MOBILE, Ala.– The University of South Alabama women's basketball team fell to 12-2 on the year with a 64-77 loss vs. Arkansas State in the third Sun Belt game of the season on Thursday night at the Mitchell Center.
Arkansas State took control early with a dominant first quarter and the Jaguars played from behind the rest of the night. The Jaguars shot 21.1 percent in the first and ended the quarter down 11-23. The Red Wolves took their momentum into the second quarter, built a game-high 21-point lead, and led by double digits for the majority of the contest.
Sophomore forward Antoinette Lewis was a bright spot for the Jaguars in the loss. Lewis recorded 21 points and nine rebounds in just 18 minutes of action. Lewis shot 9-of-13 from the floor to improve her season field-goal percentage to an outstanding 64.5 percent. Lewis led the Jags in scoring for the fifth time this season, and narrowly missed out on her fifth double-double as she fouled out of the game with five minutes left in the fourth.
Arkansas State was led by their leading scorer, Peyton Martin. Martin put up her third double-double of the season, going for a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds on 9-of-16 shooting, adding two steals for the Red Wolves.
GAME FACTS
- Christen Carter notched a career-best 14 points in the contest, shooting 7-of-15 from the floor and adding six rebounds for the Jags.
- South committed 16 turnovers in the ballgame and allowed Arkansas State to capitalize, as the Red Wolves pulled in 20 points off of turnovers.
- The Jags converted on a season low two three-pointers, and shot just 13.3 percent from deep. Savannah Jones and Shaforia Kines went 1-of-4 and 1-of-5 from beyond the arc respectively.
- Arkansas State's Jada Ford helped fuel the Red Wolves first quarter dominance by going 3-for-3 from three, scoring all nine of her points on those buckets.
- The Jaguar bench was outscored 30-9 in the contest. Trinitee Jackson led the Red Wolves with eight points off the bench, while Kennedi Centers led the Jags reserves with seven points.
- Arkansas State out-rebounded the Jags 44-40, marking the fifth consecutive game South has gotten beat on the glass.
NOTES
- With the win, Arkansas State improves to 20-10 all-time vs. South Alabama. The two teams will meet again on Feb. 7 in Jonesboro, Ark.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Terry Fowler
On getting behind early:" I just thought in the first quarter we never got in a rhythm offensively. To their credit, they did a great job of getting out, denying us, and not letting us get in a rhythm. Once Antoinette Lewis got the quick early foul, she was a little hesitant. We just couldn't get a rhythm of throwing the ball inside and playing off of that. I thought in the second quarter we responded and we came back and put ourselves in a better situation. We wanted to be down 10 at halftime, we got it to 11. I felt good coming out, then they went on a run and we weren't able to respond until late in fourth quarter. If you look at the stats, everything is pretty much even, but they shot a lot of free throws. That's their M.O.; that's what they do. Fifteen percent of their possessions end up in free throws. Tonight, that number was certainly higher."
On how to respond to a game like this:" We don't have time to dwell on it. We've got a really good Little Rock team coming in here on Saturday. We've got to learn something from this film. We'll show them some of this game and then we've got to move on to Little Rock. It really comes down to us being able to compete at a high level each and every night and withstand the toughness factor that Arkansas State and Little Rock bring every night."
Up next: South Alabama remains home to take on Little Rock on Saturday, Jan. 12, at the Mitchell Center. Tip-off vs. the Trojans is slated for 3 p.m. in Mobile, Ala.
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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