Game Notes

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's basketball team will attempt to close out the Christmas holidays on a high note when it welcomes Rice to the Mitchell Center Tuesday night.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Fans can follow the action via live stats on USAJaguars.com, Twitter at @SouthAlaMBK, audio on 710 AM or www.iheart.com/live/newsradio-710-wntm-1, or video on JagNationTV.com.

The Jaguars (4-6) could end their non-conference schedule with two straight wins after a 72-70 double-overtime victory Friday night at Samford.

"I'm very excited and optimistic about where we are," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "We got a road win in double overtime and there were several opportunities in the Samford game for us to give up and quit, but our guys kept fighting and hung tough. We certainly made a lot of mistakes, but at the same time, we made a lot of winning basketball plays when it mattered. At the end of the day, it makes for a very nice bus ride home."

After entering the contest last in the Sun Belt Conference in assists per game, the Jaguars dished out a season-best 17 against Samford, with senior Barrington Stevens III (Allen, Texas) recording six, his most in a game all year and one off his career high.

"I think we're doing a better job of sharing the ball," Graves said. "We still take shots too quickly at times, especially in transition, but your assist numbers are going to be down when you're shooting the percentage we are. Instead of looking for an average-to-good shot, we need to be taking good-to-great shots. Sometimes that's a hard thing to drill in to your players; they get in a rhythm, get excited and take a shot they'd like to have back. It's a work in progress and we're going to get better at it. We've shown signs of improvement in that area, we just have to become more consistent."

The Owls have won the last two meetings of the series – both in Houston – but haven't played in Mobile since December 1975.

Rice enters the game with a 5-6 record, winning five of its last seven games after an 0-4 start. The Owls are coming off a 90-89 win at New Mexico after trailing by 17 midway through the second half.

"They're playing at a very high level right now," Graves noted. "They've got a lot of young guys on their roster, and those younger guys have gotten experience. It's starting to show; they're more comfortable in what they're trying to do offensively. They're being a little more aggressive defensively and they have two guys that can really score a lot of points, so it's going to test us defensively."

Rice has a pair of players averaging 19 points or better on the year – the only Division I school to do so – in Marcus Evans (19.7 ppg) and Egor Koulechov (19.0 ppg). Koulechov had 32 points in the Owls' win over New Mexico, and Evans matched that the game before against St. Thomas.

"Koulechov is an outstanding 3-point shooter and offensive basketball player," Graves said. "He understands angles, he gets open and he's got a quick release, so as we're mixing up our man and zone defenses, we're going to have to do a great job of identifying him and not allow him to just catch and shoot from behind the arc because he does have deep range.

"With Evans, I'm very impressed with him as a freshman. He's able to really play off ball-screens and attack the rim with good athleticism. He's capable of getting 30 points on you if you don't do a good job with your on-ball defense."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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