MOBILE, Ala. – Teal Battle and Tori Lasker each scored 16 points while a 16-2 fourth-quarter run proved decisive in Little Rock's 69-58 Sun Belt Conference women's basketball victory over the University of South Alabama Saturday at the Mitchell Center.
Battle added seven rebounds and three steals for the Trojans (11-15, 9-6 Sun Belt), who snapped a four-game losing streak. Kyra Collier also scored 14 points while handing out five assists without a turnover as Little Rock shot nearly 57 percent in the game.
Kennedi Centers paced the Jaguars (13-14, 8-7 SBC) with 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals, with Shaforia Kines supplying 12 points and Antoinette Lewis 10 as well as six rebounds.
Little Rock 69, South Alabama 58 (box score)
GAME FACTS
-Although Little Rock was 7-of-11 (63.6%) from the floor, the Jaguars visited the free-throw line eight times — making six of those shots — to lead 20-15 at the end of the first quarter.
-Two three-pointers in the final 43 seconds from Lasker gave the Trojans a 37-34 halftime lead after they shot 64 percent as a team before the break.
-With the contest tied 38-38 early in the third period, Little Rock went on a 12-1 run over a four-minute stretch before ending the quarter with a 52-46 advantage.
-USA closed the gap to two points on a Jala Buster layup, but the Trojans answered with 16-2 spurt to push the lead back to double digits at the midway point of the final period.
-The Trojans were credited with 18 assists on their 29 field goals while scoring 34 points in the paint.
-Little Rock recorded 22 points off 14 Jaguar turnovers.
NOTES
-It was the first meeting between the two teams since Little Rock defeated USA, 57-56, in the championship game of the Sun Belt Tournament last March.
-Little Rock's 56.9 field-goal percentage for the game was the highest allowed by the Jags this season.
-South made seven three-point field goals, the sixth straight contest it has finished with at least that many; the Jaguars have connected on better than better than 35 percent of their attempts beyond the arc in every outing during that stretch.
-Not only was it the first time in her career that Centers has scored in double figures in back-to-back games — she had 12 points in a win over Arkansas State on Thursday — but the first occasion she has led the team in the category.
-The senior also posted season-high totals in assists and steals, and was one shy of matching her previous best total this year in rebounds and blocks as well.
-Kines extended her streak to seven straight outings with 10-plus points, her longest of the season.
-Lewis has now scored 10 or more points on 19 occasions this year.
-Buster finished with two steals in the contest, the first time she has been credited with multiple thefts since the Jags played Alabama on Nov. 21.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Terry Fowler
Opening statement: "First of all, I want to congratulate Coach [Joe] Foley on his 800th win. I thought we came out and did a good job in the first 16 minutes of the game, but we had a letdown toward the end of the second quarter. Little Rock was shooting around 64 percent from the field at halftime, and they made 57 percent from the field for the game; they made tough shots with the shot clock running down. They made every possession difficult for us. This was a game we were looking forward to, and we did not perform to the best of our abilities."
On Little Rock's fourth-quarter scoring run: "Every shot was challenged and they kept us off balance on offense. They were able to run out and get some easy scores during that time, and we committed some fouls to give them opportunities to continue it."
On moving forward: "We just need to learn from this game. One lesson you take from Little Rock is they keep playing. We had possessions where we lost focus, and they had some possessions where we could have created turnovers if we were more focused. We just need to be ready to play. We'll focus on Troy, we know we'll have a great crowd at the Mitchell Center so we need to play our best."
Senior F Kennedi Centers
About scoring a career high in points: "I have three games left, and I am just trying to leave it all out there on the floor. I want to put every little bit I can into the game and help out where I can to make our team better, and put us into a position to win the [conference] tournament."
On how to move forward: "We need to work harder and be better going forward. We need to execute a little bit more, because we had lapses here and there, and made some mistakes that can be fixed. We need to recuperate and get back out there."
Up next: The Jaguars will face rival Troy on Senior Night, with the game scheduled to get underway at 4 p.m. (CST) Saturday, Feb. 29.
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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