CHYNA ELLIS BECOMES SOUTH ALABAMA'S ALL-TIME LEADER IN BLOCKS IN 54-41 WIN OVER APPALACHAIN STATE
MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama's women's basketball team (9-16, 4-10) topped Appalachian State (10-16, 5-10) 54-41 to win its first Sun Belt Conference home game of the season at the Mitchell Center on Saturday evening. Chyna Ellis became the schools' all-time leader in career blocks after recording a game-high and season-high six rejections that gave her 212 career rejections, passing LaSandra Jenkins' (1982-85) 210 blocks.
"We got off to a slow start and it was headed in the direction it had been going," said South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler. "Then we got some shots to fall. We were really aggressive; that was the biggest thing for us. We were attacking and getting shots at the basket or we were able to pitch it out and find open shooters who knocked down some threes tonight. Defensively we were really solid. I think it was a really good game other than the 22 offensive boards that we gave up tonight."
Colby Davis scored 15 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter, including 11 of the first 13 points scored in the quarter, to help the Jags get the lead and preserve it for the last eight minutes of the game. Entering the fourth quarter trailing 32-27, the Jaguars got their first lead since scoring the first basket of the game after Davis made five layups in the first seven possessions. Davis' fourth layup gave South Alabama the lead for good, and she converted a three-point play after getting fouled on her fifth layup to cap an 11-2 run in the first four minutes of the quarter.
"We saw some things they were doing and decided to put it in Colby's hands and set a ball screen for her," said Fowler. "She was really aggressive and went strong to the basket, played through contact and was able to put it in."
Davis hit a three-pointer with 4:28 left in regulation to give South Alabama a 41-36 lead, and the Jags lead by at least two-possessions for the rest of the game. Kennedi Centers added another layup in the next possession. After a Mountaineers' layup with 3:18 remaining, the Jags ended the game on an 11-3 run. Genesis Perrymond hit a corner three-pointer, and Chyna Ellis made a layup off a dish by Davis in back-to-back possessions.
The rest of the points were scored at the free throw line. Davis split a pair of free throws, and then the Jags went a combined 5-6 at the charity stripe in the last 49 seconds. Ellis and Perrymond both made a pair of free throws, and Centers made the front end her two attempts.
The Jags outscored the Mountaineers 27-9 in the fourth quarter. South Alabama went 9-13 (69.2%) from the field, 2-3 (66.7%) from three and 7-10 (70.0%) from the free throw line in the quarter and held Appalachian State to 3-18 (16.7%) from the field, 0-4 from three and 3-9 (33.3%) at the line.
"We just needed to make some shots and get some kids to get some confidence going," said Fowler. "Hopefully we can carry this on as we move into [Sun Belt] conference tournament play in the next two weeks."
Candice Williams made a jumper eight seconds into the game, but Appalachian State held South Alabama scoreless for over four minutes as it went on a 9-0 run. The two teams traded baskets for the rest of the quarter as the Mountaineers entered the second quarter with a 16-10 lead.
South Alabama held Appalachian State to just five points in the second quarter with each point coming at the free throw line. The Mountaineers were 0-18 from the field and 0-5 from three in the quarter. The Jags had a 7-3 run in the first eight and a half minutes of the quarter. Williams hit a three-pointer off a pass by Perrymond with 1:14 left in the first half, and the Jags entered halftime trailing 21-20. Ellis had three blocks in the first three minutes of the quarter.
"Chyna anchors the defense," said Fowler. "She is the reason we can play good defense because her teammates know they can trust her back there. She allows them to be a little bit more aggressive, and she does a great job defending in the paint. She takes pride in it so it is exciting for her to get the record, especially this early in her career."
Appalachian State held South Alabama scoreless for over six minutes into the third quarter, but it was only able to score six points for a 27-20 lead. The Jags responded with a 7-2 run. India Hall hit a jumper in the lane after a pass fake, Davis scored her first two points of the game on a layup and Perrymond hit a three.
The Jaguars' defense forced the Mountaineers into 13 turnovers and held them to 20.9% (14-67) shooting from the field and 8.3% (1-12) from three, both season-lows for Jags' opponents. South Alabama tied a season-high with nine blocks.
The Mountaineers had a 53-45 edge on the glass, but they only converted 22 offensive rebounds into eight second chance points. The Jags outscored the Mountaineers 30-20 in the paint.
Davis finished the game 7-12 from the field, 1-4 from three and 2-3 at the free throw line. She made all six field goal attempts in the fourth quarter and also had two of her three assists in the quarter. Davis also tied her career-high in rebounding, pulling down seven boards.
Ellis scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Perrymond also finished with double-digits in scoring with 10 points in addition to five rebounds, three assists and one steal.
South Alabama heads to the Lone Star State for a pair of road games next week, starting with Texas State on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
Brodhead Sets Program Record For Wins As Cajuns Defeat ULM, 65-59
Monroe, La. – Louisiana women's basketball head coach Garry Brodhead set the program record for all-time wins as the Ragin' Cajuns defeated ULM 65-59 on Saturday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
Brodhead, who is in his fifth season at the helm, passed J. Kelley Hall (2002-2007) with 87 wins as head coach.
Louisiana (15-8, 9-5 SBC) used 21 points from Simone Fields and 13 points from Jaylyn Gordon to come from behind in the second half.
ULM (5-20, 2-12 SBC) jumped out to an early 12-4 lead when Gabriella Cortez knocked down two free throws with 5:02 left in the first quarter. The Warhawks led 18-12 at the end of the first frame.
Stephanie Ratliff made a layup to give ULM a 26-14 lead with 6:37 to go in the second quarter. The Warhawks led 30-19 when Andreanna Jackson made a jumper with 3:24 left in the period.
The Cajuns cut the lead to 30-26 after Brittney Myles made one-of-two free throws with 27 seconds left in the second quarter. ULM took a 32-26 into halftime.
Louisiana came out shooting hot in the third quarter and tied the game 35-35 when Jasmine Thomas made a layup with 6:38 left in the third quarter.
The Cajuns took their first lead of the game after Nekia Jones drilled a three-pointer to put Louisiana in front 42-41 with 3:15 to go in the third period.
Louisiana outscored ULM 21-9 in the period and led 47-41 at the end of the third frame.
A back-and-forth final quarter saw the Warhawks take a 52-51 lead with 6:12 left in the contest.
The Cajuns then went on an 8-2 run to take a 59-54 lead on a layup by Fields with 2:34 remaining in the game.
Cortez made a layup for ULM to trim the lead to 61-59 with 25 seconds to go, but Gordon and Troi Swain knocked down four straight free throws to secure the win for the Cajuns.
Jackson led ULM with 19 points while Alexis Collins had 12 points for the Warhawks.
Louisiana will return to action when it travels to face Appalachian State on Thursday, Feb. 23 in Boone, N.C.
PANTHERS KNOCK OFF SECOND-PLACE MAVERICKS ON ALUMNI DAY
ATLANTA - Behind nine 3-pointers, Georgia State defeated UT Arlington 64-59 on Saturday. Jada Lewis dropped 21 points and Makeba Ponder added 20 to help GSU beat the second-place Mavericks.
Entering Saturday’s action, the Mavericks were two games out of first place while the Panthers sat in seventh. Georgia State took a one-point edge into the second quarter before going off from long range. In the second period, Georgia State outscored the Mavericks 20-8 thanks in part to nine points from Ponder.
UT Arlington narrowed the gap with a big third quarter, but Georgia State held off a furious comeback attempt in the final minutes to secure the win. UTA was held to 36% shooting from the field on Saturday while Georgia State shot right at 50% including a 9-for-17 mark from 3-point land.
Leading by as much as 12 points with under five minutes remaining, the Panthers saw their lead dwindle down to three with 12 seconds to go, but GSU clamped down to hold on.
Around 25 alumni from previous Georgia State women’s basketball teams were honored during the game Saturday. Honorees included players from Georgia State’s three NCAA Tournament games as well as Terese Allen, GSU’s all-time leading scorer.
Next up for Georgia State is a trip to Arkansas to take on Arkansas State on Thursday and Little Rock on Saturday.
Troy Trumps Coastal Carolina, 78-66
TROY, Alabama – The Troy women's basketball team claimed sole possession of second place in the Sun Belt Conference standings with a 78-66 win over Coastal Carolina in Trojan Arena on Saturday.
The win coupled with UT Arlington's loss to Georgia State on Saturday gives Troy the inside track at the second seed in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and potentially a shot at the regular season league title.
In the third quarter, Troy (18-7, 11-3 SBC) pulled away in what had been a back-and-forth affair most of the afternoon despite only trailing for just 2:49 of the game. The Trojans stretched their five-point lead to eight on a ArJae' Saunders 3-pointer just seconds into the second half. The advantage ballooned to 15 late in the fourth quarter as the Troy defense held Coastal Carolina to just 35 percent shooting in the final frame.
The Chanticleers (10-15, 5-10) pulled ahead by one, 26-25 with 4:58 left in the second quarter, but Ta'Kierra Gibbs provided a spark for the Trojans off the bench scoring on a layup and a free throw to give the home team the lead for good. Gibbs scored 10 points over the first 20 minutes.
Caitlyn Ramirez turned in her second consecutive double-double with a game-high 19 points and 12 rebounds. Jayla Chills followed up her 27-point career night on Thursday with 11 points and four boards against CCU. Dajia Williams also chipped in with 10 points and seven rebounds.
QUOTABLE
"It was a little bit of an uncharacteristic game for us," Troy head coach Chanda Rigby said. "We went into a zone defense right before the half and stayed in a half court zone defense the entire second half. It was a little uncharacteristic, but it was something we felt like we had to do."
UP NEXT
Troy departs on its final road trip of the regular season next week as the team travels to face UT Arlington (Feb. 23) and Texas State (Feb. 25).
NOTABLE
• Caitlyn Ramirez has recorded 11 double-doubles this season and has scored 12-plus points in 10 consecutive games.
• Ta'Kierra Gibbs has scored in double digits twice in the last four games, she has also hit a 3-pointer in nine of the 15 games she's played in this year.
Eagles' Butler, McGowan Lead Big Rally Over Texas State on Senior Day
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern women's basketball team overcame a 14-0 deficit to start the game and then held off a furious rally late to down Texas State 71-69 Saturday afternoon at Hanner Fieldhouse.
Led by Patrice Butler and Angel McGowan, the Eagle veterans showed up on Senior Day, combining to score 35 points in the big comeback. Butler had 24 points and nine rebounds while McGowan poured in 21 points and hit three 3-pointers in the win.
GS shot a blistering 69.2 percent from the field and hit six long balls in the second half, overcoming an 11-point halftime deficit.
Toshua Leavitt led the Bobcats with 22 points, including six 3-pointers.
With the win, GS moved to 12-14 overall, 8-7 in the Sun Belt, while Texas State fell to 14-11, 9-5 in the league.
THE STORY
Georgia Southern took nearly six minutes before scoring its opening bucket, a layup from Angel McGowan. The Bobcats shot 46 percent from the field in the first quarter, hitting four 3-pointers while the Eagles made just three field goals and trailed 18-7 after one period. GS doubled its scoring output in the second quarter, putting 14 points up, but the Bobcats equalled the tally to take a 32-21 lead into the break.
The Eagles were shot out of canon in the third quarter, shooting 76.9 percent from the field and out-scoring the Bobcats 25-17 to cut the deficit to three points heading to the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Eagles remained on fire as they opened the period on a 9-2 run to take their first lead of the game. The lead grew to seven points with just under four minutes left before the teams started trading points. McGowan hit a free throw with 1:09 left to make it a four-point lead, but Leavitt hit her sixth long ball to make it a one-point game. GS couldn't get a basket and TSU had a chance to win it, but Leavitt's long-range shot was off as the Eagles held on. GS shot 61.5 percent in the final quarter and made six free throws to complete the comeback.
QUOTABLES
Senior Angel McGowan
"We never gave up during that game. We got down but we built each other up, gave each other confidence and knew that we could take the game back. I love our senior class and it means a lot to win on Senior Day, we have been through so much and we have been committed to helping this program change and leave it better than we found it and that has been the most rewarding thing to us."
Head Coach Kip Drown
On battling back from a 14-0 deficit
"They came out with a couple threes right out of the game and I didn't really realize it got that bad. We couldn't shoot the ball well in the first half, but once we switched up our defense we were doing a much better job and started making baskets. We stayed into the game and never panicked, and it really showed how we have matured as a basketball team in the second half today."
On Senior Day
"I love it when the seniors can walk away with a win. All four of them did a great job across the board, and they were so excited in the locker room. I hope this is something we can continue to build on as we go into the next two weeks and get ready to head into the Sun Belt Tournament."
On the conference standings
"Right now, we are just trying to take care of our own business. If we get help from someone, that's great. If not, we will probably sit in that five or six spot in the conference and have to defend off the teams that are chasing us. The way we do that is to win games, and we did that today. We got a big split against two top four teams in the league and we have a lot of positives to take away from this weekend."