MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team's frontcourt combined for 41 points and 16 rebounds as the Jaguars claimed a 56-51 Sun Belt Conference victory over Appalachian State at the Mitchell Center on Friday.

Antoinette Lewis posted 23 points and Jaylen Mallard added 18 — both grabbed eight boards as well — to help South improve to 12-9 on the season and 9-6 in league play.  Mahogany Vaught also was credited with eight rebounds as well as five assists, with Savannah Jones contributing seven boards for the Jags.

Janay Sanders led the Mountaineers (10-11, 7-8 SBC) with 16 points, while Lainey Gosnell finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds.  App State got 11 points and eight boards from Michaela Porter as well.

South Alabama 56, Appalachian State 51 (box score)

GAME FACTS
-The Jaguars scored the final seven points over the last two-plus minutes of the first period to go ahead 17-10 at the end of the quarter.
-South outrebounded the Mountaineers 22-13 over the opening 20 minutes and led 29-21 at the half.
-USA extended the lead to 45-26 at the end of the third quarter after limiting App State to 2-of-12 shooting in the period.
-The Mountaineers scored the first 10 points of the final quarter and were able to close the gap to three points on two occasions in the last 30 seconds, but Mallard made five free throws to help the Jags stave off the rally.
-The Jaguars connected on 73.3 percent at the free-throw line while making six more foul shots than App State.
-South did not concede an offensive rebound until the final quarter while ending the contest with a 41-32 rebounding advantage.

NOTES
-The overall series between the two programs is now tied 8-8, with the Jags claiming six of eight match-ups in Mobile.
-USA clinched a winning record in Sun Belt play at the Mitchell Center for the fourth straight season.
-Lewis matched her highest scoring total of the year while it was a career-best figure for Mallard.
-After converting a layup with just over four minutes remaining in the contest, Lewis scored the 1,500th point of her career; she is the first individual from the program to surpass the milestone since Adrian Vickers — the school's all-time leading scorer — did so in 1989.
-It's the first time the senior has led the team in scoring since sharing game-high honors in a Jan. 9 victory over Coastal Carolina, while it marked the first occasion she has recorded 20-plus points since finishing with 23 in a defeat of Nicholls on Dec. 5.
-She also became the first Jag to make 10 or more field goals in a game this year.
-Mallard has now scored in double figures in each of the last three outings after posting 10 points combined in South's first two games of the month.
-The forward has recorded or shared team-high rebounding honors in each of the last two contests after achieving the feat once in the Jags' first 19 games.
-Vaught was credited with a career-best figure on the boards.
-It was also the 10th occasion that the junior guard has led all players in assists after handing out five or more for the third time in the last five outings.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Terry Fowler
Opening statement: "I was pleased with our effort.  I thought for three quarters we played as well as we could, especially on the defensive end of the floor.  We challenged the team today at shootaround, we said 'Make sure you give everything you have to everybody who is in that circle tonight.'  That is how important it was to us.  I thought we fought and did everything we could for each other.  That's going to be critical for us moving forward finishing out the rest of the regular season."
On the team's defensive effort: "We talked about rebounding and I thought we did a good job limiting them to one shot.  I also think we did a great job guarding the basketball without over-helping.  They want to drive, penetrate and kick to give themselves a chance to get open threes and we did a really good job limiting them from that standpoint."
On securing the victory at the end of the game: "I just kept telling our team that we were okay, it was about trying to get stops and then we needed to make sure we executed on the inbound plays.  The main thing was trying to keep our composure."
On Antoinette Lewis: "She's everything we thought she was when we recruited her, we thought that this is the type of player she could be.  She came in from day one playing with an all-conference player — defensive player of the year Chyna Ellis — every day in practice.  She carried her load as a freshman and has continued to do so her entire time here."

Senior forward/center Antoinette Lewis
On the team's fast start in the game: "It was really important because we're big on starting fast and finishing strong.  Getting those looks for my teammates, and for them to find me and for me to go finish, was very valuable for us."
On the difference in the contest: "I think it was our determination, because we know how important it is to get our wins to help our seeding at the conference tournament.  I know we're trying to figure out how to win these games, fight hard, and finish strong."
On reaching the 1,500 point milestone in her career: "It's crazy to think about, but it means the program, my teammates and coaches trust me a lot to finish when I have the ball in my hands."

Up next: The Jaguars will play host to the Mountaineers Saturday at 4 p.m. (CST) in their final home game of the 2020-21 campaign.

Photo provided by bradpuckettphotography.com

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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