Trojans Stay Perfect in SBC With Win at App State
BOONE, N.C. – The Trojan women's basketball team moved to 4-0 in Sun Belt Conference play for just the fourth time in program history with a 77-69 victory over Appalachian State at the Holmes Convocation Center on Saturday afternoon.

Little Rock (10-6, 4-0 Sun Belt) went ahead by 10 points in the first quarter, and Appalachian State (7-8, 2-2) never got closer than 7 points for the rest of the game as Little Rock would eventually push its lead to 20.

Kaitlyn Pratt recorded her fifth double-double of the year with 24 points and 10 rebounds – tying her career scoring high for the second straight game – and Sharde' Collins chipped in 21 points of her own. Saturday marked the first time Little Rock had two 20-point scorers since Jan. 18, 2016 at Arkansas State.

Kyra Collier reached double-figure scoring as well with 14 points, and freshman Emily Lytle set a career scoring high with 9, all on 3-pointers.

The Trojans are now 5-0 all-time against Appalachian State. Little Rock begins Sun Belt play at 4-0 for the first time since 2014-15.

Little Rock doubled up App State in the first quarter, taking a 20-10 lead into the second period as five different Trojans put up points. The Trojans shot 53 percent from the field in the quarter and had 12 points in the paint.

The Trojans maintained the lead at halftime as each team scored 21 points in the second quarter. But the Trojans blew things open to begin the third quarter, scoring the first 8 points of the period to take their largest lead of the contest to that point at 49-31. Little Rock expanded that lead to 20 midway through the quarter, and Appalachian State never seriously threatened again.

Pratt was 8 of 10 from the field in the game and 8 of 10 from the free-throw line. Collier led the Trojans in assists and steals with five and four, respectively, and Monique Townson also had four assists. Seven different Trojans recorded at least one assist.

Little Rock has its longest break of conference play coming up, as the Trojans will not play again until Saturday. But that contest will be a big one with Little Rock hosting the annual rivalry game against Arkansas State. Tipoff against the Red Wolves is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Troy Survives Georgia Southern
STATESBORO, Georgia – Leading by 20 points late in the third quarter, the Troy women's basketball saw its advantage slowly dwindle to just two in the final minute, but pulled out an 89-86 win over Georgia Southern in Hanner Fieldhouse on Saturday.

With the victory, the Trojans are 10-4 for the first time since 1996-97 and 3-0 in conference play for the first time sine 1998-99. Under Chanda Rigby, Troy has won its first three road Sun Belt games twice in the last three years.

The Trojans went up by 20, 70-50, with 3:14 remaining in the third quarter when Georgia Southern (4-10, 0-3 SBC) started its comeback effort. Troy made 10-of-20 3-pointers in the first half but managed to convert just 1-of-12 in the final 20 minutes. The Eagles, however, used three long 3-pointers including one from Alexis Sams to cut the lead to 86-84 with 49 seconds remaining in the contest.

Senior Jayla Chills made a fadeaway jumper and a free throw in the last 21 seconds to put the match just out of reach. Chills finished with 13 points and six rebounds, her eighth double-digit scoring performance of the season.

A day prior to her 19th birthday and with more than 30 family members in attendance, Clyo, Ga. (35 miles from Statesboro) native Kayla Robinson scored a team-high 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Amanda Mendoza knocked down four 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 12 points. Claresa Banks added 13 points and six rebounds while Caitlyn Ramirez collected 11 rebounds and chipped in with nine points, three steals and two blocks.

UP NEXT
After opening the season with three consecutive road conference games, the Trojans return home to host Texas State (Jan. 12) and UTA (Jan. 14). UTA currently leads the conference standings with a 4-0 mark.

JAGS CRUISE PAST GEORGIA STATE 77-47
ATLANTA – The University of South Alabama's women's basketball team (7-7, 2-1) jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter and never looked backed as it cruised past Georgia State (5-9, 1-2) on Saturday afternoon at GSU Sports Arena. All 11 Jaguars that played scored in the game as the team shot 48.3% (28-58) from the field, 33.3% (7-21) from three and 70% (14-20) at the free throw line.

"Georgia State changes defense a lot, and I asked our team to keep its composure with the basketball," said head coach Terry Fowler. "We were going to be able to turn good shots to great ones, and the players certainly executed the game plan to get those excellent scoring opportunities."

South Alabama outscored Georgia State 45-15 in the first half, including 24-6 in the first quarter. The Panthers scored the first basket of the game, and then the Jaguars went on a 17-2 run. Chyna Ellis got the Jags on the board with a layup, and Candice Williams gave the Jags the lead for good with 7:11 remaining in the quarter. Genesis Perrymond hit a three-pointer in the next possession, and Ellis got a layup before the media timeout.

Camryn London hit a three after the break. Shaforia Kines made a layup on the fast break and then hit her own three-pointer. In the last two minutes of the quarter the Jags went on a 7-0 run. Erin Autio and LaNeetra Guillory both hit a pair of free throws, and Genesis Perrymond made a three with a couple of seconds left.

The Jags started the second quarter on a 7-1 run to increase their lead by over 20 points. Ellis made a layup on South Alabama's first possession, and Perrymond added another layup. Colby Davis hit a three-pointer after the Panthers made a free throw, and Autio then made both free-throws in the next trip down on the offensive end.

The lead grew to 30 when Guillory made a jumper to give the Jags 41 points with a little over three minutes remaining in the first half. Alyese Givens hit a corner three, and Ellis split a pair of free throws for the last four points of the half.

South Alabama shot 55.6% (15-27) from the field (a season-high for the first half), 46.2% (6-13) from three and 75% (9-12) from the charity stripe in the first half. The 24 points in first quarter were the most the Jags have scored in any quarter this season, and the 21 points in the second quarter were the third-most. Georgia State was limited to 16.1% (5-31) from the field and 0-7 from three.

"Defensively our kids executed the scouting report on Georgia State," said Fowler. "We challenged them to be disciplined on that side of the court, and we did a great job of doing so. There were a few mishaps along the way but overall it was a solid effort and performance."

The Jaguars had their biggest lead of the game in the third quarter. Guillory and Autio hit back-to-back layups that gave South Alabama a 35-point lead (56-21) with 3:41 remaining in the quarter. Georgia State outscored South Alabama (16-13) in third quarter with the Jags doing so for the other three quarters.

Georgia State cut its deficit down to 21 in the beginning of the fourth quarter on an 11-3 run as the Panthers' Haley Gerrin and Astaja Tyghter combined for all 11 points. South Alabama ended the comeback attempt with a 14-2 run that covered over five minutes of action. Five different players scored in the last run of the game.

South Alabama had season-highs in assists (20) and field goals (28), tied a season-high in made three-point field goals (seven) and turned the ball over a season-low nine times. The Jags forced the Panthers into 19 turnovers with nine steals, and they also had eight blocks. South Alabama enjoyed a 27-9 advantage in points off turnovers, 12-2 in fast break points and 30-13 in points off the bench.

South Alabama had four double-digit scorers: Ellis (14 points), Guillory (12), Perrymond (12) and Williams (10). Ellis tied her season-high in blocks with a game-high five rejections and five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Guillory went 4-7 from the field and 4-4 from the line and had two blocks and rebounds. Perrymond dished out a career-high seven assists, tied a career-high with four steals and had two three-pointers and four rebounds. Williams went 4-6 from the field and had two rebounds and three assists.

South Alabama swept Georgia State and Georgia Southern in its road trip in the Peach State for the first time since the two schools joined the Sun Belt Conference four years ago. The Jaguars entered 2017 with a three-game losing streak and are now undefeated this month after the road trip.

"Our kids committed to playing basketball the way we can and want to," said Fowler. "They trusted the process and committed to each other. We needed something good to happen for us, and the win at Georgia Southern I think is something that can propel us as we continue to move forward with conference play."

South Alabama hosts the two Texas schools in the conference next week, starting with Texas-Arlington on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.

Cajuns Defeat Warhawks In SBC Play, 67-57
LAFAYETTE – Simone Fields had a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team to a 67-57 win over ULM on Saturday at the Cajundome.

Louisiana (8-4, 2-1 SBC) jumped out to an early 10-3 lead when Jaylyn Gordon knocked down a three-pointer with 6:31 left in the first quarter. Gordon had 19 points for the Cajuns.

ULM (3-11, 0-3 SBC) cut the lead to 14-9 after Gabriella Cortez made a layup while being fouled and connected on the free throw with 3:23 remaining in the first period.

The Cajuns led 23-13 at the end of the first frame and used a 13-4 run to open up the second quarter.

Nekia Jones made a layup to give the Cajuns a 31-17 lead with 4:56 left in the second period.

Louisiana doubled up ULM at halftime and took a 36-18 lead into the locker room.

Gordon connected on a three-pointer to give the Cajuns their largest lead of the game at 44-18 with 6:55 left in the third quarter.

The Warhawks then went on a 12-2 run to trim the Cajuns lead to 46-30 when Stephanie Ratliff knocked down two free throws with 3:22 remaining in the third period.

Louisiana led 52-34 at the end of the third frame. Troi Swain made a jumper to put the Cajuns in front 60-43 with 4:42 left in the game.

ULM cut the lead to 62-54 when Cortez connected on a three-pointer with 40 seconds remaining in the contest. That was as close as the Warhawks would come as the Cajuns made five-of-six free throws in the closing seconds to secure the win.

Cortez led ULM with 20 points while Carissa Moody had 10 points for the Warhawks.

Louisiana will return to action when it hosts Georgia State on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. The Cajuns will then host Georgia Southern on Saturday, Jan. 14 in a 5 p.m. game at the Cajundome.

Chants Rally to Down A-State, Earn First Sun Belt Victory
CONWAY - The Coastal Carolina women's basketball team outscored Arkansas State 15-4 over the final quarter -- including holding the Red Wolves scoreless for the final 5:56 of the game -- as the Chanticleers recorded their first-ever Sun Belt Conference victory, 57-55, Saturday afternoon at the HTC Center.

Coastal (6-8, 1-3) trailed by as many 10 points in the final quarter after A-State (3-13, 1-3) hit its first of two baskets in the quarter with nine minutes to go. Ced Gibson scored five of her game-leading 13 points in the fourth, while Jas Adams added four and DJ Williams chipped in three. The Chanticleer defense forced 10 A-State turnovers over the final 10 minutes and limited the Red Wolves to shooting 2-of-9 from the floor.

Adams and Williams closed the game with 10 points each, as did Naheria Hamilton who also added eight rebounds and five blocks. Alexis Robinson led all players on the boards with 11 rebounds, and Gibson tacked four assists and four steals to her final line.

Coastal scored 22 points off of 26 A-State turnovers, and finished with 14 second-chance points from 13 offensive rebounds.

An early Coastal lead was erased after A-State closed the first quarter on a 13-0 run, holding the Chanticleers without a point for the frame's final 5:20. The run was extended to 15-0 at the start of the second quarter as A-State took a 19-8 lead, but Coastal cut the deficit to just five points two minutes later after scoring six straight points. The sides traded baskets for the remainder of the half, allowing A-State to take a six point lead into halftime.

A-State added to its lead during the third quarter as Brittany Fowler and Payton Tennison caught fire from beyond the three-point line. The two combined to sink four of A-State's five three-pointers for the game during the third quarter, giving the Red Wolves a nine point advantage heading into the final quarter.

The Red Wolves had two players finish just shy of double-doubles as Tahlon Hopkins recorded 10 points and nine rebounds and Lauren Bradshaw had eight points and 10 rebounds. Dominique Oliver led A-State with 11 points. Taylor Starr opened the game with six points in the first quarter, but did not return to the floor after halftime.

A-State held slight advantages in field goal shooting and rebounding, but allowed Coastal 10 points from the line in the second half and was undone by its 26 turnovers.

The Chants close their three-game home stand next Saturday when they welcome Appalachian State to the HTC Center for a 1 p.m. game. It will be the first meeting between the Chants and Mountaineers since the 2004-05 season.

VanDijk Continues Dominance Of Bobcats
SAN MARCOS, Texas – UTA junior center Rebekah VanDijk continued her dominance of Texas State as she led the Lady Mavericks to a 61-39 win on Saturday at Strahan Coliseum.

VanDijk, entering with two of her three top career performances against the Bobcats, was big yet again, posting a game-high 30 points. VanDijk has scored 30, 33 and 26 points in the last three meetings against the Bobcats respectively. With the win, UTA reached 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2007-08 and improved to 10-3 overall.

UTA's third-consecutive win in the I-35 series dropped the Bobcats to 6-8 overall and 1-2 in league play.

VanDijk's offensive outburst edged the junior to the brink of reaching the 1,000-point milestone. She heads into a matchup against South Alabama on Thursday with 985-career points. Only 17 players in UTA history have achieved the feat.

While VanDijk was the lone Lady Mav to reach double figures, several UTA players chipped in. Aysia Evans had nine points on 4-of-8 shooting, while Cierra Johnson matched a career-high with 10 rebounds, produced six points, three assists and two steals.

For as hot as the Bobcats were to open the game from the 3-point line, they were just as cold in the second quarter as UTA's defense clamped down. Texas State hit five 3-pointers out of six field goals in the opening quarter, and then went without a made field goal for the final 7:51 of the opening half.

Meanwhile, a patient UTA attack overcame its slow start as VanDijk got hot from inside the paint. The junior converted on five attempts in the second quarter and helped UTA to a 18-2 advantage in points in the paint. UTA trailed early in the second, but a 13-2 run capped by an Aysia Evans 3-pointer sent the Lady Mavs into the half leading by five.

VanDijk continued to begin the second half, scoring five of UTA's first seven points. However, the Bobcats would continue to nip at the heels of the Lady Mavs, as the 3-point shot continued to be the biggest threat. Texas State cut the lead down to just two points.

Digging deep on defense once again, UTA broke another run, this time a 10-0 spurt and built the lead back to above double digits. Cierra Johnson put in six during the outburst and Texas State turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions.

Two Texas State turnovers kept momentum on UTA's side to begin the fourth, UTA converted them into a quick five-point run, forcing an early Bobcat timeout. The Bobcats would go scoreless for more than seven minutes once again with UTA's offense staying hot for the remainder.

KEY RUNS
First Half
As Texas State was hot from beyond the arc, UTA settled into what it knew how to do best, feed the ball down low. Rebekah VanDijk was able to convert on a game-high 14 points, shooting 7-11 from the field as UTA went on a 13-2 run.

Second Half
Mirroring the first-half stretch, Texas State trimmed its deficit down to just two points before UTA's defense woke up once again. UTA turned the Bobcats over on three consecutive trips down the floor and closed the third quarter on a 10-0 run.

KEY STATS
VanDijk's 30 points were her third 30-point or more outburst of her career, two of which have come against Texas State. She also posted a career-high 34 points against Seton Hall in November. UTA's streak of forcing 20 or more turnovers came to an end at nine as Texas State had just 17. UTA entered 13th in the nation with 22.5 turnovers forced per game.