MOBILE, Ala. --- The University of South Alabama men’s basketball team will try to get back on the winning track Thursday when it hosts Florida Atlantic at 7:05 p.m.

Live audio can be heard on 105.5 WNSP in Mobile and worldwide at www.wnsp.com. A videostream will be available to Jaguar Nation subscribers at www.USAJaguars.com.

The Jaguars (12-9, 4-5 Sun Belt) have lost five of their last six outings but won their last time out on their home floor, a 69-67 come-from-behind victory over Troy.

“Mainly we’ve just been working the guys, telling them what they need to do, preparing them for the other team’s plays and hope the guys show up ready to play and know the consequences both ways – if we play well and win or if we no-show,” said head coach Ronnie Arrow. “Now is the time in the season when the guys need know what’s at stake and show up.”

Prior to the game there will be a brief ceremony celebrating Arrow in getting his school-record 172nd win at the school.

The last time the two teams met USA eked out a 96-93 win in overtime, rallying from a 14-point deficit in the second half. But since then FAU has won five of six, including three in a row.

“They’re playing very well right now,” said Arrow. “FAU, Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee are playing the best from what I’ve seen in the conference. This is not the same team that we played at their place. They’re playing a lot better. If we show up and do the things we have to do for 40 minutes then we can come away with a win. We can’t lay back and think we’re going to come from 14 points down again.”

Despite giving up 14 3-pointers Saturday at Denver, the Jaguars rank as the best field goal percentage defensive team in the league and second-best in 3-point defense, allowing opponents to hit 31.2% from distance. The Owls are third in the league as a team with 7.4 trifectas per game and Greg Gantt tops the conference with 2.8 long-range field goals per outing.

“We didn’t guard the 3-point line against Denver and we’re going to have to guard it against FAU,” said Arrow. “We’re also going to have to rebound. We’ve emphasized those two things, especially rebounding.”

Florida Atlantic has the best turnover margin in the Sun Belt (+2.30) and is second in assist/turnover ratio (1.1) thanks in large part to freshman Raymond Taylor, who ranks fourth in the nation in assists per game (6.5). The Owls commit the second-fewest turnovers per game in the conference (12.45).

“You have to put pressure on them,” said Arrow on how to force more turnovers. “But you worry about how much pressure you can put on Taylor without him releasing into the lane. A large portion of their offense is him getting into the lane and getting anywhere from eight to 14 assists. If you can hold him to three or four assists then it keeps other players from getting scoring opportunities.”

The Jaguars have been relying heavily on junior Tim Williams and freshman Martino Brock for their scoring lately. Williams is averaging 15.0 per game on the season but has reached double-digits in his last nine games, averaging 17.7 over that stretch. Brock has a six-game double-figure scoring streak and has led the team in scoring three times in his last four outings.

“We thought they would be two very good players coming in,” said Arrow. “We thought they could contribute right away, which they have. With our circumstances right now, they have to go beyond what they’ve been doing. Everybody has to step up, but especially those two.”

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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