HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Respect Leaphart recorded a game-high 26 points and Shonte Hailes scored 18 to lead Southern Mississippi to a 62-55 non-conference victory over the University of South Alabama women's basketball team on Sunday at Reed Green Coliseum.

Leaphart was also one of four Lady Eagles to pull down eight or more rebounds, with Daishai Almond and Kelsey Jones contributing nine apiece and Alarie Mayze adding eight as USM moved to 7-2 on the season.

Shaforia Kines posted 15 points and five rebounds for the Jaguars, who are now 4-6 entering the final week of non-conference action.  Devyn Lowe chipped in with 12 points and seven boards, Antoinette Lewis led all players with 10 rebounds while both Kennedi Centers and Lowe each recorded seven boards as well.

Southern Mississippi 62, South Alabama 55 (box score)

GAME FACTS
-The Golden Eagles opened the contest on a 12-0 run, ending the first period up 17-9 after limiting South to 1-of-7 shooting from three-point range.
-USM extended the lead to 31-18 at the break after shooting 55.6 percent from the field in the second quarter while holding the Jaguars to 2-of-10 from the floor.
-The Jags still trailed by 12, 49-37, at the end of three quarters as four of their five field-goals in the period came from beyond the arc.
-USA forced the Lady Eagles to go 4-of-20 from the field to cut a 14-point deficit down to just five in the final minute before its rally came up short.
-Southern Miss finished with a 52-42 rebounding edge and outscored the Jags 34-14 in the paint.
-South connected on nine three-pointers to overcome a 28.1 percent overall shooting percentage and forced 20 turnovers in on the contest.

NOTES
-This was the Jaguars' first game in eight days — they were off to concentrate on fall semester final exams since winning at Tulane on Dec. 7 — as well as the first time this year they have played consecutive contests away from home.
-The two teams have met in each of the last 13 seasons, with the Lady Eagles now holding a 7-6 advantage during that stretch with today's victory.
-It also snapped a two-game win streak for South in the series.
-This marked the seventh straight meeting between the two programs in which the final score was decided by a single-digit margin.
-The Jaguars were one three-pointer shy of connecting on 10-plus treys for the third time in four outings, but after making 7-of-13 (53.8%) from beyond the arc in the second half they posted their best three-point rate — 37.5 percent — since going 7-of-18 from long distance in a Nov. 26 win over Mobile.
-It was the fourth occasion this season that South has forced the opposition into 20 or more turnovers.
-USA's 18 first-half points — the Jags scored nine in each of the first two periods — were their fewest of the year, as was its final total.
-It's the fourth outing in a row that Kines has led the Jaguars in scoring, the longest streak of her career.
-Lowe equaled season highs both in scoring and with four three-point field goals — both originally recorded in a win over Tennessee State on Nov. 30 — as she has already scored in double figures twice this season after accomplishing the feat on two occasions as a redshirt freshman all of last year.
-Savannah Jones has scored in double figures in each of the team's last six games after finishing with 11 points in the game, with the redshirt junior guard averaging 6.3 rebounds per contest during that span after adding six against the Lady Eagles.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Terry Fowler
On the team's effort in the second half: "We made some shots in the second half and got some [defensive] stops, and were able to get into the [full-court] press from there.  We forced some turnovers and were able to convert there, but we just started out the game with a lack of energy and they got into a groove.  Our kids fought and got back in it.  We had our chances, we just have to shoot better from the free-throw line to give ourselves an even better chance."
On turning around to play Tuesday: "A lot of our kids played a lot of heavy minutes, so we have to make sure we are rested up and ready to go.  We have to make sure we come out with the fight, effort and determination that is needed to sustain success in the Sun Belt [Conference]."

Up next: The Jags return home on Tuesday to take on William Carey, with opening tip slated for 5 p.m. (CST).

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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—USA—