Saturday, January 30
Daniels, Davis Lead Jaguar Women Past Mountaineers
MOBILE, Ala. – Marquita Daniels and Colby Davis combined to record 43 points for the University of South Alabama women's basketball team as the Jaguars captured their fifth Sun Belt win of the season with a 71-55 victory over Appalachian State at the Mitchell Center. The win was South Alabama's third straight and fourth in its last five games.
"They are just growing up," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said of his team following the win. "I see them every day come to practice and do their job, and we're having fun as well. We've asked over the last few ballgames 'When is the last bad practice that we've had?' and nobody can point to one. It started with our preparation and is carrying over in the game plan on game day. When we start getting away from that we just say 'game plan discipline' and everybody knows what we need to do."
Daniels posted a season-high 22 points in the victory on 7-of-15 shooting. She was also 7-for-8 at the foul line, and recorded six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Davis notched a career-high 21 points and was 7-for-11 from the field. The junior guard also knocked down a career-best four three-pointers and was perfect from long range. Like Daniels, Davis also contributed in other areas as she had six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The 20-point outings by Daniels and Davis marked the first time since last season's game at Georgia Southern (2/12/15) that USA has had two players record 20-plus points in the same game – Daniels (31) and Breanna Hall (20).
Davis came alive in the second half as she scored 15 of her 21 points during the final 20 minutes of play. She was 5-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 as the foul line during that stretch. Davis (10) and Daniels (7) combined for 17 of USA's 21 points in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
The Jaguars (9-10, 5-5 SBC) will now head back out on the road for a pair of games, opening up at Sun Belt-leading Arkansas State on Thursday. Tip-off versus the Red Wolves is set for 5:05 p.m. at the Convocation Center. Live stats and web streaming for the contest versus the Mountaineers can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com. Fans can also keep up with in-game updates by following action on the program's twitter account @SouthALWBB.
Sophomore center Chyna Ellis had a solid game in the post for the Jags as she had eight points, eight rebounds and four blocks. With her four blocks, Ellis increased her season total to 56, tying the mark she set last season as a freshman, which ranks fifth-most in a single season in program history. Ellis passed former Jags Genevieve Delk (52 – seventh) and Orphie Moore (53 – sixth) during the game.
The Cordova, Tenn., native is averaging 2.95 blocks per game in her 19 outings and in Sun Belt play, she has been even better as she has 38 blocks in USA's 10 league games for a 3.80 bpg average. Ellis now has 112 blocks for her career, which is fifth on South Alabama's career list.
For the third-consecutive game, South Alabama shot over 40 percent from the field. The Jaguars were 25-for-57 for 43.9 percent. After shooting 90 percent in the second half on Tuesday night at Troy, USA again was outstanding offensively during the final 20 minutes of action, hitting 13 of its 23 shot attempts for 56.5 percent.
Appalachian State fell to 6-13 overall and 3-7 in Sun Belt play with the loss. Joi Jones and Madi Story paced the club offensively with 12 points apiece. Jones – who had all 12 of her points in the second half – also added a team-high eight rebounds. Kaila Craven just missed double figures, ending the night with nine points off the bench.
The Mountaineers shot 34.3 percent in the contest, but in the second half, they were held to just 12-of-40 shooting from the field – 30 percent – and just 2-for-11 from beyond the three-point line.
"We got off to a slow start — they opened up on a 7-0 run — and then we responded to that and were able to play the style of ball we wanted to," Fowler said. "They are a team that really likes to score the basketball; they had 96 points on Thursday, and we held them 41 points below that. Our kids are really taking pride on the defensive end of the floor, and offensively we are starting to understand what we want to do on that end and we're now making shots. And we're playing total team basketball and sharing the ball as well."
Another key stat in the game for the Jaguars was on the glass where USA held a 43-35 advantage. App State entered the game averaging a SBC-best 42.0 rebounds per game. The Mountaineers also pulled down 13 offensive rebounds against the Jaguars, but managed just three second-chance points.
App State got off to a quick start scoring the first seven points of the contest, but after missing its first five shot attempts from the field, USA knocked down three-straight to tie the contest up at 7-7 on a three-pointer by Davis. Davis' trey came at the 5:47 mark from the left wing.
With less than three to go in the opening quarter, Jennifer Towne gave South Alabama its first lead of the afternoon when the senior drained a trey from the right corner. Towne's three-pointers sparked the Jags as they erupted for a 10-0 run to close the period.
After Towne went one of two at the line, Daniels rattled off four-straight points. The sophomore knocked down a step-back jumper and then at the other end of the floor, she intercepted a pass and raced down the floor for a layup. On the Jaguars' next possession, Daniels did it with her passing as she found Erin Autio open for a easy bucket after she had slipped the screen. Autio's bucket put South Alabama up 19-11.
Craven knocked down a jumper at the 9:20 mark of the second quarter, which was the Mountaineers' first points in four minutes.
South Alabama kept the momentum thought and grabbed its largest lead of the first half a minute-and-a-half later. Davis knocked down her second three-pointer of the game, this one form the right wing, then after coming up with a steal at the other end of the floor, Genesis Perrymond delivered a beautiful pass in transition to Juliann Miller. Miller's layup with less than eight minutes showing on the clock extended the Jags' advantage out to 12 (25-13). It was the first action for Perrymond, as the redshirt freshman had missed USA's last three games due to injury.
Over the next seven-plus minutes though, South Alabama would struggle offensively as it would hit just one field goal and score four points. Appalachian State took advantage of the offensive woes and fought its way back, cutting the deficit to 29-24 after a trey from the left corner by Story with a minute, 32 seconds remaining before the half.
Daniels though would end the 11-4 Mountaineer run and give USA a 31-24 lead with under a minute to go as she recorded her second steal of the afternoon and went coast-to-coast for a layup. Daniels led all scorers with 12 first-half points as he was 5-of-11 from the field.
Taylor Jenkins scored USA's first five points to start the second half and stretch the Jaguar lead back out to double digits (36-24). Ellis delivered a nice interior pass to Jenkins for a layup on South Alabama's first possession. The senior forward then drained a three from the top of the key on the Jags' next possession to give USA the 12-point advantage.
App State closed the gap below single digits (36-27) a minute later after one of two free throws by Bria Carter, but Daniels and Davis would each knock down a trey to give the Jags some breathing room. Davis added another bucket with just over five minutes to go in the third that extended South Alabama's lead back out to 15 (44-29).
With USA leading 50-39 with 30 seconds remaining, the Jags looked as if they were going to take a double-figure lead into the final quarter, but Jones's runner just as the buzzer was about to sound again narrowed the South Alabama lead to nine.
The two clubs would go scoreless for nearly the first four minutes of the final quarter. Jasmine Ogunjimi ended the drought for the Mountaineers and cut the Jag lead to seven (50-43) with a bucket at the 6:16 mark. ASU wouldn't hold the momentum long though as Davis again had the answer for the Jags. Davis sank a pair of free throws with just over six to go and less than a minute later, connected on her fourth trey of the game, this one coming from the left wing and stretching USA's lead back out to 55-43.
Jones would score six-straight points for App State in less than a minute as the junior trimmed the deficit to 55-49, forcing USA to call a 30-second time out with under five minutes showing on the clock.
South Alabama did not panic though and with three minutes, 48 seconds remaining in regulation, Ellis found Davis open underneath for a layup. On USA's next trip down the floor, it was Miller coming up with the big bucket as the senior knocked down an eight-foot jumper.
Craven would answer with a three-pointer at the other end of the floor, but over a two-minute stretch, South Alabama would put the game away with a 12-0 run. Daniels began the scoring with a layup at the 2:13 mark and then went on to record seven of the Jags' 12 points during the pivotal run. The run was capped off by an and-one play by Davis with 31.1 remaining and then a pair of free throws by Daniels with 18.9 showing.
App State would get an and-one play of its own in the closing seconds, but the Jaguar lead would be too great as South Alabama ran off the clock and picked up the 16-point win.
USA, which has struggled a bit at the foul line during the first 38 minutes of the game was clutch at the stripe in the final two minutes, connecting on six of its seven opportunities – Daniels hitting five of those six attempts.
Washington, Veal Combine for 40 in 63-52 Win over UTA
LAFAYETTE – Senior Keke Veal and junior Taylor Washington teamed up to score 40 of their team's 63 points as the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team defeated UT Arlington, 63-52 at the Cajundome Saturday afternoon.
Veal came back from a two-point performance against Texas State last Thursday to register a team-high 21 points, while Washington splashed five three-pointers to finish with a career-high 19 points.
"Taylor coming off the bench and giving us what she did [with the 19 points] was big," Ragin' Cajuns head coach Garry Brodhead said. "We talk all the time about preparing for your opportunities and that's what she did.
Keke practices great, she brings a lot of energy," Brodhead added. "We are a little bit on the smaller side so we have to out-work teams, out-defend teams and continue to believe in one another. We have to keep that mindset to keep improving and working hard."
Three Cajuns seniors, Veal, Kia Wilridge and Brooklyn Arceneaux, each hit buckets in the first 5:22 as the two foes played to a 6-6 draw.
After falling behind, 9-6 after UT Arlington's LaShanda Green splashed a three-pointer, sophomore Simone Fields (layup) and Washington (three-pointer) pushed the Cajuns in front, 11-9.
With the contest tied at 11-11, Louisiana hit three straight free throws in the final minute to take a 14-11 lead going into the second quarter.
The Cajuns' advantage grew to double-digits at 23-13 at the 6:26 mark, spurred by five points from Washington.
A 10-0 scoring run by the Mavericks over the next 3:19 knotted the score at 23-23. The two teams traded points for the next four possessions until UT Arlington went ahead, 29-27 with 59 seconds left after a pair of free throws from Breck Clark.
Four seconds before the first half buzzer, Veal tied the game on a layup at 29-29.
Ten of Washington's 19 points came in the first two quarters of play, which led all scorers in the game.
In the third quarter with the game tied at 31-31, the Mavericks' Amara Wainwright gave UT Arlington the lead on a three-pointer at the 5:15 mark.
The UT Arlington lead grew to five at 38-33, but a pair of three-pointers from Washington helped the Cajuns pull to within 40-39 with 1:58 to go in the stanza.
After a free throw by Wilridge tied the game at 40-40 with 1:19 to go, UT Arlington's Morgan Hunt splashed a jumper with 49 seconds on the clock, giving the Mavericks a two-point advantage going into the game's final quarter.
The Mavericks' lead extended to 44-40 just 1:08 into the fourth, but the Cajuns came charging back with a jumper from Wilridge and another triple by Washington, pushing the Cajuns in front, 45-44 with 7:49 to play.
The Cajuns and Mavericks traded points for the next four possessions. On the fourth possession, Veal hit a jumper, drew a foul and made the free throw to finish the three-point play.
Leading 50-48, the Cajuns capitalized on a second chance opportunity on a rebound by Fields. Veal hit a three-pointer and was fouled, while a technical foul was issued to the UT Arlington bench. Veal made two free throws to extend UL's lead to 55-48 with 2:04 to go in the game.
UL maintained a three-possession lead the rest of the way and claimed their eighth conference win of the season.
The Cajuns improved to 8-1 at home this season and won their fifth game in the last six tries.
Veal added team-highs in steals (5) and assists (4) to go with her 21 points. Wilridge chipped in nine points, six rebounds (team-high) four steals and three assists.
The Cajuns will wrap up their five-game homestand this Tuesday, Feb. 2 for a 5 p.m. tip-off with ULM at the Cajundome.
Hunter, ULM Outlast Texas State
MONROE, La. – Alayshia Hunter had game-highs of 23 points and 11 rebounds as the ULM women’s basketball team edged Texas State 63-59 on Saturday in Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
“One of the things we had struggled with is letting teams get double-digit leads,” head coach Jeff Dow said. “To our credit, more often than not, we have had great comebacks. It’s tough to keep doing that. Defensively we talked about buckling down in the fourth quarter. We held them to 21 percent from the field and one made three-pointer.”
ULM, which led 19-9 at the first intermission, took its first lead of the fourth quarter, 59-57, on two Hunter free-throws with 1:26 left. The Bobcats’ next possession saw the rebound go out-of-bounds to ULM, and Hunter added a layup that extended the Warhawk lead to 61-57 with 49 seconds to play. Aundrea Davis added two free-throws in the final second that sealed the game.
“We just had the will to win,” Davis said. “Nobody on the team is okay with losing. We wanted to come out and show that we could be that team that could take the lead early.”
Davis’ second three-pointer of the day went high off the rim before falling back in. The senior took a hard foul on the next possession and made a free-throw to give ULM a 41-33 lead at the third-quarter media timeout.
Texas State (10-9, 5-4 SBC) responded with an 11-2 run to take their first lead of the game at the 2:08 mark of that period. Ayriel Anderson also connected from deep to begin the fourth quarter, and the Bobcats took their largest lead of the day, 50-46.
ULM tied it back up at 53 when Ashley Aune connected from behind the arc, her first make of the day, with 5:19 showing on the clock. Chelsea Tieuel pulled down a defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast for the layup that tied the game at 57 with 2:05 remaining, and the Warhawks would never trail from there.
Hunter, who also finished with nine made free-throws, has focused on how she can impact the team even when she is not shooting.
“I’m working on trying to finish near the basket, even in practice,” Hunter said. “I tell everybody to double up on me so I can learn how to play in that situation, even if it’s kicking it out for open three-pointers.”
Dow was complimentary of Texas State and of the Warhawks’ collective effort.
“They are a very talented team and we had some big-time performances all the way around,” he said. “Aundrea Davis scored 13 points on eight shot attempts and drew a charge. She got four rebounds too.
"Daja Chase and Alayshia Hunter had double-doubles. We ended up with 12 more rebounds, which was big. We made some adjustments in the game and at halftime and our team did a nice job with that as well. I’m really happy with that.”
ULM begins its second Sun Belt lap on Tuesday with a 5 p.m. contest at UL Lafayette.
Trojans Hold Panthers to 32 Points in Dominating Win
LITTLE ROCK – The Little Rock women's basketball team had a banner day on defense, allowing just 9 points to Georgia State in the first half.
That was good enough to tie a program record for fewest points allowed in a half, and that defensive effort led the Trojans to a 59-32 victory over the Panthers at the Jack Stephens Center on Saturday evening.
Georgia State (8-11, 3-7 Sun Belt Conference) made just 3 of its 18 field goal attempts in the first half and committed 14 turnovers in the frame, and Little Rock (8-11, 6-4) held a 27-9 lead at the break. The Trojans cruised from there, never letter their lead dip below 16 for the rest of the night.
Little Rock, now on a three-game winning streak for the first time all season, got a game-high 17 points from Shanity James. James just missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Her frontcourt teammate Kaitlyn Pratt did get that double-double, putting down 10 points and grabbing a team-best 12 rebounds. Sharde' Collins also scored in double figures with 12
During the game, Shanity James also took sole possession of first place all-time at Little Rock in offensive rebounds. The senior now has 287 in her career, surpassing Eplunus Brooks' 283.
Though her scoring touch was missing in the game, Alexius Dawn tied a career high with nine assists to help the Trojans rack up points.
Georgia State, meanwhile, could not get anything going on offense. The Panthers finished the game shooting 26.1 percent from the field (12 of 46) and were 0 of 6 from 3-point range. They also shot just 47.1 percent from the free throw line (8 of 17) on their way to putting up the smallest point total of any Trojan opponent this year.
Saturday marked the fewest points Little Rock had given up in a game since allowing 30 to New Orleans in the Sun Belt Tournament quarterfinal on Feb. 28, 2007. The 9 points Georgia State scored in the first half tied the Little Rock record for fewest points allowed in a half previously also set in that same New Orleans game in 2007.
This victory marked the team's fifth straight win against the Panthers and fourth straight at the Jack Stephens Center.
Collins opened the game by sinking a floater from the free-throw line, and Pratt added 2 more points on free throw on Little Rock's next possession. James hit a layup to make it 6-0, and then neither team scored for three minutes. When the next bucket went in, it was a 3-pointer for Collins that gave Little Rock a 9-0 lead at the first media timeout.
Little Rock would extend that lead to 13-0 before the Panthers finally scored, and 5 points from Collins helped the Trojans to a 13-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Trojans' offense sputtered to start the second quarter, but it closed on a hot streak. Collins nailed a 3-pointer with four seconds left in the period, capping a run where Little Rock made its last four field goals before the break.
The second half saw more of the same, with Georgia State's offense able to put up 23 points but the Trojans bettering that with 32.
Little Rock ended the night with 28 points in the paint and 14 points on second chances. The Trojans scored 18 points off 18 Georgia State turnovers.
Collins finished the game tying a career high with 7 rebounds. Monique Townson had 8 points in the game and led Little Rock with three steals. James had the team's only block of the night.
The Trojans remain at home for their next two games, as they will face their conference rivals from Alabama in the Jack Stephens Center next. First up is a Thursday-night contest against Troy scheduled for 5:15.
A-State Sets Mark for Consecutive Home Wins
JONESBORO, Ark. (1/30/16) – The Arkansas State women’s basketball team handed Georgia Southern a 77-54 setback Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center, giving the Red Wolves a school-record 20 consecutive home wins and their best record through 19 games since 1992-93.
A-State improved to 16-3 overall and remained undefeated in Sun Belt Conference play with a 10-0 record. This year’s team has now matched the 1992-93 squad as the second fastest to reach 16 victories in school history. Georgia Southern dropped to 6-13 overall and 3-7 in league play.
Senior guard Aundrea Gamble scored a game-high 20 points, while senior forward Khadija Brown-Haywood posted 17 points and a team-high 10 rebounds to lead the Red Wolves. Gamble collected her 44th career 20-point game, and Brown-Haywood recorded her eighth double-double this season. Senior guard Jessica Flanery added 10 points for Arkansas State.
A-State tied the Convocation Center record for fewest turnovers in a game with five, and its 23-point victory was sparked by a second period that saw the Red Wolves outscore the Eagles 23-7. The Red Wolves originally set the arena record for fewest turnovers on Jan. 3, 2015, against Appalachian State.
“We only had five turnovers which is a school record, so obviously we will take that,” A-State head coach Brian Boyer said. “You shouldn’t turn it over a lot with a team that zones it like this, but you still can get careless and make mistakes so I thought we were really disciplined there and so that part was good.”
Georgia Southern grabbed its initial lead three minutes into the game and didn’t trail until A-State scored the first period’s final three points to take a 16-13 advantage. The Red Wolves improved their shooting percentage from .353 in the first period to .615 in a dominating second period they began with an 18-2 run.
Arkansas State limited the Eagles to a .200 field goal percentage in the second period and allowed just two points over the first seven minutes. The Red Wolves closed the period with a Brown-Haywood three pointer with eight seconds left to take a 39-20 lead into the break.
“That second quarter defensively was phenomenal,” Boyer said. “It was really fun to watch how aggressive we were.”
The Eagles couldn’t get closer than 17 points the rest of the way, while A-State’s lead reached as much as 27 points two different times in the fourth period.
A-State ended the game with a .456 shooting percentage in comparison to Georgia Southern’s .379. The Eagles outrebounded the Red Wolves 39-36, but were hurt by 17 turnovers A-State turned into 24 points. The Red Wolves had 11 players score and got 20 points from their bench.
Georgia Southern was led by three players scoring in double figures, including Angel McGowan with a team-high 16 points. Sierra Butler led the Eagles on the boards with 10 rebounds.
Arkansas State returns to action Thursday, Feb. 4, with a 3:00 p.m. home game against South Alabama.