MOBILE, Ala. – Antoinette Lewis poured in 22 points and Savannah Jones chipped in with 19 on Monday, leading a group of six individuals who reached double figures in the scoring column in the University of South Alabama women's basketball team's 104-51 exhibition victory over Birmingham-Southern at the Mitchell Center.
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Lewis was 10-of-15 from the field as she led all scorers, while Jones connected on 4-of-8 attempts from behind the three-point arc. Jala Buster recorded 13 points, Damaya Telemaque had 12, and Shaforia Kines and Mahogany Vaught added 10 apiece as the Jaguars shot 55.1 percent from the field as a team.
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GAME FACTS
-The Jags never trailed in the contest, which included leading by double digits over the final 33 minutes of play.
-USA was up four at the first media time out but scored the first nine points coming out of the break to take control of the game.
-South was 12-of-22 from the floor in the opening quarter, and after limiting the Panthers to 33.3 percent shooting from the field and forcing nine turnovers the Jags led 30-11 at the end of the period.
-The Jaguars scored 26 points off 19 BSC turnovers and recorded 34 points in the paint in building a 54-27 edge at the half.
-South turned 36 Panther turnovers into 44 points on the other end of the floor, posting a 19-0 advantage in fast-break points as well in the contest.
-The Jags outscored BSC 72-12 in the paint while holding a 38-17 edge over the Panthers in points supplied by the bench.
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NOTES
-South has now won 19 of its last 20 exhibition outings dating back to the 2000-01 season.
-That includes a 7-1 mark under head coach Terry Fowler.
-Since falling to Tulane in the second of two exhibitions prior to the 2017-18 campaign, the Jags have scored 80 or more points while winning each of their last three preseason outings.
-USA shot better than 50 percent in the field on five occasions a year ago, winning each of those contests.
-The Jags finished with 19 steals against the Panthers, more than they had in any game last season.
-Lewis has scored 20 or more points 10 times during her first two years in the program.
-Jones was the only player in double figures at the half after posting 11 points prior to the break.
-Kennedi Centers had a game-high nine rebounds, just missing out on a double after finishing with nine points as well.
-Both Kines and Vaught were credited with six assists and four steals, with both totals leading all players.
-Buster — who had 22 points in 14 appearances in 2018-19 as a freshman — needed just over 16-and-a-half minutes against BSC to post her total after making 5-of-6 shots from the field.
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THEY SAID IT
Head coach Terry Fowler
Opening statement: "It was good for our players to get into uniform and play in the new updated Mitchell Center, being in front of all the fans playing in that atmosphere was good for us. I thought we were able to get the ball inside to Antoinette, especially once she settled into the flow of the game. Savannah Jones had a great start to the game and got us going initially. It was exciting to get this one under our belt, we will now turn our attention to Rutgers."
On what the team did well: "We were able to get the ball inside and I thought our defense was good as well. That is something that we need be able to do on the defensive end of the court so that we can get transition baskets. The main thing that we tried to do was to get our motion offense going in order to play inside out, and we were able to do that well."
On what he wanted to see in the exhibition: "We wanted to see the execution; we have only 10 bodies at the moment so a lot of girls saw playing time. We played some people out of position in preparation for being shorthanded. Overall I think we accomplished what we set out to do."
On the performances of Mahogany Vaught and Jala Buster: "It was good to see those performances because we are going to need them this year. Mahogany had some chances last year and did some good things, so it's good to see her picking up right where she left off. Jala is in a completely new role from hardly playing last year to being in the starting lineup now. She gives us energy and a different type of athleticism that we didn't previously have, and she will continue to get better as the season progresses."
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Sophomore G Mahogany Vaught
On the team's performance: "It was exciting for us because we were ready to play against someone else instead our playing against ourselves in practice. We made good passes and shot the ball well, which led to good execution."
On playing their first game of the season: "It was good to be able to play on our home court and get to experience the 'new look' Mitchell Center."
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Up next: The regular season gets underway when Rutgers visits the Mitchell Center on Tuesday, Nov. 5 with the contest slated for a 7 p.m. (CST) start.
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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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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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