Carissa Moody vs South Alabama 2018
John O'Dell
55
ULM ULM 4-22, 1-14 SBC
72
Winner South Alabama USA 16-10, 9-6 SBC
ULM ULM
4-22, 1-14 SBC
55
Final
72
South Alabama USA
16-10, 9-6 SBC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
ULM ULM 11 15 21 8 55
South Alabama USA 14 22 13 23 72

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

USA Holds Off Strong Third-Quarter Surge by Warhawks, 72-55

Carissa Moody and Destini Lunsford combine for 26 points.

MOBILE, Ala. – Antoinette Lewis scored 15 points, including a team-high seven in the fourth quarter, to help South Alabama hold off a scrappy ULM squad for a 72-55 victory in women's basketball action on Thursday evening (Feb. 22) at the Mitchell Center.
 
Facing a 10-point deficit coming out of halftime, ULM took advantage of four points from Carissa Moody and a pair of long distance 3-pointers by Destini Lunsford to cut the deficit to five, 41-36, at the 6:25 mark of the third quarter. South Alabama answered with four of the next six points, but the Warhawks continued their charge as they bookended a 9-4 run with 3-pointers from Gabriella Cortez and Whitney Goins, pulling within two points at 49-47, heading into the final frame.
 
Moody moved ULM's deficit to one, 49-48, at the 9:49 mark of the fourth quarter as she hit the second of two free throws. South Alabama responded by knocking down four 3-pointers, including two from Shaforia Kines, over the next 4:54 of the contest as it stretched its lead to 63-48.
 
Arsula Clark broke the Warhawk scoreless streak with a free throw, but a series of scores by Lewis and Savannah Jones allowed the Jaguars to assume a 67-49 lead. ULM responded with a pair of 3-pointers by Goins and Alexus Johnson, but five points from Lewis during a 1:33 stretch of the game made for the 17-point South Alabama victory.
 
Joining Lewis among offensive leaders for the Jaguars (16-10, 9-6 Sun Belt) in the final quarter was Kines, who scored six of her game-high 16 points by draining a pair of 3-pointers. Kines, who dished out six assists, finished the game by hitting 6-of-9 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc.
 
South Alabama's Chyna Ellis wrapped up a solid all-around performance by recording a double-double (15 points and 11 rebounds) after hitting 6-of-12 from the floor. Ellis led all Jaguar post players in defensive (six) and offensive (five) caroms, giving South Alabama a 43-33 edge on the glass and a 46-15 advantage in points in the paint.
 
"All things considered we had a much better effort competitively," ULM head basketball coach Jeff Dow said. "We were down 10 at halftime and cut the deficit down to one early in the fourth quarter. We played extremely well in the third quarter and outscored them 21-13. There was some definite improvement from a competitive standpoint from the last few games.
 
"It's frustrating when you cut a double-digit halftime deficit down to one and then things unravel a little bit in the fourth period. So, the final score is a little deceiving. Our ball movement was very good in the third quarter, but we went through a four- or five-minute stretch in the fourth quarter plagued by turnovers and poor shot selection. We must find a way to generate more easy points and get to the free-throw line.
 
"South Alabama simply killed us inside; outscoring us, 46-16, in points in the paint," Dow continued. "We played zone and gave up too many offensive rebounds; got outscored 16-8 in second-chance points. As a team, we had only 14 rebounds at the half, and Arsula Clark had six. We need a more balanced effort on the boards."
 
Moody provided the spark for the Warhawk offense with a season-high 15 points as ULM (4-22, 1-14 Sun Belt) finished with a 26-25 advantage in bench points in the contest. The sophomore forward knocked down 5-of-8 from the floor, including two from long distance, converted 3-of-4 free throws and climbed the glass for five rebounds in 20 minutes of action. Lunsford joined her in double figures, finishing with 11 points by virtue of 4-of-6 shooting from the field that included a trio of 3-pointers.
 
"Carissa Moody has put together a couple of good games in a row," Dow said. "Carissa had a very productive game on the offensive end of the floor.
 
"Destini Lunsford had arguably the best offensive effort of her career, and Whitney Goins (eight points) had her moments in the second half, knocking down some shots."
 
Clark controlled the paint for the Warhawks with a team-high 11 rebounds, snagging eight on the defensive glass. She also handed out a team-high five assists. While ULM struggled to find rhythm from the floor, hitting only 32 percent in the game (18-of-56), it was successful on 9-of-12 (75 percent) free throws.
 
"Arsula struggled shooting the ball but still managed to grab 11 rebounds and record five assists against only three turnovers," Dow said.
 
Johnson scored the game's first points, knocking down a 3-point on a pass from Clark, as the Warhawks eventually established a 7-6 lead. Lewis scored four of the next five points for South Alabama, who allowed just four points over the remainder of the first quarter, as the Jaguars grabbed a 14-11 lead.
 
ULM regained its previous offensive form to open the second, using a trey from Moody and a pair of free throws by Cortez to take a 16-14 lead at the 8:07 mark. Erin Autio answered with a 3-pointer while Genesis Perrymond came through with four points, courtesy two layups to outscore ULM, 15-0, during a four-minute stretch to move in front 29-16.
 
LaTangellia Walker and Moody scored two points each to get the Warhawks' offense back on track as ULM scored 10 of the final 17 points of the frame to trail 36-26 at the intermission.
 
ULM remains on the road as the Warhawks now head to Troy for a 2 p.m. contest on Saturday.

 
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