2018-19 Sun Belt Women's Basketball Weekly News and Notes:
January 2 Release (PDF) | Standings | Composite Schedule | Stats | Championship Information | Media Guide | Record Book
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Thursday Night Capsules
Troy at Coastal Carolina (Thursday, 5 p.m.): The top two offenses in the Sun Belt Conference meet to open league play when Troy and Coastal Carolina square off in Conway, S.C., on Thursday. The Trojans pace the conference averaging 82.3 points per game, while the Chanticleers follow closely putting up 81.7 points per contest. CCU took both meetings last season and own the series with a 2-1 advantage.
Troy (9-2) is off to its best start as a Division I program and is coming off an 89-63 win at Jacksonville State on Saturday. The Chanticleers (8-3) wrapped up a successful non-conference campaign with a 78-71 overtime win at UNCG on Saturday. CCU snapped a two-game skid with the win, but have won six of its last eight games.
UTA at Georgia State (Thursday, 5 p.m., ESPN+): UTA enters Thursday's conference opener having won seven of its final eight contests to conclude non-conference play. The Mavs were victorious over SMU on Saturday, 66-41. UTA ranks second in scoring defense, allowing 60 points per game to the opponents. Georgia State heads into the matchup with a 6-5 overall record, its best non-conference showing since the 2012-13 season.
UTA leads the all-time series over the Panthers, 7-2, and have won three of the last four matchups, including both last season. Fans can view the matchup on ESPN+.
South Alabama at Appalachian State (Thursday, 5:30 p.m.): South Alabama is the league's lone unbeaten having gone 11-0 during non-conference play earning wins over teams from nine different conferences. The 11-0 start is USA's best start since the 1984-85 season. USA is ranked No. 23 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. Appalachian State finished the non-conference slate with a 6-5 mark, the program's best record in non-conference play under head coach Angel Elderkin.
South Alabama owns a 5-4 record all-time vs Appalachian State. Since 2015, when the Mountaineers joined the Sun Belt, South leads the series 4-3; taking four in a row from Jan. 30, 2016 to Jan. 20 2018. App State broke the four-game streak on Feb. 15 last season, beating the Jaguars 57-56 in overtime at home. The two matchups last season were decided by a total of 3 points.
ULM at Little Rock (Thursday, 6:30 p.m.): The Little Rock Trojans are back in the Jack Stephens Center to open Sun Belt play after playing its last three contests, spanning almost a month, on the road. Little Rock last opened the season against ULM in 2006-2007, taking a double over-time thriller 66-58 in the Warhawks' first season in the Sun Belt. Little Rock leads the all-time series 26-3 against ULM, currently winning 13 in a row, and is 13-1 when playing in Little Rock.
Texas State at Georgia Southern (Thursday, 6:30 p.m.): Georgia Southern hosts Texas State in its Sun Belt opener on Thursday. The Eagles have not won a Sun Belt Conference league opener since joining the conference in 2014-15 (0-4) and this will be the second time that Georgia Southern has played Texas State in a league opener. The matchup features two of the top three scorers in the league - GS junior Alexis Brown currently ranks second in scoring (17.7 ppg) while Texas State senior Toshua Leavitt ranks third (17.3 ppg).
The Bobcats snapped a season-worst three-game losing slide in a historic victory over Texas A&M International, winning by a score of 89-25. The 25 points scored by the Dustdevils marked the lowest single-game scoring output by a TXST opponent since Our Lady of the Lake managed 25 points in a Bobcat victory on Feb. 21, 1973.
Texas State leads the overall series between the two teams, 5-2, and won both matchups last season.
Louisiana at Arkansas State (Thursday, 7:00 p.m.): Despite being conference mates since 1982-83, this is just the second time that A-State and Louisiana will have played each other in a conference opener. It is also the third consecutive season the Red Wolves are opening up conference play at home and the fifth consecutive season Louisiana will open up league play in Arkansas. This will be the 69th meeting all-time between Louisiana and Arkansas State, with the Red Wolves being the second-most common opponent in Louisiana's history.
Arkansas State owns a 50-18 advantage over Louisiana, but the Ragin' Cajuns have won the previous four games. Two of those wins came in Jonesboro, with the Ragin' Cajuns taking those two games by a combined score of 157-147.
Texas State’s Leavitt Resets Sun Belt Three-Point Record
Senior guard Toshua Leavitt eclipsed the Sun Belt Conference record for career made 3-point field goals in the 92-39 win over St. Thomas (TX) on Dec. 4. After missing her first two attempts, she connected on seven triples in a row to finish a season-best 7-of-9 during the contest. Her second make of the night vaulted her past Leslie Logsdon (Western Kentucky, ‘05) for the conference record. Leavitt now holds a share of the conference record for made 3-point field goals in a single game (10) and holds the league mark for most 3-pointers made in a single season (137) and a career (284-and counting). SHe is one of 10 active players with more than 300 career triples made.
Sun Belt Women’s Basketball Opens Conference Play
The second season begins for Sun Belt women’s basketball with the start of conference play getting underway this week. Five league matchups are set for live coverage on ESPN+.
South Alabama Ranked in Mid-Major Poll
USA is ranked No. 23 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. The Jaguars are the league’s only unbeaten team, checking in at 11-0. South Alabama is 11-0 for the second time in program history, and is off to the best start since the Jags started 12-0 during the 1984-1985 season. South has swept its non-conference schedule for the first time in history, beating teams from nine different conferences. Troy (9-2) and Little Rock (4-7) are receiving votes in the poll.
Leading the Nation
Troy heads into the start of conference play leading the NCAA in rebounds per game (52.2) and offensive rebounds per game (24). The offensive rebounds have led to an average of 19.8 second-chance points this season. The Trojans lead the Sun Belt in both categories.
Heading in the Right Direction
Appalachian State heads into conference play with a winning mark. The Mountaineers’ 6-5 record is their best non-conference showing in the Angel Elderkin era.
Jags Remain Undefeated
The Jaguars (11-0) remain one of the unbeaten teams in the NCAA this season and are the only remaining undefeated team in the Sun Belt. South continues to receive votes in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll.
They're Free!
Kyra Collier has collected a 100 percent clip from the free throw line in four contests (La Tech, K-State, WKU and Missouri State) to help her season percentage sit at 87.1. That marks her third best in the Sun Belt for free throw percentage.
I Can Run It Back, Cause I'm Straight with the Rock
Kyra Collier snagged six steals at Missouri State, tying her career-high, bringing her season total to 26. Her 2.5 steals a game rank her 55th in the country and third best in the Sun Belt.
Rare Occurence for Red Wolves/Cajuns
Despite being conference mates since 1982-83, this is just the second time that A-State and Louisiana have played each other in a conference opener.
Louisian Freshmen Standing Out
Louisiana's four freshmen have played key parts on the court over the Ragin' Cajuns' 11 games played so far. Louisiana's freshmen have averaged 27.6 points per game total, which is just under half of the 61.4 points per game that Louisiana is averaging as a team and the four freshmen are shooting .358 percent playing a key part the team shooting percentage of .379.
Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week - Dec. 18
Alexis Brown (Georgia Southern, Junior, Guard, Madison, Ga.)
The Sun Belt Conference's leading scorer led Georgia Southern to a pair of wins this week, averaging 21.0 points per game and shooting 58.1 percent from the floor ... Delivered 22 points in the Eagles' 69-68 last-second road win at Presbyterian on Wednesday. Brown hit 9-of-15 shots from the floor, including a pair of threes, while also grabbing five rebounds ... Followed that up with 20 points, five rebounds and three steals in a 68-46 win over Coastal Georgia on Friday ... Brown has scored in double digits in her last 11 games, dating back to last season, and has scored 20+ in three of her last four contests.
2018-19 Weekly Award Winners
November 13: Ty'Reona Doucet, Louisiana
November 20: Peyton Martin, Arkansas State
November 27: DJ Williams, Coastal Carolina
December 4: Antoinette Lewis, South Alabama
December 11: Antoinette Lewis, South Alabama
December 18: Alexis Brown, Georgia Southern
Upcoming Schedule
January 3 (Thursday)
Troy at Coastal Carolina * Conway, S.C. - 5:00 PM
UTA at Georgia State (ESPN+) * Atlanta, Ga. - 5:00 PM
South Alabama at Appalachian State * Boone, N.C. - 5:30 PM
ULM at Little Rock * Little Rock, Ark. - 6:30 PM
Texas State at Georgia Southern * Statesboro, Ga. - 6:30 PM
Louisiana at Arkansas State * Jonesboro, Ark. - 7:00 PM
January 5 (Saturday)
Troy at Appalachian State * Boone, N.C. - 1:00 PM
South Alabama at Coastal Carolina * Conway, S.C. - 1:00 PM
Texas State at Georgia State (ESPN+) * Atlanta, Ga. - 1:00 PM
UTA at Georgia Southern (ESPN+) * Statesboro, Ga. - 2:00 PM
Louisiana at Little Rock * Little Rock, Ark. - 3:00 PM
ULM at Arkansas State * Jonesboro, Ark. - 4:00 PM
* - Denotes Sun Belt Conference game
All Times are Central and Subject to Change