ATLANTA, Ga. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team earned a 68-59 conference road win over Georgia State on Thursday night at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, Ga., to improve to 13-3 (2-3) on the season.
It was a tale of two halves tonight against the Georgia State Panthers. After a hard fought first half the Jaguar entered the break down by four, but came out firing in the third quarter. The Jags connected on four of their 10 three-pointers in the quarter, went on a 12-2 run, and outscored the Panthers 22-9 en route to establishing their lead.
Georgia State started out the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run to make it a two-point game, but the Jags were not fazed, and after a timeout came out strong never relinquishing their lead.
As always, Kines was at the helm of the Jaguars offense and had herself a night to remember. The junior guard finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, shooting 6-of-12 from the floor and 4-of-10 from behind the arc. Her 18 points tied her for the game-high with teammate Antoinette Lewis.
Lewis established herself down low early in the contest and did not back down from the spot. Lewis finished one rebound shy of her sixth double-double of the season, ending the game with 18 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.
A big reason for the Jags success tonight was their three-point shooting. The leading three-point team in the Sun Belt, the Jags were held to just five threes in their two contests last week. Tonight, South connected on 10-of-29 from deep and more importantly, held the Panthers to just two three balls all night.
GAME FACTS
- Savannah Jones started off the game 2-of-2 from beyond the arc and finished 3-of-7 to put up 13 points, finishing in double figures for the eighth time this season.
- Lewis recorded a career-high six steals helping lead the way for the Jags to score 19 points off of turnovers, compared to Georgia State's 14.
- Georgia State's leading scorer put up a team-high 14 points, and connected on the Panthers lone two three-pointers. Lewis also committed four turnovers in the game for the Panthers.
- South shot .413 from the floor, .345 from three, and a season-low .400 from the charity stripe while holding Georgia State to ,381 from the floor and .100 from deep.
NOTES
- With the win, the Jags improved to 9-6 all time vs. Georgia State. The two schools will meet again on Feb. 16 at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala.
- The Jaguars were out rebounded 40-39 marking the seventh consecutive game they have been beaten out on the glass.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Terry Fowler
Opening Statement: "Great to get a road win, great to get that feeling again of getting a win. Enjoy seeing the team enjoy themselves and being excited about the outcome. Georgia State really gave it to us early, came out and established themselves on the inside; they had nine offensive rebounds at halftime. Thought the second half, we challenged our kids to be better, and got some more rebounds. We were able to move the ball and get open shots. Then they made adjustments, and we were able to find the second option and finish it down the stretch."
On coming out in the third quarter: "We just had to get stops, and the stops really started with rebounding. They had 10 points off of their second-chance opportunities, so once we started limiting them to one shot we were able to get out on the break and get some easy shots in transition. That was the big difference in that quarter."
On the importance of the three ball to this team: "Its huge, I think what we made three in the last ballgame. We're counting on that, historically we make seven or eight a night we have a chance to win the ballgame. It's crucial that we can knock those down. It's kind of pick your poison, inside or outside, tonight we were able to get the ball inside to Antoinette, and knock down the threes."
Up next
South Alabama remains on the road to take on Georgia Southern on Saturday, Jan. 19. Tip-off vs. the Eagles is set for 1 p.m. (CST) at the Hanner Fieldhouse in Statesboro, Ga.
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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