MOBILE, Ala. ? In a game that saw eight lead changes in the second half, Shane Edwards’ layup with 15 seconds remaining Thursday helped lift UALR to a 61-59 Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball victory over the University of South Alabama at the Mitchell Center.
Edwards finished with a game-best 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting to help the Trojans (14-5, 7-1 Sun Belt) extend their winning streak to five contests in a row while also snapping a four-game losing streak against the Jaguars (11-8, 4-4 SBC).
USA scored four straight points in the final 1:16 after Domonic Tilford hit a jumper in the lane and C.J. Garner drove for a layup to tie the score 59-59 with 40 seconds to go. That came after LaShun Watson found DeAndré Coleman open for a dunk with just under five minutes to go, giving the Jags their final lead 53-51 ? Matt Mouzy connected on a three-pointer from the right wing 10 seconds later to put UALR up for good.
Edwards completed a three-point play with 4:13 remaining to push the edge to four, while his two free throws with two-and-a-half minutes left extended the Trojan advantage to four points again, 59-55.
The Jaguars forced a turnover and missed shot to recover from the deficit and tie the game.
“I thought that it was a very physical game from start to finish. I hope our fans appreciate how hard we played,” said Jag head coach Ronnie Arrow. “UALR does a very good job, and that’s why they’re first in their division.
“I thought it was a very hard-fought game, and I’m proud of the way our guys rebounded to give us an opportunity to win.”
UALR ended the first half ? one in which it outshot the Jaguars 45.8-28.6 percent ? by scoring six straight points in the last 70 seconds for a 34-25 advantage at the break. Garner picked up a loose ball and found Watson open underneath the basket for a dunk that drew the Jaguars to within 28-25 with a minute-and-a-half remaining. Steven Moore split a pair of free throws twice, and the second time he was at the line 13 seconds before the intermission USA’s bench was called for a technical foul. Mouzy added another free throw for a 31-25 edge, then Lionel Foster sank a three from halfcourt at the buzzer.
The Jags made their first run to get back into the contest over two minutes into the second period, as Tilford sank a trey and Garner followed by converting 1-of-2 foul shot to make the score 36-33 with 17-and-a-half minutes left. UALR pushed the lead to seven again with back-to-back baskets in the next 25 seconds, and were still up six with 13 minutes to go when Mouzy hit a three-pointer.
He finished 3-of-5 from beyond the arc on the night, poisting 12 points in 17 minutes.
USA would answer with a 7-0 run, sparked by a basket and two free throws from Garner. When Coleman laid the ball in with just under 10 minutes remaining, USA led 44-43.
The lead changed hands five more times over the next four minutes ? the advantage was always one point ? until a Mouzy trey with six minutes left put the Trojans up 50-48. Brandon Davis then tied the score with a layup 25 seconds later, returning the lead to the Jags when he completed the three-point play.
Both teams hit less than 42 percent from the field, but UALR limited the Jaguars to a 36.2 rate for the contest including allowing just 3-of-16 from three-point range. Each also shot below 61 percent at the free-throw line as well.
USA held a 41-29 rebounding advantage, which included recording 17 on the offensive end that resulted in a 15-2 edge in second-chance points. But, it turned the ball over 15 times leading to 16 points at the other end for the Trojans.
Coleman posted his second double-double in as many contests, collecting 12 points and 13 rebounds while also pacing all players with a career-best four blocked shots. Tilford led USA with 15 points on 6-of-19 shooting, and Davis finished with 11 points and eight boards. Garner had nine points and a career-high four steals ? leading all players in the latter category ? with Watson was credited with seven rebounds and a team-best four assists.
The Jags recorded eight blocks as a team despite the absence of Ronald Douglas, who is third in the league in the category, due to an injury suffered in Wednesday’s practice.
John Fowler led UALR with seven rebounds, and Edwards was credited with six boards also. Moore, the team’s leading scorer with an average of 14.1 points per outing entering play, was limited to six on 1-of-10 shooting, but he handed out a game-high five assists. Foster was credited with four helpers as well.
The Trojans took the lead for the rest of the opening period with less than eight minutes to go when Edwards hit the second of two layups ? he would go on to sink the free throw to complete the three-point play, making the score 19-16. The edge grew to six twice, on a Derrick Bails lay-in with more than four minutes left and again with two-and-a-half minutes remaining after Mouzy’s jumper made the score 27-21.
There were 25 fouls combined in the opening 20 minutes as the two teams visited the free-throw line 29 times before the break.
The Jaguars, who outrebounded UALR by four but turned the ball over four more times in the first half, led three different times ? including twice on threes from Tilford ? in the opening five-and-a-half minutes only to see the Trojans come back to tie it. USA led 12-8 with less than 11 minutes left when Coleman followed a Davis basket with a layup, with the teams trading scores before Moore and Edwards made two free throws each to knot the contest midway through the period.
USA, which is now 0-4 at home but 4-0 on the road in league action, will face Louisiana-Lafayette Saturday at 7:15 p.m. in the first of two straight road games.
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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