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HATTIESBURG, Miss – Southern Miss held the University of South Alabama men’s basketball team to just 20 points in the first half and exploded offensively as the Golden Eagles defeated the Jaguars 93-58 Wednesday evening at Reed Green Coliseum.

USM improves to 2-0 on the young season while USA drops to 1-1.

Southern Miss hit 68.8 percent from the floor in the second half and 54.4 percent for the game while South Alabama converted 28.3 percent for the contest.

“When we’re shooting 28 percent against a team that’s shooting 40 percent, it’s hard to be in the game,” said Jags assistant coach Michael Floyd. “They shot 40 percent in the first half and 62 percent in the second and it’s hard to survive on that. It didn’t help that we didn’t execute on offense, and when we did execute, we missed a lot of open looks. As the game went on, our defense just fell apart. I think, at points, especially in the second half, there was just a lot of frustration. We were taking bad shots and they just started piling up on top of each other. At the same time, our defense wasn’t where it usually is.”

The long night for the Jags started early as the team didn’t make its first field goal until the 13:55 mark of the game. USA missed its first six shots with three turnovers during that span.

With the score tied 11-11, the Golden Eagles went on a 17-0 run to break the game wide open. R.L. Horton hit back-to-back buckets to get the rally started, Angelo Johnson followed with a jumper and a 3-pointer, and Josimar Ayarza continued with two more jumpers.

A 3-pointer by USA senior Tim Williams (Pontiac, Mich.) stopped the bleeding and a basket by junior P.J. Reyes (Taylor, Mich.) cut the deficit to 12 with 6:03 to go before halftime.

Reyes’s field goal would be the team’s last in the first half as the Jags missed their last six shots.

The Golden Eagles came out firing in the second half, tearing off a 19-0 run in the first 4:45 for a 57-20 advantage.

Horton led all scorers with 25 points and made five of his seven 3-point shots. Ayarza recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Torye Pelham had 13 of his 15 points in the second half.

Williams paced the Jaguars with 17 points. Sophomore Javier Carter (Dallas, Texas) set a new career high with 14 points and tied his personal best with eight rebounds.

“We’ve got to have a short memory,” said Floyd. “We turn around and play Central Michigan (on Saturday), who went out to Hawai’i and played really well. We’ve got a tough game on Saturday, so we have to get our guys back in and get stuff done in practice to prepare for that game.”

South Alabama returns to the court Saturday, hosting Central Michigan at 7:05 p.m.

NOTES: The 35-point defeat is the program’s worst since losing 84-46 to Mississippi State on Dec. 9, 2006… Head coach Ronnie Arrow was ejected from the game at the 17:32 mark of the second half… Redshirt freshman Augustine Rubit (Houston, Texas), who had 16 points and 15 rebounds in the season opener vs. Spring Hill, was held to one point and two rebounds before fouling out with 4:30 left in the contest… USM’s 93 points are the most in the series with USA since tallying 123 on Feb. 14, 1974.

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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