Game 17 • South Alabama Jaguars (13-3, 2-3 SBC) vs. Georgia Southern (5-11, 0-5 SBC) • January 19, 2019 • 1:00 p.m. (CST) • Hanner Fieldhouse • STATESBORO, Ga.

THE COACHES
South Alabama
Terry Fowler, (Lane [Tenn.], '86)
Record at USA: 73-95, 37-62 SBC (6)
Overall: 280–273 (20)
vs. Georgia Southern: 5-3

Georgia Southern
Kip Drown (SW Missouri State '77) 
at Georgia State: 25-64 (3)
Overall: 488-391 (30)
vs. South Alabama: 1-3

LAST GAME
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. 
NEXT GAME South Alabama returns home to the Mitchell Center to take on Louisiana on Thursday, Jan. 24. Tip-off vs. the Ragin Cajuns is set for 11 a.m. in Mobile, Ala. 

MULTIMEDIA
Television: ESPN+
Radio: AM 710 WNTM
Live Stats: USAJaguars.com
Live Audio: USAJaguars.com
Live Video: USAJaguars.com

SERIES NOTES    
South Alabama is 8-7 all-time vs. Georgia Southern and is currently riding a two-game winning streak vs. the Panthers, beating them 79-52 at home and 81-74 in Statesboro in their two matchups last season. The Jags own a 5-3 record vs. the Panthers since they joined the Sun Belt for the 2014-2015 season, the two teams have never met in the Sun Belt tournament. The Jags and Panthers met for the first time on Nov. 30 1985 in the Georgia Southern Invitational, losing 76-85 in overtime. 

OPENING TIP
The Jags, the leading team in the Sun Belt in three pointers made per game, put up 10 three-pointers on their way to beating the Panthers. Savannah Jones, the Jags leading three-point shooter, connected on her first two three pointers of the night against Georgia State and finished with 13 points. Jones is third in the league with a .467 three point field-goal shooting percentage.

The Jags are shooting .435 from the floor, .355 from three, and a league worst .555 from the free-throw line. On the road this season South is 7-1, with its lone loss coming against Appalachian State in the first game of Sun Belt Play. Kines leads the Jags in scoring this season, averaging 14.3 points per game. 

Lewis leads the Jags with 9.1 rebounds per game and is ranks number one in the the Sun Belt, and is eighth in the nation, with a .621 field-goal percentage for the year. Lewis and the Jags also lead the Sun Belt in blocked shots per game, averaging 1.9 and 4.8 per game respectively. 

Georgia Southern is coming off an 81-97 loss to Troy at home.The Panthers 81 points is the second most they have put up in a game this season. The Panthers are led by Alexis Brown, one of two Georgia Southern Players to average double figures this season, at 17.2 points per game. Brown is coming off a 34-point effort against Troy yesterday night. 

Amira Atwater leads the Sun Belt in assists with 82 helpers on the season. Atwater has started all 16 games for the Panthers and averages 7.2 points per game. For the season, the Panthers are shooting .381 from the floor, .311 from three, and .709 from the free-throw line. They have lost their five Sun Belt games by an average margin of 12.2 points. 

They Said It
Head Coach Terry Fowler 
On Georgia Southern: "Georgia Southern, a team that gives you different looks. They play a zone, they trap out of it, and they play man-to-man. They run a motion offense that is very complex. One day preparation makes it difficult. Alexis Brown is one of the best players in our league, coming off of a 34 point night against Troy last night. She is going to be tough for us to handle. We have to get the ball inside and move. Like I've been saying we have to rebound the basketball and get out and push the basketball to get some easy baskets in transition." 

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. 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—