Saturday, January 9
Troy Women Cruise to Third Straight Win
STATESBORO, Georgia – The Troy women's basketball team was hot from long range early and never looked back, cruising to an 81-66 win over Georgia Southern at Hanner Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon.
Troy (8-5, 3-1) won its third straight game and completed a perfect two-game road trip with its seventh straight win over Georgia Southern. Ashley Beverly Kelley scored 23 points, with 11 in the first quarter, to lead Troy. The senior went 8-of-16 from the floor and also added a team-high five assists, all without playing in the fourth quarter.
Kristen Emerson scored a career-high 10 points and posted her first career double-double with 12 rebounds. She led Troy to a dominant effort on the boards, 48-37, with the +11 margin being Troy's best of the season.
Caitlyn Ramirez also finished in double figures with 11 points and, along with Beverly Kelley, did not play in the fourth quarter as the Trojans led by as many 22 points in the second half.
Beverly Kelley hit three of Troy's five 3-pointers in the first quarter and the Trojans shot 8-of-16 overall to take a 27-18 lead after the first period. The Trojans then forced seven turnovers in the second quarter and led at halftime, 48-21.
Troy's lead grew to 20 points in just over a minute in the second half, and Georgia Southern (4-9, 1-3) only got within 13 points in the fourth quarter.
On the night, Troy shot 44 percent (30-of-69) overall, 29 percent (10-of-34) overall and 11-of-18 from the line. Georgia Southern hit 38 percent (24-of-64) overall, 30 percent (8-of-27) and 10-of-13 from the line.
The Trojans forced Georgia Southern into 21 turnovers and had 16 miscues themselves, but had just four in the first half as they built the lead.
Georgia Southern got 23 points from Angel McGowan, including 11 in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach. Troy did an outstanding job against the Eagles' point guard, Alexis Sams, who did not score or have an assist with seven turnovers.
The Trojans now return home to host UT Arlington on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. at Trojan Arena. The Mavericks did not play on Saturday after winning on the road at Appalachian State on Thursday.
A-State Tops Cajuns to Take SBC Lead
JONESBORO, Ark. (1/9/15) – Led by three players in double-figures the Arkansas State women’s basketball team remained unbeaten in Sun Belt Conference play with an 83-56 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
Khadija Brown-Haywood turned in her third straight double-double with 22 points and career-high 18 rebounds, while Amanda Lawson added a career best 22 points and nine rebounds for the Red Wolves. Reigning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Aundrea Gamble finished with 12 points and dished out five assists as A-State ran its home winning streak to 16 games.
“That’s a pretty good performance by this group,” A-State head coach Brian Boyer said. “Not only to perform like that against a really good team in Louisiana-Lafayette, but the way were able to do it was impressive. I was a little worried about playing them defensively with the way we look to defend, but my team took it as a challenge and did a really great job tonight on both ends of the floor.”
The Red Wolves (10-3, 4-0) opened with a surge and used a 7-0 run to build a 9-2 lead early in the game. The squad knocked down 6-of-7 shots to start the game and held a 13-7 lead at the first media timeout.
Brittany Fowler helped extend the lead to 21-9 with a pair of 3-pointers near the end of the period and Brown-Haywood rattled in a mid-range jump shot as time expired to put her team ahead 27-15. The Red Wolves shot 80 percent from the field in the first quarter, and Brown-Haywood finished with eight points and six rebounds in the frame.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (10-3, 3-1) clawed their way back into the game in the second quarter with a high pressure defense and forced three consecutive turnovers and cut the lead down to 27-20 after a steal that led to a Kia Wilridge layup.
The teams continued to trade baskets for much of the period, but Lawson scored on back-to-back layups to put the Red Wolves up 39-28 with 1:48 to go and the half and the lead did not dip into single digits for the remainder of the game.
Brown-Haywood and Lawson played a pivotal role in Arkansas State’s success in the first half with Lawson leading all scorers with 14 points and Brown-Haywood adding 10 points and nine rebounds. Both players benefited from the up-tempo pace that sparked by Gamble from the point guard position.
“I give credit to one of my assistants Deidra Johnson because the pace of our offense had slowed down somewhat and she challenged Gamble in practice this week and right from the start she was really pushing the ball down the court,” Boyer said. “I thought that really got our team going and helped set the tone for things for the rest of the game.”
A-State used an 8-0 run in the third quarter to push its lead to 19 points after Lawson converted on an and-1 situation with 6:25 remaining in the quarter. The lead grew to 27 points in the fourth quarter after a pair of 3-pointers by Brown-Haywood put her over the 20-point plateau for the third time this season.
The Red Wolves shot a season-high 55.8 percent (29-of-52) from the field and held a 39-31 edge on the boards. The A-State bench also provided a spark with 17 points, including nine from Fowler who hit three, 3-pointers. Arkansas State also finished 18-of-19 from the free throw line and never trailed during the contest.
A-State returns to the hardwood Saturday, Jan. 16 against Appalachian State at 3 p.m.
Jaguars Upend Georgia State, 60-52
ATLANTA, Ga. – The University of South Alabama women's basketball team received a pair of career-high efforts Saturday afternoon as Chyna Ellis and Juliann Miller combined for 35 points to lead the Jaguars to a 60-52 Sun Belt Conference road victory over Georgia State at the GSU Sports Arena.
"We stuck together today and kept fighting, so it was really good to get a road win, especially after the Georgia Southern game (on Thursday)," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said. "This was one of those games that was either going to make us or break us. We were great in practice yesterday and I thought our players were really locked into the scout and did an outstanding job.
"I thought the way Chyna (Ellis) played in the first half really gave her a lot of confidence and that paid big dividends for us. Juliann Miller has been a steady player for us, but we have told her recently that she needs to take more opportunities and tonight she was able to knock down her pull up jumper and finish at the rim. She did an outstanding job."
Ellis was 7-of-14 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 at the foul line in the win. The 6-2 sophomore also pulled down 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season, while also posting five of South Alabama's 10 blocks.
The 10-block performance marked the third time this season that USA has reached that mark in a game (vs. Florida on Dec. 1 and vs. Arkansas State on Jan. 2). Over its last three games, South Alabama has recorded 28 blocks and now has 83 on the year.
The double-double was Ellis' first since recording 14 points and 12 rebounds against Spring Hill on Nov. 17. Ellis has now had 15 blocks in her last three games and with the five blocks against Georgia State, the Cordova, Tenn., native moved into sixth on USA's career blocks list, passing former Jag Dina Jones (1992-95). Ellis how has 91 for her career.
Miller connected on six of her nine shot attempts and four of her six free-throw opportunities. She also grabbed six rebounds in her 32 minutes of action.
Genesis Perrymond finished with eight points, all coming during the final 10 minutes of the contest. She was a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line in the win. As a team, USA was 18-for-22 at the charity stripe for 81.8 percent. The outstanding free throw shooting helped off-set a 2-for-18 performance from the three-point line by the Jags.
The Jaguars (5-8, 1-3 SBC) will now return home to host Texas State in the program's annual "Pack the House" game. Tip-off is set for 11 a.m. at the Mitchell Center. Live stats and web streaming for the contest can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com. Fans can also keep up with in-match updates by following action on the program's twitter account @SouthALWBB.
Along with the solid free throw shooting, one other key stat came in the second half as the Jaguars turned the ball over just six times during the final 20 minutes of play after recording 11 miscues during the first half.
The win snapped a three-game skid both on the season and in the series for South Alabama. It was also USA' first win in the series in Atlanta as it has been winless in its three meetings versus the Panthers on their home floor.
Georgia State dropped to 6-7 overall and 1-3 in the Sun Belt with the loss. GSU entered the game as the second-leading scoring team in the Sun Belt, averaging 72.2 points per game, but the Jag defense held the Panthers 20 points below that average. The 52 points were also a season-low for the Panthers, eclipsing their previous mark of 56 points scored at Alabama.
Makeba Ponder led Georgia State with 18 points, while pulling down six rebounds and four steals. Ponder was held to just five points in the second half and just one of eight shooting from the field. Alaysia Mitchell nearly recorded a double-double, finishing the game with 11 points and nine rebounds.
The South Alabama defense also held Madison Newby to just one point. The freshman point guard had averaged 15.1 ppg in her first three league outings.
Like Thursday night, South Alabama got off to a good start during the first quarter, scoring 19 points. Ellis led the Jaguar offense early on, scoring South Alabama's first eight points that included a pair of and-one opportunities.
After a three-pointer and jumper by Miller with just over five minutes remaining in the opening period of play, USA would not record another field goal. The Jaguars would though capitalize at the free throw line though and hit six straight at the charity stripe, eventually building as much as a five-point advantage (17-12) after a pair of free throws from Miller with three minutes, 37 seconds remaining in the period.
The Jaguars were a perfect 8-for-8 at the foul line during the first 10 minutes of action.
Ellis scored another bucket on USA's second possession of the second quarter to increase the Jag lead to 21-17, but that would be South Alabama's last points for the next three-and-a-half minutes. USA would miss its next six shot attempts.
The Panthers would take advantage of the offensive slump and rattle off six unanswered points and retook the lead (23-21) following a 12-foot baseline jumper by Astaja Tyghter with just over six minutes showing on the clock.
Ellis would end the scoring drought for the Jaguars with another basket – her 12th point of the afternoon – and on USA's next possession Miller would connect as well to put the Jaguars back out in front 25-24.
The lead would be brief for South Alabama though as Ponder – who had 13 points in the first half, including seven in the second quarter – drained her second trey of the afternoon to give GSU a two-point lead at 27-25.
Ponder continued to spark the Panther offense as she hit a pair of free throws to break a 27-all tie. After a Jaguar turnover at the other end of the floor, Mitchell got out in transition for an easy bucket to put the Panthers up 31-27.
With just over two minutes remaining before the intermission, Marquita Daniels connected from the left corner to trim the deficit to one (31-30). A minute later though, the Panthers would again get out in transition following a missed shot by South Alabama. Mitchell was the beneficiary for Georgia State at the other end of the floor with another easy bucket. Mitchell's basket would be the last scoring for either team in the quarter as the Panthers headed into the locker room with the 33-30 lead
Ellis was a perfect 5-for-5 for South Alabama from the field during the first 20 minutes of action, but the rest of the club managed to shoot just 5-of-28.
Coming out of the intermission, South Alabama got a defensive stop to start the third and then scored on a Taylor Jenkins turnaround jumper in the lane on its first possession. USA though would miss its next five shots and see Georgia State increase its lead to 37-32 four minutes into the quarter.
Miller provided a spark for the Jag offense though as she knocked down back-to-back pull up jumpers to cut the deficit to one. With just over three minutes to go in the third, Perrymond found Ellis open in the lane of a turnaround jumper to give USA its first lead of the half. A minute later, Daniels gave the Jags a three-point advantage as the sophomore pulled down a defensive rebound and then went coast-to-coast for a layup, putting USA up 40-37 and capping off an 8-0 run.
At the other end of the floor, Mitchell would score GSU's next five points to put the Panthers back out in front. Mitchell's and-one play with 58.9 remaining in the quarter, giving the Panthers a 42-40 lead.
With under 30 seconds to play in the period, Erin Autio looked as if she were going to send the two teams into the fourth period tied as she intercepted a Georgia State pass and went the length of the floor for a layup. GSU's Haley Gerrin would draw the foul with 6.2 showing on the clock. She hit one of her two attempts to give Georgia State a 43-42 lead.
South Alabama kept things going at the start of the final quarter and quickly reclaimed the lead. Perrymond, who had been held scoreless for the first three quarters of play, knocked down a jumper just inside the arc on USA's first possession. A little over a minute later, Colby Davis drove the baseline and scored an off-balanced lay up in the lane to increase the Jag lead to 46-43.
Ponder trimmed the Jaguar advantage to one (48-47) with a jumper at the 6:16 mark, but that would prove to be the last made field goal for the Panthers. GSU would miss its final six shot attempts. The conference's top team on the offensive glass would also get just two offensive rebounds for the remainder of the game and no second-chance opportunities during the final 3:22 of the contest.
South Alabama pushed its lead back out to six over the next four minutes, taking a 53-47 lead with two minutes, 33 seconds showing on the clock. Jenkins found Ellis open down low for another easy bucket to give the Jaguars the six-point advantage.
The Jaguars sealed the game during the final 1:10 of the game, knocking down seven of their eight free-throw attempts. Perrymond, who prepped at nearby Parkview High School in Lilburn, Ga., located 30 minutes from Atlanta, went a perfect 6-for-6 at the stripe in the final 34 seconds to clinch the eight-point victory.
"We were able to get the ball into the right players' hands at the end of the game," Fowler said. "Chyna Ellis got (the free throw shooting) started early for us, getting to the line and hitting four early. The last three or four days we have really put a lot of work into our free throw shooting."
Dawn's 23 Points Lead Little Rock Over ULM
LITTLE ROCK – Alexius Dawn scored more than 20 points for the second straight game and the Little Rock defense forced 26 ULM turnovers in a 56-44 victory at the Jack Stephens Center on Saturday night.
The Trojans (4-9, 2-2 Sun Belt Conference) led for all but the first three minutes of the game and used a 13-0 run in the first quarter to take the lead for good. ULM (6-7, 0-4) shot just 30 percent from the field in the first half as the Trojans built their lead.
Dawn had four 3-pointers in the game – a season high – and was 5 of 7 from the free-throw line. She set her career high with 25 total points just two days earlier against Louisiana. Her 48 points is the most for any Trojan this year in a two-game stretch.
Dawn's final 3-pointer of the game was also the 100th of her career, moving her to a tie for seventh in team history in that category. She also scored her 500th career point on the night.
Besides Dawn's game-high 23 points, Sharde' Collins reached 14 and Kaitlyn Pratt scored 10 for Little Rock. Shanity James had 7 points to move up to ninth all-time in the school's career scoring list with 1,057 points.
Pratt and James each had five rebounds to top Trojan players, and Dawn had three of the team's seven steals. James tied a career high with six assists.
ULM did not help itself by committing 26 turnovers during the game. Little Rock capitalized with 23 points off those turnovers.
Saturday marked the Trojans' eighth straight win against the Warhawks and their eighth straight win against ULM at the Jack Stephens Center. The victory is the 704th of Joe Foley's career.
The Trojan offense belong to Dawn and James entirely in the first quarter, and the defense was impressive as well. ULM scored the game's first 4 points, but Little Rock then held the Warhawks scoreless for the next six minutes as it went on a 13-0 run. The Trojans led 15-6 at the end of the first quarter with Dawn scoring 10 points and James adding five. ULM committed eight turnovers in the first quarter that resulted in 9 Trojan points.
The turnovers kept coming for the Warhawks in the second, as the Trojans scored the quarter's first 4 points off ULM miscues to take a 19-6 lead. Little Rock extended its lead over ULM to as many as 19 points late in the quarter, and the Warhawks' turnover total reached 17 at the break with Little Rock leading 33-19.
The third quarter's beginning belonged to the visitors, as ULM scored the first 6 points of the quarter. Going back to the second quarter, the Warhawks were on a 10-0 run as they cut the Trojans' lead to 33-25. The Trojans extended that lead back into double digits quickly, though, and were ahead 45-33 by the time quarter ended.
ULM got as close as 8 points in the final quarter, but two Pratt free throws and a Pratt layup with 1:27 brought Little Rock's lead back up to 12 points and sealed the game.
Freshman Deja McKinney saw the most minutes of her young Trojan career, playing 18. She picked up two steals to go along with a rebound and an assist.
Little Rock will conclude its three-game homestand on Thursday, taking on Appalachian State at the Jack Stephens Center. The Trojans and Mountaineers will tip off at 5:15 p.m.
Mountaineers Bounce Back with Win over Texas State
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University women’s basketball (5-8, 2-2 SBC) couldn’t have bounced back in a bigger way on Saturday against Texas State (7-6, 2-1 SBC) at the Holmes Center.
Madi Story’s career-high 31 points and four other players scoring in double figures led the Mountaineers to an impressive 90-71 win over the Bobcats, handing the visitors their first Sun Belt loss of the season.
The sophmore guard was aggressive from the start shooting an impressive 11-for-15 (73.3 percent) from the floor and 8-of-13 from the line. Story set the tone early and got better as the game went on pouring in 20 points in the second half.
Cooper also had herself an impressive game with her second double-double of the season turning in an efficient 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting and 10 off the glass. Joi Jones stuffed the box score with 12 points, nine boards, and a game-high five assists. The junior guard was just one rebound shy of a career high and her first double-double. Kaila Craven bounced back today with 12 points off the bench, and Bria Carter rounded out the leading scorers with 10 points.
Defensively, the Apps played sound defense limiting one of the leagues top 3-point shooting teams to just 20 percent (3-for-15) from beyond the arc while forcing 18 turnovers. App State also dominated the paint outscoring Texas State, 50-24, and recording 19 second-chance points on 15 offensive rebounds.
The Bobcats took their only lead of the game with a 3-pointer to start the contest. App State took control as a 10-2 run ensued over a 2:08 span while four different players scored during the spark. App State stayed on top of TXST taking a seven-point lead, 22-15, to end the period after a layup from Craven.
Texas State would win the second quarter, 17-15, slicing the lead down to one possession, 30-28. But the Apps scored five of the next seven points to end the half with a seven of the next 11 points go into the locker room with a 37-32 advantage. Jone and Cooper led the charge scoring all seven points, while Cooper hit a jumper before the half ended.
The Mountaineers offense started to roll in the second half where at one point they went 15-for-20 after starting the third quarter hitting six-straight buckets. After cutting the Bobcats cut the lead to five, 45-40, Story scored six of her 11 third-quarter points to stretch the advantage to nine, 51-42, and eventually ended the quarter with a 63-56 advantage.
From the fourth quarter on, the Apps absolutely dominated\ outscoring their counteparts, 27-15. App State continued to work on both ends of the court ballooning the lead to as much as the final score. App State separated itselves with an 11-4 run to go up by 15,79-64, earlier in the quarter. Once again Story showcased her skills having a hand in nine of the points while Jones capped off the run with a layup. App State held Texas State to 2-for-12 over the final minutes of the contest en route to the Mountaineers’ largest victory of the season.
As much as the offense played a factor in the victory, the defense was just as impressive, as Texas State shot 10-for-30 (30 percent) over the final 17:24 of the game after starting 16-for-37 (43.2 percent)
App State will head back on the road next week for a stern test against the 2014-15 defending Sun Belt Champions, Little Rock, before squaring off against the preseason favorites, Arkansas State.