EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Southern Illinois-Edwardsville's Jalen Henry hit two free throws with 3.5 seconds left to give the Cougars a 76-75 victory over the University of South Alabama men's basketball team Sunday afternoon at the Vadabalene Center.

Henry's final two points came after USA senior Dederick Lee went 1 for 2 at the stripe with 32.0 seconds left to give the Jaguars a one-point lead.

South Alabama (5-5) scored 12 unanswered points to take a 70-62 lead with 4:31 remaining, but was outscored 14-5 the rest of the way. Henry had nine of those points, going 6 for 6 at the free-throw line and nailing a 3-pointer with 43.7 remaining that tied the game at 74-74.

Henry led all scorers with 26 points and Daniel Kinchen added 18. USA sophomore Jordan Andrews had a team-high 15 points off the bench, junior Rodrick Sikes poured in 13, and sophomore Josh Ajayi added 10.

GAME FACTS
- SIU Edwardsville (3-6) led by as many as nine midway through the first half, but South Alabama went on a 14-2 run to go up 29-24
- Down 44-37 at halftime, the Cougars scored the first seven points of the second half and opened with a 17-5 spurt in 6 ½ minutes, capped off with back-to-back 3-pointers from Kinchen
- Sikes and Andrews keyed the team's 12 straight points, getting six at the foul line from Sikes, a four-point play from Andrews, and a dunk from Sikes
- SIUE scored its next six points at the free-throw line, and trailed 74-68 with 1:51 to play after a dunk from Ajayi; Kinchen and Henry hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to pull even at 74-74
- Lee temporarily put the Jaguars ahead with his free throw, but Henry clinched the contest 30 seconds later
- Andrews went 3 for 6 from 3-point land for his 15 points, and Ajayi just missed a double-double with nine rebounds

NOTES
- Andrews made his first field goal in four games, and scored his most points since totaling a career-best 20 on Nov. 16 at La Salle
- Sikes extended his double-digit scoring streak to nine games with eight second-half points, and added a career-high-tying three steals
- Senior Nick Davis recorded his fourth multiple-block performance of the season with three
- Sophomore Trhae Mitchell tied his personal best with eight rebounds
- South Alabama went 6 for 12 from 3-point land in the first half, but 1 for 9 in the second
- Each team's bench recorded 33 points, the second-highest total for each side this season
- After not allowing an opponent to convert 40 percent from distance in the first eight games of the year, each of the Jags' last two opponents have done so, including SIUE's season-high 41.7 percent today; USA entered the contest 14th in the nation in 3-point defense
- Mitchell and sophomore Herb McGee tallied nine points and two assists apiece
- USA outrebounded SIUE 41-36 and tied its season high with 13 offensive boards
- Five of Ajayi's nine rebounds came on the offensive end

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Matthew Graves
Opening statement: "I thought offensively we did some much better things. We switched up how we were playing and it helped us score the ball a little better. Unfortunately, defensively we fouled too much and didn't get the 50/50 balls when we needed to, especially to start the second half. Even though our offense was better, we can't allow our defense to slip."

On the scoring droughts: "I need to go back and look at the shots we were getting and the plays we were making, but late in the game we got Josh the ball in the low post and you could argue if he was fouled or not, but we've got to finish those plays around the rim. I can't complain with the shots that we got, but we have to execute better in late-game situations."

On the defense: "They weren't scoring field goals, but the problem is, they were getting to the free-throw line. We were keeping them from making field goals, but we have to do a better job of playing without fouling, especially when they're in the bonus."

On Andrews' performance: "I thought Jordan played very well today. It was good to see him make a couple of shots, and obviously if he's scoring the ball, it helps our offense. Hopefully he'll continue that and give us an additional perimeter scoring threat."

UP NEXT
The Jaguars return home to host Eastern Illinois Saturday at 3:05 p.m.

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).

Join the Jaguar Athletic Fund (JAF) Priority Fund, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to the Priority Fund directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give

—USA—