MOBILE, Ala. –  The University of South Alabama women's basketball team has now won four of its last five season openers with a 63-59 victory over Mobile at the Mitchell Center on Tuesday. 

In her South Alabama debut, Zena Elias recorded a double-double with a career-high 13 points and 13 rebounds. Mahogany Vaught led the Jags in with both 14 points and four assists. 

For the Rams, Sydney Sims, Breannah McCullah and Mary Denman Luker had 12 points apiece. Sims also recorded a game-high five assists.

GAME FACTS
- South Alabama trailed Mobile for the first seven minutes of the game until a set of three free throws from Jaylin Powell — who was responsible for seven of the Jaguars' first nine points — pushed them to an 9-8 advantage. 
- Three-pointers from Casey Ferguson and Tyrielle Williams in the final minute extended the Jags' lead to 18-13 at the end of the first period.
- With four minutes left in the half the Jags led by 13, 30-17, after a pair of Powell free throws, as South took a 37-28 lead at the break. 
- The Rams made it a four-point game after a layup by Erica Jones at the end of the third quarter made it a 49-45 contest.
- In the final three minutes of the game Mobile took a one-point lead at 57-56 on layups from Mackenzie White and Sims. 
- South fought back with a Destiny Samuel three-point play at the two-and-a-half-minute mark to go back up for good, 59-57. 
- The Jaguars forced three missed shots and a turnover in the final two minutes, with Elias going 4-of-4 at the free-throw line during that stretch, to close out the victory. 
- Both teams turned the ball over 19 times in the game, however the Jags held a 19-10 advantage scoring off turnovers. 
- South outscored Mobile, 15-7, from the bench. 

NOTES
- The Jags have now won 30 non-Division 1 contests, dating back to the 1991 season. 
- South Alabama remains perfect in the series against Mobile, however, tonight's win was the narrowest margin of victory since 2014.
- A total of nine Jags took the floor for South Alabama for the first time, including four true freshmen who made their collegiate debut coming off the bench. 
- It's the fourth straight game dating back to the final weekend of the regular season last February that Vaught has scored in double figures. 
- She has also now posted at least one steal in four of the last five contests. 
- She recorded a career-high six free throws in the contest two more than her previous mark set at Auburn on Dec. 13 a year ago. 
- Powell was perfect from the free throw line, going 5-for-5 in her first game as a Jaguar. 
- Ferguson has now made at least one three-pointer in seven of the Jaguars' last eight games dating back to Feb. 13 last season. 

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Terry Fowler
-Opening Statement: "First of all, I would like to salute the service men and women for serving our country as we get ready to prepare for Veteran's Day. Today's game, we knew it was going to be difficult. Mobile had played four ballgames and came in here 3-1, and lost their last game at the buzzer. They are talented and have a good group of young ladies in their program. One thing I have always said, they have been a program that has never been afraid to come in here and play us. I told our team yesterday that it was going to be a very difficult challenge. I thought we started slow then found some rhythm. And I thought going into halftime we were OK; I felt good. We had the ball to start (second half), and I told the team, 'Let's get a 6-0 run right here.' Unfortunately, that didn't happen. They (Mobile) made big play after big play when they had to, and then we were able to settle down, make some free throws at the end and get to the basket and make some shots to finish it off."

- On what he takes from the win: "I told them in the locker room (after the game) that it wasn't about X's and O's or anything, it was just about the energy and effort we came out with today; we were sluggish. We just finished talking about character and how character is revealed in adverse times. We didn't show the greatest character today, but we have to learn from it. And I challenged the team – 'How are we going to respond moving forward?' We have 28 more opportunities, starting this weekend at Rutgers. We just have to make sure we are together and a tight-knit unit. We have 11 new players who are really trying to figure each other out."

Senior C Zena Elias
-On the performance tonight: "Honestly, it wasn't my best. I missed a lot of wide-open layups and missed some rebounds and boxouts. Just stuff that I was told to do, I didn't do my best with it. My coaches and teammates kept me going on what I needed to do."

-On getting the win: "It's big. We need to start off the season with a win. It wasn't the prettiest win but as Coach Fowler said, a win is a win. We are moving forward and we have 28 more opportunities to get better and it starts this week." 

UP NEXT
The Jaguars will travel to Piscataway, N.J. to face Rutgers at 6 p.m. (CST) for their first road game. 

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 the 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
—USA—