TROY, Ala. - The University of South Alabama women's basketball team fell to Troy 58-66 on Saturday afternoon at Trojan Arena to split the season series vs. the Trojans.
The Jaguars went on a 13-0 run late in the fourth quarter to cut the Trojans lead to six points, but the comeback attempt fell just short as the Trojans held on for the win. After South Alabama got off to a 4-0 start, Troy took the lead and held on to it for the entirety of the ballgame, going up by as many as 19 in the fourth.
A big difference in the game was on the offensive side of the glass. Troy, the leading rebounding team in the country, held their own on the boards today pulling in 26 offensive and 59 total rebounds and collecting 19 second-chance points.
South Alabama was held to shooting 33.8 percent from the floor and 13.3 percent from behind the arc. The Jags missed their first nine three-pointers of the game, and didn't connect on a three until Savannah Jones hit one at the nine-minute mark in the fourth quarter. Devyn Lowe hit the second, and last, three for the game for South to complete their 13-0 run late in the game.
Jones finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds for the first double-double of her career. The sophomore guard pulled in a team-high seven offensive rebounds, but shot just 1-of-6 from three.
The Jaguars move to 19-6 on the season and are 8-6 in the Sun Belt, and after play today sit in fifth place in the conference.
GAME FACTS
- Troy pulled in 17 offensive rebounds in the first half as the Trojans built their 12-point lead.
- The Trojans finished the second half by hitting two of their last ten shots from the floor, but the Jaguars connected on five field-goals in the quarter and failed to cut into the Troy lead.
- South Alabama maintained their deficit in the third quarter, as both teams put up 13 points in the third, and cut it to nine points early in the fourth. After South got in to the Trojans lead, Troy went on a 9-0 run and made it an 18-point game with just over five minutes to play. That's when the Jags went on their 13-0 run and cut the lead to six with one minute to go.
- Antoinette Lewis finished with 14 points for the Jaguars, and grabbed seven rebounds. Damaya Telemaque joined Lewis and Jones in double figures, finishing with 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting.
- Jayla Morrow made her second straight start today for South Alabama. Morrow finished with six points, tied a career-high with eight rebounds, and added seven assists.
NOTES
- With the loss, the Jaguars split the season series with the Trojans and have an all-time mark of 23-27 vs. the Trojans. The two teams will not meet again unless they face off in the conference tournament.
- The Trojans bench outscored the Jags reserves by a 34-6 mark. Japonica James led all Troy scorers with 11 points off the bench and shot 5-of-8 from the floor.
- Sky'Lynn Holmes paced the way for Troy on the boards, coming down with 11 total rebounds and seven offensive. Holmes added seven points in the effort.
- The Jags tied a season-low with two three-pointers made, and shot 10-of-21 from the free-throw line.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Terry Fowler
Opening statement: "We got off to a tough start in the first half. They really got out and out-rebounded us; 17 offensive boards in the first half. I thought that was a big difference there. I was really proud about how we fought back in the second half, especially down the stretch. Devyn Lowe gave us some big shots and we were able to get some good transition baskets. Look at the game statistically. The difference is we are not the team that shoots 33 percent from the field and wins like that. Im just really proud of the effort at the end."
On moving forward: "Yeah we need to be ready to go. We have another week of practice to feel our way through. With Jayla Morrow and Mahogany Vaught running the point guard position, we will see how Shaforia feels and just continue to get better."
UP NEXT
South Alabama stays on the road and will head to Arlington, Texas to take on UTA on Thursday, Feb. 28. Tip-off vs. the Lady Mavs is slated for 7 p.m. at the College Park Center.
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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