MOBILE, Ala. ? While the University of South Alabama men’s basketball team will be looking to snap a three-game home losing streak in Sun Belt Conference play when it returns to action Thursday, the task will certainly be a difficult one.
After all, the Jaguars will be taking on the league’s West Division leader, UALR. The Trojans enter the contest with a four-game winning streak, with two of those coming on the road. That includes a 70-65 victory at home Saturday over a Middle Tennessee squad that defeated USA by 15 points in Mobile on Jan. 3.
How tough is UALR, which is 13-5 overall and 6-1 in the league? Opponents are shooting only 41.7 percent from the floor against the Trojans while scoring an average of 66.4 points per contest ? both figures rank among the top half of the league statistics, with the former third among the SBC’s 13 members.
Tip-off between the Jags (11-7, 4-3 SBC) and Trojans is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at the Mitchell Center. Thursday is Mobile County Public School System Employee Night, as the school board is distributing tickets to MCPSS faculty and staff, while Team Acro Dunk ? high-flying “Masters of Dunk” ? will be performing at halftime.
If USA plays like it did Saturday night in a 74-67 victory at Arkansas State, though, it could be up to the task of ending its current streak despite the quality of the opposition. While the Red Wolves entered action first in the SBC in field-goal percentage defense, the Jaguars were able to shoot 55.2 percent from the floor in the second half, and they also outrebounded ASU 43-37 even though it held a plus-5.5 advantage on the boards coming into play.
DeAndré Coleman played a large part in the Jags’ performance, collecting 16 points and a season-high 15 rebounds ? the most by a USA player in 2008-09 ? against ASU. He now ranks second in the latter category in the conference.
Domonic Tilford also contributed with a strong performance after the break, posting 15 of his game-best 20 points over the final 20 minutes against the Red Wolves. It was the fourth occasion in the last seven outings that Tilford, who paces the Sun Belt with 18.9 points per contest, has recorded 20 or more points, with the Jaguars going on to win each of those outings. Tilford has also led USA in assists in each of the last five games after being credited with four (against only one turnover) in 39 minutes Saturday.
Actually, the Jags finished with four players in double figures scoring for the first time since Dec. 28 after LaShun Watson chipped in with 11 points and Brandon Davis contributed 10 in just 13 minutes.
The Trojans come into the contest with four players averaging 10 or more points led by Steven Moore. The guard supplied 19 points and five assists in their win over the Blue Raiders, improving his season scoring figure to 14.1 points per game. Matt Mouzy is shooting 40 percent from beyond the three-point arc while averaging 11.3 points, with John Fowler adding 11.2 per outing and Shane Edwards 10.1.
Fowler leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per contest with forward Mike Smith ? who was posting 6.8 points and 6.1 boards per game ? suspended indefinitely prior to UALR’s Jan. 8 win over North Texas.
The Trojans will be tested by a Jag defense that is allowing the opposition to connect on 40.6 percent from the field. UALR also turns the ball over 16 times per outing, which is next-to-last in the SBC ? USA is averaging better than 19 points per game off opponent miscues in its last six wins.
The Jags, who lead the all-time series 20-11 and have not dropped their first four conference home games since the 1993-94 campaign, have claimed the last four match-ups between the two schools. Only one of those meetings, a 68-54 decision on Jan. 13, 2007, has taken place at the Mitchell Center.
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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