MOBILE, Ala.- Amyria Walker shined for the Jags with a career-high 30 points, but efficient shooting from the visitors would prove too much as South fell to App State 82-67. 

South got off to a quick start with an 11-2 run fueled by Amyria Walker who scored seven of those eleven. South rode their momentum for the remainder of the quarter as Amyria Walker connected on two threes to finish with 13 points in the quarter as the Jags led after one 21-13. 

South began to cool down as App State began to make a run backed off by efficient shooting from behind the arc. South continued to stay in it as Amyria Walker remained hot from the field. The Mountaineers extended their lead to as much as 10 as the quarter neared its end. Free throws from Nadia Howard and a buzzer-beating layup from Rachel Leggett would cut the deficit to seven as South entered into the half behind 45-38. 

South got off to a slow start in the third as the Mountaineers jumped out to a 9-0 run. The Jags continued to fight for the remainder of the quarter as back-to-back buckets from Alicia Spann helped put a dent in the lead. The Jaguars would head into the fourth trailing 66-52. 

Amyria Walker gave South some momentum at the start of the fourth as she connected for her fifth three of the afternoon. The Jaguars would continue to push the tempo for the rest of the game but would come up just short in an 82-67 final. 

STATS

The Jags were efficient from the field, shooting 45.3% overall as well as an impressive 14-19 (73.7%) from the charity stripe. Amyria Walker was unconscious for the Jags as the junior guard from Burleson, Texas finished with a career-high 30 points on 9-15 shooting, including hitting all five of South's threes. Rachel Leggett finished with 13 points and six rebounds with Alicia Spann adding six points and eight rebounds. 

QUOTES

Yolisha Jackson on the outcome, "We have to be better decision-makers against a zone. We started out really well and we have to find a way to sustain and keep doing what works for us. Defensively, we made them put it on the floor early and then they got loose and made a couple of shots and end up shooting the ball extremely well tonight. It's a tough one to swallow because you want to play well at home in your first conference home opener and we just didn't do that today".

On the fight in this team, "This team has a different kind of mentality. I don't have a group that is going to throw in the towel or stop playing. This team continues to fight and battle. This group is never going to give up and we are trying to make that a staple in our program. We continue to fight for each other and dig so I am proud of how they responded because after the second quarter we could have easily ducked our heads and not come out with anything. We came back out with some umph but we just need to be better decision-makers". 

On Amyria Walker's performance, "She had 30 and was efficient. It was not 30 on 25 shots, it was 30 on 15 shots. Watching her play last year that was something that we needed and missed and we got that from her. That's just who she is, she can score at all three levels and we've got to get her to make better decisions against defenses that are going to make her think. She's everything that we thought she was when she said that she wanted to be a Jag". 

UP NEXT

South will be back in action at the Mitchell Center this Saturday as they take on Coastal Carolina at 2:00 PM. 

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