MOBILE, Ala. – Shaforia Kines posted a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds while Savannah Jones added 20 points to help lead the University of South Alabama women's basketball team to a 81-66 Sun Belt Conference victory over Appalachian State Thursday at the Mitchell Center.

Kines finished the night 4-of-8 from three-point range and she also led the Jaguars (6-7, 1-0 Sun Belt) with five assists.  Jala Buster scored 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the floor while Damaya Telemaque supplied 11 points and five rebounds as South connected on 50 percent from beyond the three-point arc while limiting the Mountaineers to 34.4 percent shooting from the floor.

Pre Stanley paced App State (3-9, 0-1 SBC) with 19 points while Bayley Plummer pulled down a game-best 15 rebounds.

South Alabama 81, Appalachian State 66 (box score)

GAME FACTS
-The Jags ended the opening period with a 21-12 lead after making five threes, with Kines connecting on three and Buster adding a pair in the final 100 seconds.
-South held a 10-0 advantage in second-chance points over the first 20 minutes to take a 37-24 advantage to the locker room at the break.
-Jones scored nine points in the third quarter as the Jaguars shot 52.9 percent from the floor to take a 61-49 lead to the last period.
-USA clinched the win after holding App State to 5-of-18 shooting in the final quarter while making 7-of-8 free throws in the period.
-Not only did the Jags convert 10 three-pointers, they held a 34-20 edge in points in the paint.
-South shot 53.6 percent — making 15-of-28 field-goal attempts — in the second half.

NOTES
-After snapping a three-game win streak for the Mountaineers in the series, the Jags and App State have each claimed six matchups in 12 all-time meetings between the two programs.
-It was the first time since facing Auburn on Dec. 4 that South connected on 10 or more three-pointers in a game, while it marked the first occasion since an 83-60 victory over Louisiana on Jan. 24 a year ago that the Jaguars have shot 50 percent or better from beyond the arc.
-USA has now limited three of its last five opponents to less than 35 percent shooting from the field.
-Jones and Antoinette Lewis were both honored prior to the contest for scoring the 1,000th point of their careers before the team's Christmas break.
-For Kines, it was her first game in double figures since the Jaguars played at Southern Mississippi on Dec. 15, and her fourth outing with 20-plus points this year.
-The senior guard finished with her first double-double of the season and the second of her career; she had 15 points and 10 rebounds against the Mountaineers in last year's Jan. 3 meeting in Boone.
-In addition to matching her previous season high in assists, Kines became the third member of the program to score the 1000th point of her career with her final field goal of the night.
-It was the second straight outing for Jones with 20 or more points, the first time she has accomplished the feat since doing so in wins over ULM and Troy on Jan. 26 and Feb. 2 last season.
-Making her first start since the Southern Miss game, Buster finished one point shy of equaling a career high.
-Jayla Morrow entered play with six points in eight appearances this season, a total she matched after sinking a pair of treys in the second quarter.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Terry Fowler
Opening statement: "Tonight was a total team win, our young ladies stuck together and played a complete 40 minutes.  The emphasis coming in was to get off to a fast start, because we have been having slow starts throughout the nonconference schedule.  Tonight we came out with a great start and kept it going.  I'm excited that we made key shots when we needed to.  I'm excited for our team.  This was the right way to start conference play 1-0 on our home court and now we'll move to the next one."
On getting key contributions from multiple players: "We got big play from Jaylen Mallard throughout the game and Kennedi Centers helped out when we moved her to the five.  It was a total team effort one through 14.  It was exciting to see this team play like they are capable of with the high energy level and enthusiasm.  Even when they made a run we were able to withstand the storm by moving to the next play."
On Jala Buster's early performance: "Jala's play was huge.  We knew that they were going of help off the four player, that is how they have played us in order to neutralize Antoinette.  We told Jala you're going to be open in the corner and to catch the ball ready to shoot.  She got a couple corner threes to fall, and then was able to drive to the basket and finish at the rim.  She gave great contributions for us tonight.  It was exciting to see play like that and gain some confidence moving forward."
On the team's three-point shooting in the game: "We have been working on the outside shot, but the bigger thing was we only took 20 shots when we had been taking 30.  We were aggressive, we attacked, and our three-point shots were off of drives; I thought that allowed us to trade good shots for great shots tonight."

Senior G Shaforia Kines
On how the win felt: "It felt really good. Like Coach Fowler said, the emphasis was to start fast and we were able to do that.  We came out and we executed well, made plays and most importantly got the win."
On her performance: "My teammates and coaches are always telling me to shoot the ball and play with confidence.  Their confidence in me allows me to play free and helped me play with confidence tonight."
On her season highs in rebounds and assists: "It's important for me to get my teammates involved in the flow of the game.  I was able to do that tonight by finding the open person, and grabbing rebounds allowed me to push the ball and helped me see the court well.  They all helped us to get a win."

Up next: USA will play host to Coastal Carolina on Saturday at the Mitchell Center, with opening tip slated for 2 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).

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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