ZenaMOBILE, Ala. – Behind four Jaguars in double-figures, South Alabama opened the season with a 74-61 win over cross-town foe Mobile. The win was head coach Yolisha Jackson's first career win.
 
South Alabama led wire-to-wire in a game that saw 19 points from guard Kelsey Thompson, 13 points from center Zena Elias, 12 points from forward Kiana Anderson and 11 from guard Michiyah Simmons.
 
Anderson also recorded her third career double-double, tallying 12 rebounds. Elias was one short of a double-double, recording nine boards.
 
The win was the 15^th game of Thompson's career in double figures, the 15^th for Anderson, the third for Elias and the sixth for Simmons.
 
South's biggest lead on the night came in the third quarter when two Rachel Leggett free throws put the Jags up by 24.
 
The Jags shot 49.1% from the field, which ties a game-high from a season ago when South beat Nicholls on the road. South Alabama totaled over half their points from the paint, totaling 46 points from the paint.
 
The Rams had three players in double figures and were led by Braylee McMath who had 20 points.
 
GAME FACTS

• South Alabama opened the game with a 7-0 run before Mobile got their first points of the game with seven left in the first quarter.
• Mobile added some points, but South held them off, leading 16-12 after one quarter.
• The Rams hit a scoring drought in the second quarter, allowing South to jump to a 24-14 lead.
• South Alabama kept applying pressure to the Rams, taking the 33-21 lead at the half.
• The Jags opened the second going 5-5 from the field, extending their lead to 45-25.
• South Alabama went on an 8-0 run late in the third quarter, extending the lead to 53-29.
• Mobile used a 7-0 run to cut into South Alabama's lead, but South was still up 54-36 with a minute left in the third quarter.
• Down by 20 going into the final quarter of the game, Mobile applied pressure to South Alabama, cutting the Jaguar lead to 67-61 with one minute left in the game.
• South went on a 7-0 run to close the game, securing the 74-61 win.

 
NOTES

• The win was the first for first-year head coach Yolisha Jackson.
• South had four double-figure scorers.
• Kiana Anderson tallied her third double-double of her career.
• Kelsey Thompson led South in scoring for the 13^th time in her career.
• Anderson led South in rebounding for the 19^th time in her career.

 
QUOTABLE
Head coach Yolisha Jackson:
Opening statement:
"I thought it was a great crowd. It's always special when you are able to open up at home and play a team that's in your city because you know you will draw a crowd. Hats off to Mobile. We were their fourth game, so they got a rhythm and have found themselves. They got three kids who are really good and it kicked our butts tonight. Our group has a lot of growing up to do. We are up 24 in the third, and I don't know if we started coasting or got nervous, but we didn't close the third and the fourth was a disaster. Can't get up 17 offensive rebounds, can't foul as much as we did. You shoot 49%, which is really good, we just allowed them to go 23-29 from the free throw line and get 17 offensive rebounds. That cannot be in our DNA and those two things we were work on to get better for Thursday."
 
On what she learned most about the team:
"I learned we still have a long ways to go. A win is a win and it's great, it's better than the alternative, but winning and playing bad and not being able to put our product on the floor that we've seen in practice is hard. I found it frustrating at times that we have gone back to some things that we have tried to change within our culture, so we will address those."
 
On preparing for Central Michigan:
"We know nothing about them. It's a brand new first year head coach and we will be their first game, so there is no film. We do know they are big, we gave up 34 rebounds tonight, that's a concerning issue heading into Thursday, so we've got to do a much better job at rebounding. We've got two practices to get back to how we have been in our last 30 practices so that we can put a good product on the floor."
 
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