MOBILE, Ala. --- Florida Atlantic went on a 13-0 run in the final 3:38 of the second half to break a 53-53 tie en route to a 70-59 win over the University of South Alabama Thursday night at the Mitchell Center.

USA drops its third straight game and is now 12-10 overall and 4-6 in the Sun Belt Conference. FAU wins for the fourth straight time and stands at 11-10 and 7-3. The Owls also won for the first time ever in Mobile (3-1) and snapped a five-game skid to South Alabama.

“They had big shots and they executed,” said Jaguar head coach Ronnie Arrow. “He [Mike Jarvis] has done a phenomenal job, with a young bunch, of getting them to buy into patience on offense. They get after you on defense. We’re not doing enough late. Every game we have lost is at the end and we just don’t execute. We were shooting 46 and 52 percent from the field, now the last two games we’re shooting in the thirties. It’s just poor shot selection.”

USA went 9:10 without a field goal late in the game – missing 10 straight shots – and converted 32.8% from the floor for the contest. FAU hit only 39.7% of its shots and was outrebounded 47-38.

The Jaguars tied the game at 53-53 with 5:09 left in the game on two free throws from senior Philip Tabet (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.). A minute and a half later, FAU’s Greg Gantt hit the first of back-to-back 3-pointers to break the deadlock.

South Alabama helped Florida Atlantic with turnovers on three straight possessions which led to five points.

The Owls hit their last four shots from the floor and seven of their last eight free throws.

Gantt led all scorers with 21 points. Sanchez Hughley added 16 on 4-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc and Alex Tucker scored 10 points and a game-high six assists.

USA junior Tim Williams (Pontiac, Mich.) was the only Jaguar in double-figures with 14. Tabet set a new career high with 10 rebounds. Williams and freshman Martino Brock (Memphis, Tenn.) pulled down eight boards each.

South Alabama dominated the early going, breaking out to a 16-6 lead as Florida Atlantic missed its first seven 3-point attempts. But a 20-5 FAU rally tipped the scales the other way.

The Jaguars travel to in-state rival Troy Saturday at 7 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).

NOTES: Brock, who was left out of the starting lineup for the first time this season, had nine points, ending his streak of six straight games in double-digit points… Junior Gary Redus II (Decatur, Ala.) played for the first time since Jan. 7 after recovering from a knee injury… He tallied nine points with two blocks in 26 minutes of work… South Alabama ranked second in the Sun Belt in 3-point defense (31.2) but allowed 10 3-pointers in 27 attempts (37.0%)… The Jags tied their season high with 47 rebounds… 20 of those came on the offensive end... Arrow was honored in a ceremony before the game for becoming the school’s all-time wins leader.

—USA—