MOBILE, Ala. – With four players in double figures Little Rock defeated the University of South Alabama women's basketball team 74-52 in the Mitchell Center on Saturday.
Sali Kourouma, Angelique Francis and Mayra Caicedo had 15 points apiece joined by Dariel Johnson with 10. Caicedo also had a game-high three steals and four assists.
For the Jags, Nadia Howard had 11 points, going 5-for-5 at the line. Joining her in double digit scoring was Jaylin Powell with 10 points. Kiana Anderson led all players with nine boards and two blocks.
GAME FACTS
- Little Rock started the scoring with five unanswered points in the first two minutes of the contest.
- The Trojans outscored the Jags 22-10 in the first, holding South Alabama to just three field goals for the period.
- To start off the second, Little Rock went on an 8-0 run to build a 30-13 lead. South answered with an 8-0 run to cut its deficit to 30-21.
- Of the 18 points scored by the Jags in the second quarter, Powell accounted for seven of them after scoring none in the first.
- For the first five minutes of the third, the teams traded buckets until South put up five straight points, highlighted by a three-point play from Howard, to cut the Trojan lead to 12 points at 47-39.
- Little Rock used an eight-point run in the final three minutes of the quarter to gain a 20-point lead at 57-37.
- The Trojans opened up their biggest lead of the contest at 23 points, 72-49, with 57 seconds left in the game following a pair of free throws by Mikayla Eddins.
NOTES
- The win marked Little Rock's seventh straight win at the Mitchell Center, dating back to 2015.
- For the first time in three games South's rebound total fell under 30 with 26 for the game.
- South Alabama had four blocks in the contest, which left the team one shy of its season high of five against Tulsa.
- From the line the Jags went 14-of-19 for their second-highest free throw percentage of the season at 73.7%.
- Little Rock was able to score 23 of its points off of South's 20 turnovers.
- Additionally, the Trojans had 40 points in the paint which marks the most the Jags have allowed in the lane this season.
- Anderson's rebounding total was a season high with her last best set at seven against Southern Miss.
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Terry Fowler
- Opening Statement: "Little Rock came in here after their win at Troy and got off to a fast start against us. We were able to somewhat answer their run early and put ourselves in position to kind of get back in the game and make it one. They made three pointers, really dominated the paint and second-chance points, and they did a great job of scoring off of our turnovers. We've been averaging 13 or 14 turnovers per game, and tonight we had 20. We just didn't match up to their physicality; we knew that coming in. One day's prep is kind of hard to get ready for what Little Rock does on both offense and defense. We have to learn from this one. The thing I told them in the locker room is we have to learn from the games where teams have been really dominant against us, and we have to be able to take that against our future opponents. I'm excited to get out and practice next week as we prepare for our trip to the Georgia schools."
- On rebounding from the loss: "Absolutely ready to go. That's the challenge to the team – when we come into practice Monday, we need to be ready to go and get out and compete throughout the entire practice and build up those habits that will carry over into next week's games."
- On how the team responds at practice following a loss: "They're hurt and they know, but we have 11 new players that have never played against a team with the style that Little Rock plays with. It was a shock to them I think, but I think they can take it and learn from it; that's what we've done in the past. They'll come out and be ready to get after it at practice."
Freshman G Nadia Howard
- On the keys in the game: "We knew that they (Little Rock) were going to be physical and aggressive going into the game, and we knew they were going to screen a lot. We were told to toughen up and be able to play through the contact. Unfortunately we weren't capable of doing that this game, but it's a growing experience. We now have something to put into preparation for our next games in being aggressive."
- On rebounding from the loss: "We're very anxious to get back out there. That was the number-one team in the (Sun Belt) conference, so of course we wanted to beat them. But it's OK – next-game mentality. We just need to go out next game and show how we can play for real."
UP NEXT
South Alabama will travel to Atlanta, Ga. to play Georgia State.
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
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