Game Notes

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men’s basketball team will try to reverse a four-game losing streak Sunday afternoon when the Jaguars host Houston Baptist at the Mitchell Center.

Tip-off will be at 1 p.m. and fans can listen to the game at WNSP.com—there will be no broadcast on 105.5 FM—or watch online at USAJaguars.com.

The Marines will be on-site for their "Toys For Tots" campaign. Bring a new unwrapped toy, $10 or less, and receive a FREE ticket to the game.

Sunday begins a stretch of three games out of four at home before Sun Belt Conference play begins on Dec. 30.

“We’re hoping that we have learned from the tough schedule we’ve played,” said USA head coach Ronnie Arrow. “Every time we play someone from here on out, they’re going to look at their jerseys and see ‘LOUISVILLE’ or ‘ALABAMA’ so we play at that level every time we go out on the court.”

USA and HBU (1-6) will be meeting for the sixth time overall and the fourth consecutive season. The Jags lead the series 5-0.

The Jaguars enter the contest with a 2-5 record and have lost their last four outings, but are playing at home—where they have a 2-1 record— for the first time since Nov. 28.

“If you take a poll, any coach in America would rather play at home than on the road,” said Arrow. “There’s no question about that, that’s why the big boys have all of their preseason games at home. But wherever we play, we must show up ready to play. It’s always good to play at the Mitchell Center in front of our fans.

“The schedule was made to develop us and make us better so we’re better prepared once conference season starts,” Arrow continued. “Our guys know that overall we could have done better against those high-major schools, but when we show up to play now, those games have to be used as a positive.”

The team’s 2-5 record is the program’s first since 1999. That team rebounded to finish 20-10 overall and tied for the Sun Belt championship.

“With this team, we’ve got to show up and play up to the level we feel like we can play,” said Arrow. “In 1999, we (USA) started 2-5 and wound up 20-10 and won the conference, so we’re definitely looking to doing that again this year.”

South Alabama will have its hands full with Houston Baptist’s Andrew Gonzalez, who leads the Great West Conference with a 21.2 scoring average. He is the defending GWC Player of the Week after scoring 27 points with seven rebounds against Texas State. Gonzalez has reached the 20-point plateau in four of his six games.

“They get him the ball,” said Arrow. “He’s not a power player; he’s more of a finesse player. But whether it’s stopping him or one of their 3-point shooters, we have to improve on everything. We have to learn how to stop the other team’s 3-point shooters. We’ve got to learn to guard the 3-point line and score in transition. Everything that we’ve encountered these last few games has got to be put to use.”

Countering the Gonzalez threat will be sophomore Martino Brock (Memphis, Tenn.) who is averaging a team-leading 14.7 points per contest. In his last four games Brock is posting a 17.3 scoring average, including a career-high 24 points last week at Louisville.

Brock has contributed in other areas as well, dishing out eight total assists in his last two outings, leading the team in each contest, and he ranks in the top five in the conference in steals.

“There are certain guys on our team that have to show up and play,” said Arrow. “Martino is one of those players. He’s played well in the past two games, which is what we need him doing every day. He’s getting better and better but he needs to work every day in practice to develop his game so that when we have to depend on him, we know he’ll get it done. He has to have the same intensity level against Houston Baptist as he does against Louisville.”

NOTES: The game at Georgia Southern on Dec. 18 is now scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. Central. It will be the second game of a men’s and women’s doubleheader.

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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