Box Score PENSACOLA, Fla. – In the first round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament the University of South Alabama women's basketball team fell 80-66 to Texas State in the Pensacola Bay Center on Wednesday. 

Jaylin Powell's 19 points left her one shy of six 20 plus point games on the season. Powell also had the most rebounds of any Jag with five. Vaught also recorded double digits with 10 points in the contest in addition to four assists. 

Da'Nashia Hood was responsible for 33 of the Bobcats' points as well as 13 rebounds. Kennedy Taylor recorded 13 points for Texas State while handing out a game high eight assists. 

GAME FACTS
- Texas State took the early lead with back to back three pointers in the first minute and a half of play.
- South Alabama went on to score three treys of its own, narrowing its deficit to three around the five-minute mark.
- Despite outscoring the Bobcats seven to six in the remainder of the first the Jags ended the period trailing by two with a score of 18-16.
- The Bobcats opened the second period with a 12-2 run over the first two minutes to which South responded with seven points of its own. 
- Texas State secured an 11-point halftime advantage with five points in the final minute of the second period, including a buzzer beater three pointer from Tianna Eaton. 
- South outscored the Bobcats 24-21 in the third period but ended the quarter trailing by eight at 60-52. 
- The Bobcats' 14-2 run in the fourth extended its lead to its largest of the night at 16. 
- Despite three pointers from Powell and Casey Ferguson South was unable to catch up to its opponent which resulted in the season ending loss. 

NOTES
- This is the first time since 2013, head coach Rick Pietri's last season, that South Alabama has lost its first game of the Sun Belt tournament. 
- Texas State's win is its 11th over South and snapped the Jags two game win streak in the series.  
- Both teams dressed out just eight players of their 14 player rosters. 
- For the fifth time this season, with the last occasion at Troy on Feb. 5, the Jags had no blocks for the contest.  
- With 27 rebounds South tied its third lowest total for the fourth time this season.
- Shooting 50 percent from the field the Jags recorded its highest field goal percentage since Coastal Carolina on Feb. 6, 2021.
- South also made 50 percent of its three-point field goals, a feat that has also not been done since last season's game in Conway.
- Five of those three pointers were made by Powell for a total of 53 on the season. 
- Tonight, Powell surpassed 1,000 career points. Her point total with the Jags accounted for 300 of those points.  
- Vaught finished her career as a Jaguar with 216 assists with back to back seasons of 86 total. 

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Terry Fowler
-Opening Statement: "To start the game off I think Texas State got off to a great start shooting the three so I thought that took some of our momentum. Our kids fought back and just played extremely hard. I think we gave ourselves every opportunity to be in the ball game late. One thing we did talk about is our free throw shooting, that kind of let us down with just 47 percent from the line. I love our kids. We had a rough year this year but tonight we really committed to fighting and playing some good ball against a really good basketball team. Texas State is definitely a team that is higher than the six seed in this league." 

-On what went right tonight: "I would say the fight our kids showed. We made some shots but it ultimately came down to making some stops on the defensive end of the floor and we were able to do that. We wanted to play with more pace in the second half and I thought we played more in transition. Even in our half court offense we played with more pace and I thought that gave us some opportunities to get in the paint. I thought we did a good job of scoring at the basket as well as being able to get some threes." 

Graduate F Jaylin Powell
-On her second half performance: "I was just trying to be aggressive. It's now or never with the tournament, any tournament. You have to give it everything you have got and I know I am a pretty good shooter so if I can get it up I'm going to try to get it up." 

-On her 1,000 points: "I feel blessed. I just feel so good. Even though its ending, my career, basketball wise. I just feel so grateful to be here. These aren't sad tears these are happy tears. I am just so thankful to have had this opportunity to have played for Coach Fowler and with these teammates and my past teammates. I'm thankful for everything I have been given but I am looking forward to the future as well. I just feel really blessed."

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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