Game Notes

Game 15 • South Alabama Jaguars (8-6, 2-0) at Texas State Bobcats (8-7, 1-1)
January 4, 2018 • 7:30 p.m. • Strahan Coliseum (7,200) • San Marcos, Texas

THE COACHES
South Alabama
Matthew Graves (Butler, 1998)
Record at USA: 59-84 (5th year)
Overall Record: Same
Record vs. Texas State: 2-6

Texas State
Danny Kaspar (North Texas, 1978)
Record at TXST: 67-77 (5th year)
Overall Record: 532-270 (27th year)

LAST GAME
South Alabama edged Georgia Southern on Sunday 69-67. Texas State won at Coastal Carolina 53-48.

NEXT GAME
The Jaguars stay in Texas to take on UTA Saturday afternoon. The Bobcats host Troy.

ON THE AIR
Radio: 99.5 FM The Jag; J.D. Byars (pxp)
On the web: 995thejag.com/listen (audio); Texas State Bobcats All-Access (video)

RANKINGS (Through Jan. 2)
USA: #220 RPI, #203 Sagarin
TXST: #315 RPI, #211 Sagarin

THE SERIES
Texas State leads 6-2.

Current streak: Texas State, 1 win
Last meeting: Texas State 90, South Alabama 64 (2/27/17)
USA's last win in the series: 72-67 OT (1/14/17)
USA's last win in Strahan Coliseum: None
TXST's last win in Strahan Coliseum: 90-64 (2/27/17)
USA's record in Strahan Coliseum: 0-4
USA's road streak: Lost 4
USA's longest winning / losing streak in series: 1 / 4

Notes: The two schools have met just eight times in their history, all after Texas State joined the Sun Belt Conference starting in 2013-14… The Jaguars stopped a four-game losing streak in the series last year at home in overtime.

OPENING TIP
South Alabama is 2-0 in the Sun Belt for the first time since 2012-13.

The Jags' 8-6 record before New Year's Day is their best since 2011-12.

USA has lost 11 straight road games in the state of Texas.

South Alabama is 6-2 when scoring fewer than 70 points in a game. The team had nine such wins in head coach Matthew Graves' first four years combined.

Thursday will be a matchup of the league's top two scoring defenses. Texas State is first at 62.5 ppg and South Alabama is next with 65.3 ppg. The Jaguars are first in field-goal percentage defense (.395) and 3-point defense (.297). The Bobcats are sixth in field goal defense (.422) and second in 3-point defense (.306).

Nationally, the Jags are 25th in 3-point defense, 35th in field goal defense and 39th in scoring defense.

Winning the rebounding and shooting battle has been key for the Jaguars this season. The team is 6-1 when outshooting its opponent and 5-1 when winning the battle of the boards. USA lost both categories Sunday against Georgia Southern, giving up a season-high 51 rebounds, but still managed to pull out the win.

USA's 34.4 shooting percentage against Georgia Southern is the lowest in a win since Feb. 11, 2010.

Rodrick Sikes, who was named the Sun Belt Player of the Week on Tuesday, is averaging 30.7 points and 5.7 treys in his last three games. He had a game-high 27 Sunday, shooting 5 for 10 from 3-point land and 8 for 9 from the free-throw line.

Sikes, who has scored double-digit points in 13 consecutive games, is fifth in the conference in scoring (18.4 ppg) and second in 3-pointers per game (3.2). His 3-point average is 28th in Division I.

Sikes has three 30-point games this season, the most by a USA player since Augustine Rubit had four in 2012-13.

Josh Ajayi had his eight-game double-digit point streak snapped vs. Georgia Southern, but he scored his 500th career point, the most by any active player on the team. He still grabbed a team-high-tying eight rebounds and is averaging 9.0 rpg in his last two games.

Herb McGee is averaging 5.3 assists in his last three games after dishing out a team-best four on Sunday.

The Bobcats' Nijal Pearson is the team's leading scorer with 14.6 ppg. He is second on the team in 3s (26), assists (27), blocks (6) and steals (19).

Pearson is averaged 14.5 points against the Jags last year, including 15 in San Marcos. He had seven rebounds and four steals in Mobile.

PREVIEWING THURSDAY
Head coach Matthew Graves on Texas State
On what the team can do to keep its run going: "I think we have to keep hanging our hat on the defensive end of the floor. We're doing a great job of making opponents shoot one tough shot and doing a much better job rebounding that missed shot. If we continue to do that, our offense has shown an ability to get hot. We have to continue working on that side of the ball."

On what can change to win in Texas: "Obviously we haven't had success on the Texas swing, but you have to isolate it and focus on the game at hand, and go into it with the mindset of playing solid defense on the road. We have to take care of the basketball and take great shots. It's not a magic formula – it's a mindset and bringing some toughness and an ability to focus away from home."

On Texas State: "I believe that Coach Kaspar is one of the best defensive coaches in the country. He gets his kids in a stance, they're physical, they play really hard, and they make it difficult to score. The last couple of days of practice, we've really preached about being strong with the ball and we understand that there's going to be fouling and contact that won't be called, and you have to have the mindset to play through that. Those are the things that you have to take with you when you go on the court against this Texas State team."

On Nijal Pearson: "I think Pearson is one of the most versatile players in the league. He does a great job for them offensively scoring in the paint, from the 3-point line and the free-throw line. He does a good job of getting to the offensive glass and he defends on the other end of the floor as well – he's second on the team in steals. He's a complete basketball player and does a great job for them."

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—