ATLANTA – With four seconds left on the clock, Jaylin Powell hit one of her two free throw attempts to help the University of South Alabama women's basketball team pick up a 52-51 win over Charleston Southern on Saturday at the Georgia State Classic held at the GSU Sports Arena. 

Powell went 6-of-7 at the charity stripe for the game which paired with her two field goals to give a team-high 10 points. Mahogany Vaught followed with nine points and a game-best five steals, while Kiana Anderson added eight points along with five boards, leading the Jags on the glass along with Powell and Destiny Samuel. 

Charleston Southern's Alyssia Faye recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, leading all players in both categories, while also dishing out three assists. 

GAME FACTS
- Charleston Southern held South Alabama to just two field goals throughout the first nine minutes of play, but the Jaguars were able to reel off five unanswered points during the final minute to trim the deficit to 16-9 at the end the opening period. 
- CSU stretched its lead out to 12 (23-11) after a jumper by Faye, but with a little less than four minutes remaining in the second quarter, Powell hit a pair of free throws to trim the deficit to single digits, 23-17. Charleston Southern went into the intermission holding a nine-point lead at 32-23.
- The Buccaneers quickly extended their lead out to 16 (36-23) after another jumper by Faye at the 6:11 mark of the third.
- However, the Jaguars held without a field goal and outscored the Bucs 14-1 over the next five minutes of the period to pull within four (40-36) after a Nadia Howard field goal. USA was 7-for-8 at the foul line during the run.
- Trailing by seven heading into the final 12-minutes of action, Vaught started off the final period with a three followed by a layup to tie the game at 43.
- Charleston Southern stretched its lead back out to six on a couple of occasions over the next several minutes, the last coming after a pair of Faye free throws with just under three to go, but South answered with six unanswered points and tied the game back up at 51-51 after two more Powel free throws with 30 seconds showing on the clock.
- On the ensuing CSU possession, Powell stole the ball and was again fouled in the closing seconds, where she hit one of two at the line to give South the lead.
- Madison Adamson's potential game-winning, three-pointer was off the mark as the Jaguars held on for the one-point lead.

NOTES
- Saturday's contest marked the first in the series between the two programs. 
- South has now won three straight games, a feat the squad accomplished twice last season.  
- The Jags recorded just one made three-point basket, marking the first time since Coastal Carolina on Jan. 14, 2020 that South has done so. 
- For the second time this season, South Alabama had no blocked shots, with the previous occasion at Alabama State earlier this season.
- South tied its season-best made free throws 17 and connected on 74 percent of its attempts at the line.
- USA had a season-high 22 steals, nearly doubling its previous record, with Vaught leading all players in the category for the first time this season with five.
- Powell has now recorded double-digit figures in seven of the Jags' 11 games this season, leading the team in scoring on five occasions.
- Anderson went 4-of-8 from the field, her best shooting percentage as a Jag for a season-best eight points. 

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Terry Fowler
-Opening statement: "We dug ourselves a big hole. You have to give Charleston Southern credit, they came out and played really good defense and made shots to start off. We told our team to get it close, so we went to the press in the third quarter. That was a big change in the game for us, which forced most of their 28 turnovers. From there we were able to get some easy baskets out of the press and then some stops at the other end of the floor. We were able to finish it off and I am so proud of how we fought; we didn't give up until the buzzer."

-On Jaylin Powell at the line late: "She is one of our better free-throw shooters, so I felt good about her at the line. When she missed the first one in the closing seconds it was tough, but I knew she would make the second one and she did."

UP NEXT
South Alabama will conclude tournament action as the Jags take on Tulsa at 11 a.m. (CST) on Sunday. 

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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