don't know who's going to show up. Teams make adjustments, so we prepared for them just like we prepared for Alabama."    

Up next: South Alabama stays home to take on Faulkner on December, 17. Tip off versus the Eagles is set for 7 p.m. 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).

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

—USA—