MOBILE, La. – Shaforia Kines led a trio of University of South Alabama women's basketball players in double figures with 17 points on Saturday as the Jaguars came from behind to earn a 72-63 Sun Belt Conference victory over ULM at the Mitchell Center.

Damaya Telemaque and Antoinette Lewis finished with 16 and 15 points, respectively, after each posted eight in the final quarter to help South improve to 7-9 and 2-2 in the Sun Belt.  Kennedi Centers scored eight points as well, while she and Lewis shared team-high honors with nine rebounds.

Gara Beth Self and Amber Thompson each recorded 18 points for the Warhawks (2-13, 0-4 SBC), who also had Kierra Crockett score 11 points to go along with a game-best 13 boards and three steals.

South Alabama 72, ULM 63 (box score)

GAME FACTS
-Both teams shot 40 percent or less in an opening quarter that ended with the score tied 15-15.
-The Jaguars shot only 23.3 percent from the floor in the first half and were down 31-25 at the break.
-USA hit half their field-goal attempts while forcing five Warhawk turnovers in the third period to cut its deficit to 49-46 going to the fourth quarter.
-With the score tied 54-54 and six-and-a-half minutes remaining, the Jaguars went on a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to pull away.
-USA had a 16-12 advantage in turnovers forced, outscoring the Warhawks 20-9 off those miscues.
-South also finished with 15 offensive rebounds, which led to 21 second-chance points.

NOTES
-It was the Jaguars' sixth straight win in the series, which they now lead 19-9 all-time.
-The win was the third this season in which USA has rallied when trailing both at the half and the end of three quarters, and its first since doing so at Tulane on Dec. 7.
-The Jags have now outrebounded the opposition in each of their last three outings.
-South also finished with 11 blocks as a team, the second time this year it has reached double digits in the category.
-After connecting on 19-of-27 free-throw attempts, the Jaguars both made and attempted more foul shots than their opponent for the first time since a Dec. 17 defeat of William Carey.
-Kines — who was 9-of-9 at the free-throw line — has led the Jags in scoring in three of their first four games in 2020.
-The point total was a season high for Telemaque, who scored in double figures for the second time in South's first four conference games; she also added season-best totals with six rebounds and two blocked shots.
-Lewis pulled down the 700th rebound of her career, leading the team in the category for the 45th time in her career.
-It was a season-high rebounding total for Centers, who also tied a career best — first set in a March 14 win over Troy at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament last winter — after recording four blocks.
-Savannah Jones shared team-high honors after matching her best total of her career with two steals, and she was credited with multiple blocks for the first time since USA faced East Tennessee State on Dec. 20 as well.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Terry Fowler
Opening statement: "We expected UML to come in and give us a hard fought ball game.  They opened up the game shooting the three extremely well, we had to make a few adjustments to slow them down.  At halftime our team was determined to go out and get a win.  By the fourth quarter the talk in the huddle by our players was very positive.  We were able to get the ball inside, attack, and make our free throws, which I was pleased with.  We got great contributions from Kennedi, Demaya had a big game for us, and of course Shay and Antoinette did a great job also."
On the team taking charge: "It's huge when the coaches walk into the huddle and hear the talk.  We pride our program on being a players' program.  They knew what need to be done, it was just a matter of going out and executing."
On the key to the comeback: "I thought when we went into our pressure that slowed them down some.  It wasn't that we were getting lots of turnovers — although we got a few — it was more that we were able to slow their offense down, there was less time for them on the shot clock and it forced them into taking rushed shots.  Then we were able to rebound the basketball, being able to string together those stops was important for us in the outcome of this game."

Senior C Kennedi Centers
On the team's attitude change in the second half: "Going into halftime we reflected on our play in the first half.  I know we were in a bit of a slump; we didn't start the game like we had hoped.  However, we talked about how we needed to turn up the heat just a little bit more and play just a little bit harder.  We thought that they were playing tougher than us, but we were resilient to play through the tough times and come together when we needed it most.  We have been emphasizing not letting our highs get too high and our lows get too low, and I feel liked that showed tonight because whenever we were down in the ball game we didn't let it affect how we played.  We showed that we can push through and decided that we were going to fight back in the face of adversity because we didn't want to lose this game."
On the key to her performance: "I feel like coming out I wanted to be there for my teammates and pick up the slack where it was needed.  I've been practicing shooting all week and getting extra shots up.  We had emphasized rebounding as a whole in the huddle, boxing out and getting the rebounds to eliminate any extra chances for the other team.  I just wanted to step up and do the things that I am capable of doing."

Up next: The Jags begin a two-game swing in Georgia with a 5 p.m. (CST) tip at Georgia State on Thursday in Atlanta.

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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