Game Notes

MOBILE, Ala. – After a pair of one-point decisions and an overtime defeat, the University of South Alabama men's basketball will be looking to stop a losing streak to Texas State Saturday at the Mitchell Center.

Tipoff will take place at 3:05 p.m. Fans can listen on 99.5 FM or 995thejag.com/listen, watch on JagNationTV.com, and get updates via live stats on USAJaguars.com or on Twitter at @SouthAlaMBK.

"I'm ready to be back in the Mitchell Center and have another opportunity to compete against a team that's coming off a really good win," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "We need to play well at home and bounce back from the tough road trip."

The Jaguars had a tough swing through Georgia last weekend, falling 78-77 to Georgia State and 84-79 in overtime to Georgia Southern, while holding leads in the final minute in each game. The two losses dropped the Jags to 8-8 overall and 1-2 in the Sun Belt Conference.

"You can learn a lot in situations and we'll continue to get better at them, whether it's getting the right shot or coming up with a big stop to finish the game," Graves said. "My message to the team was throughout the game, every possession matters. A missed blockout with 16 minutes to go in the first half can cost you just as much as a missed free throw with one second to go. You have to understand and value each and every possession along the way; no one possession is more important than another."

Last week South Alabama relied heavily on freshman Josh Ajayi (El Monte, Calif.), who averaged a team-best 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds, and recorded his second double-double of the year Monday at Georgia Southern with 19 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. He got to the foul line 13 times against the Eagles and dished out a personal-best four assists.

"I'm really proud of how Josh has started conference play," Graves noted. "He's been very aggressive and he's really doing a great job of scoring in the post. He's got a lot of great moves and he's getting fouled, which is another great thing. I'm really pleased with his development halfway through the year."

Texas State comes into Saturday's contest with a 9-6 overall record and a 2-1 mark in the conference. The Bobcats have won three of their last four outings, and stopped Texas-Arlington's 11-game win streak on Saturday in San Marcos.

"I think Coach (Danny) Kaspar is one of the best defensive-minded coaches in the country," Graves stated. "He does an outstanding job of getting his guys to play very physical on the defensive end, and they don't beat themselves offensively. They really take care of the basketball, and they're an extremely well-coached basketball team."

The Bobcats boast one of the top players in the league in Kavin Gilder-Tilbury. He is third in the league in scoring (16.4 ppg), 15th in rebounding (5.5 rpg), ninth in steals (1.5 spg) and 14th in 3-pointers per game (1.9 pg), but has been held largely in check by the Jaguars; he is averaging 6.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in six career games.

"He might be – obviously I haven't seen all the teams in the league play yet – on the short list of most improved players in the Sun Belt Conference," Graves said. "He obviously put in a great deal of work in the offseason and is playing at a very high level.

"In his first two years, he wasn't as much of a focal point as some of their other guys, and he was playing his role. We're going to have a different challenge when we face him, because he is their guy now."

The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are scheduled for a week of March Madness in the Big Easy.  New Orleans will once again be home to the two championships that will take place at Lakefront Arena from March 7-12 and ticket books can now be purchased from your school's ticket office.  For more information, visit the Sun Belt Conference's championship central websites - Men's Championship – Women's Championship – and be sure to follow the #FunBelt on social media - @SunBelt.

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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