HATTIESBURG, Miss. ? DeAndré Coleman’s layup with 31 seconds to go Tuesday gave the University of South Alabama the lead for good as it recovered from a 10-point first-half deficit to earn a 76-73 overtime men’s basketball victory over Southern Mississippi at Reed Green Coliseum.
Ronald Douglas followed by blocking a Craig Craft follow-up shot in the lane, and Domonic Tilford made both free throws after he grabbed the rebound and was fouled to seal the Jaguars’ third win a row.
USA ? which improved to 5-3 ? got 15 points from Tilford, 13 apiece from Douglas and DeAndrae Ross, and 12 points, 12 rebounds and five assists from Coleman.
The double-double was the second in a row for Coleman, while Douglas’ scoring total was a season best and Ross’ a career high.
Sai’Quon Stone gave the Golden Eagles (4-2) their final lead, 73-72, with 54 seconds to go in the extra session when he connected on the second of two free throws. They also led by one or two points on three other occasions earlier in the overtime.
“I was really proud of our guys. After the game, I huddled them up and told them that this will hopefully be a stepping stone for us,” Jag head coach Ronnie Arrow said. “We beat a good team on their home court, and we battled back to do it.”
USA was down six at the half, and despite seven points from Courtney Beasley in the first four-plus minutes of the second half the Jags closed to within one point twice as Bryan Sherrer ? who posted seven points and four assists with only one turnover in 27 minutes of action ? and Tilford both scored five points each. Ross gave the Jaguars their first lead since the 16:23 mark of the first half when he connected on a jumper to make the score 48-47 with 11 minutes left in the contest.
The Jags would extend that advantage to four as Ross added a free throw and another basket, and Douglas answered a Jeremy Wise three with a layup that left USA up 53-50 with eight minutes to go. Douglas scored again, and then Tilford added a layup to make the score 57-52 with 6:15 remaining.
The Golden Eagles came back to force the extra period by making three three-pointers in the final three-and-a-half minutes of regulation. Wise ? who led all scorers with a season-high 28 points ? sank two in a minute-and-nine-second span, while Craft’s trey from the wing with 1:21 to go put USM up 65-63.
Brandon Davis tied the game 11 seconds later with a jumper in the lane.
The lead changed hands nine times in the course of the game, and there were also four ties.
Coleman, Davis and Douglas combined to go 14-of-18 from the floor, helping the Jags connect on 58 percent overall ? that included making 5-of-7 three-point attempts. USA outrebounded the Golden Eagles 40-35, with Douglas adding five boards and Daniel Hayles four, and Douglas also blocked three shots.
USA started quickly, scoring seven of the game’s first nine points, but after a Tilford basket with just under 18 minutes left the Golden Eagles went on a 14-2 run. The Jags were limited to just one field goal during a five-plus minute stretch, falling behind 16-9 with less than 13 minutes to go.
The Jaguars responded by allowing USM to make only one shot from the floor during the following three-and-a-half minutes, however, closing their deficit to 19-17 at the nine-minute mark after a jumper from Douglas. The Golden Eagles had another answer though, extending their advantage to 30-21 with just over six minutes remaining as Wise scored seven of the 11 points during that run.
Even though the lead grew to 10 points, 34-24, when Rodney McCauley scored with under four minutes to go, Coleman cut the Jag deficit to 38-32 at the break with a three from the top of the key as time expired.
USA shot 58 percent from the field over the first 20 minutes, but 15 turnovers led to 17 Golden Eagle points. USM, which turned the ball over two times in the half, overcame 40-percent shooting before the break by making 13-of-15 at the free-throw line. Wise scored 15 points and posted five steals prior to the break.
He would finish with six rebounds and six assists, while Beasley collected 15 points and seven boards and Craft chipped in with 14 points ? 12 of those came after the intermission. McCauley paced the Golden Eagles with nine rebounds.
USM shot only 34.3 percent from the floor overall, but finished with 24 points off 22 USA turnovers.
“I knew we had a few turnovers in the first half, but I didn’t know it was that many,” said Arrow. “The best thing was that we were only six down after all those turnovers. I knew we could come back if we just executed.”
The 10-point deficit was the largest the Jags have overcome this season. It allowed USA to earn its third straight win over the Golden Eagles, the first time that the school has won more than two in a row against USM since recording a six-game series win streak from Jan. 14, 1971-Feb. 14, 1974.
The Jaguars are next in action Sunday, when they face Houston Baptist at the Mitchell Center. Opening tip is slated for 2:05 p.m.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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