BEAUMONT, Texas — The University of South Alabama women's basketball team overcame a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Lamar University Cardinals, 73-71 in the first round of the Women's Invitation Tournament to advance to the second round of the postseason tournament.
Shaforia Kines hit a big three-pointer to tie the game up at 68 at the 1:43 mark in the fourth quarter and then Antoinette Lewis hit a free-throw to give the Jags their first lead since early in the second. Lewis came back on the next possession, made a layup to put the Jags up by three with 48 seconds left, and Lamar did not take back the lead from that point on. South Alabama iced the game with solid defense and a pair of free-throws towards the end of regulation.
The Jags outscored Lamar 25-14 in the final quarter of action to take the game away from the Cardinals. Lewis posted a career high 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds en route to her 12th double-double of the season. Lewis shot 10-of-13 from the floor and nailed 7-of-11 from the charity stripe. Alexis Sykes was the only other Jags player to join Lewis in double figures on the evening. Sykes hit a pair of crucial threes down the stretch for the Jags and finished with 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from behind the arc.
Moe Kinard went for a game high 36 points for Lamar, going 11-of-20 from the floor and 6-of-13 from the three-point line. Kinard grabbed six rebounds for the Cardinals and nailed four threes in the third quarter alone. The senior guard fouled out of the contest with 49.3 seconds left in the game on an offensive foul drawn by Kennedi Centers.
The Jaguars handed Lamar its first loss at home in three years, a streak that spanned 42 games. South Alabama moves to 25-10 on the season and with 25 wins sets a new standard for program wins, surpassing two teams that won 24 in a season.
GAME FACTS
After a hard fought first quarter which saw the Jaguars take a 20-19 lead into the second quarter, South started the second on a little 5-0 run to build a six-point lead, its largest of the night. Lamar came back with a 10-0 run and took control of the game until Kines hit the three to tie it up late in the fourth. All told, the Cardinals led for 28 minutes and held a nine-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Lamar, the leading steals team in the country forced 11 steals and 22 turnovers from the Jaguars tonight. The Cardinals capitalized off of those turnovers with 22 points, but the Jaguars held their own with 15 points off turnovers. Chastadie Barrs, the leading steals getter in the country notched five steals for Lamar and finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.
The Jags were out rebounded by Lamar, 45-36 overall and 24-8 on the offensive side of the glass. South Alabama grabbed eight offensive rebounds on the night, but still dominated in the paint to the tune of 36 points vs. 28 for Lamar.
South Alabama had 22 assists for the game led by Kines and Damaya Telemaque, who each had six helpers respectively. It was Telemaque's first game back since leaving in overtime of the Sun Belt Conference quarterfinals vs. Troy. Telemaque finished with six points and three rebounds to go along with the assists, while Kines finished with seven points and three rebounds.
The Jaguars shot 52 percent from the floor for the game and 53.8 percent in the second half. South put up 6-of-17 from behind the arc, 4-of-10 in the second half. On the other side, Lamar shot 32.4 percent from the floor for the game and hit 10-of-37 (27.0 percent) from the floor in the second half as the Jags mounted their comeback.
NOTES
The Jaguars are now 3-9 on the season when trailing with five minutes to go (59-62) and it is their first win of the season (1-10) when being down at the two-minute mark in the fourth quarter.
Savannah Jones went 1-for-4 from behind the arc to notch her 77th made three-pointer of the season. Jones moves into a tie for 1st place on the Jaguars all-time single season three-pointers list. Jones is tied with Jessica Starling who also made 77 during the 2008-09 season.
The Jaguars improve to 12-9 all-time vs. Lamar and have now won six straight against the Cardinals. The two programs met tonight for the first time since Jan. 3, 2005.
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Terry Fowler
On the determination in this team not to quit: "They just don't. We just made big shots. Alexis Sykes comes in and does a great job. Total team effort. We were able to get the ball inside. We lose Shaforia Kines for a little bit. She comes in and hits a big three. Man, we just kept fighting, this team is so resilient.
On Sykes hitting some big shots: "They were huge. You could tell she was feeling it. I thought she had a really good shot around this afternoon. She really wanted that ball. It was great to have her come in and contribute like that."
On Kennedi Centers charge late in the game: "That was huge. Hey, were going to Wyoming, that's all I know. Can't wait, this team earned it. We deserve it. This Lamar team hadn't lost a home game in three years and we come here and get the win. This is great, I'm so excited."
UP NEXT
South Alabama heads to Laramie, Wyo., to take on the University of Wyoming Cowgirls in the second round of the WNIT. Tip-off is set for Sunday at 2 p.m. (MT) at the Arena Auditorium.
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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