JONESBORO, Ark. – Arkansas State used a 16-2 closing run on Thursday to cap a rally from a 21-point deficit and earn an 86-80 Sun Belt Conference women's basketball victory over the University of South Alabama at First National Bank Arena.
Jireh Washington scored 18 of her 20 points in the final 10 minutes, with Payton Tennison converting five three-point field goals for 15 points and Morgan Wallace supplying a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double for the Red Wolves (11-17, 8-9 Sun Belt).
Savannah Jones led all scorers for the Jaguars (13-16, 8-9 SBC) with 21 points while Damaya Telemaque scored 17 of her 19 points in the first half. Antoinette Lewis added a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Shaforia Kines recorded 10 points and seven boards as well.
Arkansas State 86, South Alabama 80 (box score)
GAME FACTS
-Telemaque posted nine early points while the Jags held A-State under 30 percent shooting to go ahead 26-16 at the end of the opening period.
-South went 8-of-16 from beyond the three-point arc and led 47-30 at the end of the first half.
-The Red Wolves ended the third quarter on a 13-3 run but the Jaguars still led by double digits, 65-54, going into the final 10 minutes.
-Kines made a three from the right corner with just under five minutes left to put the Jags up 76-67, but South would only get two Lewis field goals the rest of the way.
-A-State turned the ball over just nine times while forcing 16 USA miscues.
-The Red Wolves outscored the Jaguars 42-30 in the paint and held a 23-6 edge in fast-break points.
NOTES
-The two teams split the regular-season series after South won 87-71 in Mobile on Feb. 20.
-The Jags have now made 10 or more three-pointers in five of their last six games, and they have connected on more shots from beyond the arc than the opposition in eight straight outings.
-After scoring 16 points combined in the Jaguars' last two contests, Jones led South in the category for the first time since recording 19 points at Appalachian State on Feb. 13.
-The redshirt junior also tied a career high with two steals, and fell just shy of matching her best totals of the season for three-pointers and assists after posting five and four, respectively.
-Telemaque was one point away from equaling her season-best scoring total set in South's first game against the Red Wolves.
-Lewis turned in her first double-double since the Jaguars visited Coastal Carolina on Feb. 15, while it was the most points the junior has scored since finishing with 18 in a Feb. 8 victory at ULM.
-Kines has scored 10-plus points in each of the last nine outings, and has made more than one three in all but the first contest during that stretch.
-Making the first start of her career, Jaylen Mallard pulled down five rebounds; that's the most she has been credited with since posting 10 in a win over Louisiana on Feb. 6.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Terry Fowler
On what the team did to build a lead in the first half: "It started on the defensive end of the floor, we were getting back in transition and getting stops. We were able to move the ball and get shots both inside and outside, but the key was we were able to get back and slow them down in transition."
On what changed in the final quarter to turn the game: "They went to the 2-3 [zone] and we got stagnant, some outside shots didn't fall for us and we weren't getting the ball on the inside. Then they were taking rebounds and going coast-to-coast, our transition defense wasn't as good in the second half. They had 23 fast-break points and a majority of those were after halftime, that was the difference in the ball game."
Up next: The Jags conclude the regular season with a contest at 2 p.m. (CST) Saturday at Little Rock.
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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