South Alabama women’s basketball lost to Georgia State in overtime, 78-75, on Thursday at the Mitchell Center. This marks the third time in the last five meetings between these teams that the game has gone into overtime.
The Jaguars started strong, with Amyah Sutton hitting two three-pointers early and helping her team build a 10-2 lead. Both Sutton and Tamara Ortiz made two of their three attempts from beyond the arc, leading South Alabama to a 25-7 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
Georgia State responded in the second half by scoring 18 points while holding South Alabama to an 18.2 percent field-goal percentage for that period. Despite being outscored by ten points during this stretch, South Alabama maintained a 33-25 lead at halftime.
In the fourth quarter, offensive difficulties hurt South Alabama as they committed five turnovers within four minutes. During this span, Georgia State went on a 10-2 run and closed to within three points. With less than a minute left in regulation, Morgan Robinson-Nwagwu drew a foul but converted only one of two free throws for Georgia State, keeping them down by one point.
With just two seconds remaining, Crystal Henderson from Georgia State scored a layup to tie the game at 70 and force overtime. Henderson then opened overtime with a three-pointer. The Panthers outscored South Alabama 8-5 in extra time—eight of those points coming from free throws—to secure their win.
Diawna Carter-Hartley led South Alabama with her second double-double of the season: she finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Daniela Gonzalez contributed 11 points and nine rebounds. The Jaguars shot their highest percentage from the free throw line this season at 80 percent.
Tamara Ortiz scored a season-high 15 points; it was her third straight game setting a new personal best for scoring this year. Five players reached double figures: Amyah Sutton (16), Tamara Ortiz (15), Diawna Carter-Hartley (12), Daniela Gonzalez (11), and Chrysta Narcisse (11).
Head coach Yolisha Jackson said after the game: “It’s the second game in a row that we haven’t been able to put it together and finish it. Unfortunately, this one really hurts…We will see if we’re mature enough. I’ve got some veterans on my team, so I’m trusting my juniors and seniors that we’ll be ready to prepare for Georgia Southern.”
South Alabama’s next game is against Georgia Southern on Saturday at home during Alumni Day.
For more information about South Alabama women’s basketball visit usajaguars.com or follow @SouthAlabamaWBB on X or Instagram and /SouthAlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
