Women's Basketball

Jags Open WBI with Win; Texas State's Historic Season Ends in WNIT

USA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL OPENS WBI WITH VICTORY OVER STETSON
MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team (20-12) defeated Stetson (17-15) in the opening round of the Women's Basketball Invitational, 49-33, Thursday night at the Mitchell Center. This is the Jags first appearance in the WBI and it is their first postseason since the 2003-04 season.

Shaforia Kines was the lone Jag with 10 or more points as she scored 14 on a 6-for-10 shooting night. Kines also grabbed four rebounds and dished out an assist in the win.

Genesis Perrymond scored nine points, all from behind-the-arc in the first quarter. The senior recorded a game-high four steals, while collecting a pair of boards and assists.

Savannah Jones scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds. The redshirt freshman also rejected a shot and had a takeaway.

Chyna Ellis collected 11 rebounds in the contest, her 15th game of 10 or more rebounds this season. She also had a game-high three blocks.

The Jags did not allow a Stetson player to reach double-digit points in the contest, marking the first time since Dec. 29 against Georgia State they did not allow opposing player to reach 10 points. McKenna Beach grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for the Hatters, while Brittney Chambers led the team with nine points.

GAME FACTS
- South Alabama came out gunning in the first quarter outscoring Stetson 17-11.
- Perrymond scored nine points in the first, all on made three-pointers.
- USA followed up the first by holding the Hatters scoreless in the second, 12-0.
- Kines scored the last points of the quarter on a layup to give the Jags their largest lead of the half at 18 points.
- The Hatters went on an 11-3 run in the first 7:55 of the third quarter.
- South Alabama led 34-24 heading into the fourth.
- USA kicked off the fourth quarter on a 9-1 run, capped off by a Jayla Morrow layup with 7:12 left to match its largest lead of the game at 18 points.
- Neither team scored in the final 2:50 of the game.
- The Hatters outrebounded the Jags by the narrow margin of 37-36.
- South Alabama forced 21 turnovers while only committing 15.
- The two squads tied in points in the paint and points off turnovers 16-16 and 12-12, respectively.
- USA had six second-chance points and held Stetson to zero on 13 offensive rebounds.

NOTES
- The Jags captured their first postseason win since 1988.
- This was the second time the Mitchell Center hosted a postseason game, the last time was a WNIT contest in 2004.
- Jones now holds the single-season record for made three-pointers by a freshman in program history with 65.
- Ellis became the first player in program history to reach 100 blocks in a season.
- This is the first 20 win-season for the program since 2008-09.
- Kines has had 10 or more in seven of the last eight games.
- This was only the second time this season USA only had one player with double-digit points.
- The Jags' 49 points are the fewest scored in a win this season.
- Stetson's 33 points are the fewest scored by an opponent this season.
- Shutting out the Hatters in the second quarter was the first time USA has shutout an opponent in a quarter this season.

Texas State Falls at Rice, 71-60, Ends Historic Season
HOUSTON – The Texas State women's basketball team (23-10, 14-4 SBC) lost to the Rice Owls (23-9, 10-6 C-USA), 71-60, inside Tudor Fieldhouse in the opening round of the 2018 Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) on Thursday night. The loss ends a historic season for the Bobcats.

The Bobcats made the WNIT for the second time in school history. The 2007-08 team made the program's first appearance, defeating Prairie View A&M in the first round by a score of 84-83 before falling to Texas Tech in the round of 32, 82-49. The 23 wins for the Bobcats set the highest win total for a Texas State team in the Division I era.

"What a year," head coach Zenarae Antoine said. "This team competed so hard all season and the product speaks for itself. The amount of records, team and individual, that this team set shows just how special this team is. This senior group is tremendous and have set a great foundation for the future. I am sad that the season ended, but I am excited for the future of this program."