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STATESBORO, Ga. – The University of South Alabama men’s basketball team overcame a 13-point deficit at halftime and redshirt freshman Augustine Rubit (Houston, Texas) had a double-double to defeat Georgia Southern 68-58 at Hanner Fieldhouse.

The Jaguars win on the road for the first time this season and improve to 4-5 while the Eagles drop to 3-9.

“It’s great to have a road win,” said USA head coach Ronnie Arrow. “We finished the half with seven players—those seven players played as hard as any group that we’ve had in the last few years. That’s what we’ve been looking for. If we play hard, we have a chance to be really good.”

Rubit recorded totals of 16 points and a career-high 18 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the current campaign. His point total tied his personal best and his rebounds are the most since DeAndré Coleman also grabbed 18 on Dec. 20, 2007 against Troy.

“He’s one of those guys that you’re glad he’s on your team,” said Arrow. “He’s always in the right place at the right time to rebound. There are some players that are never in the right place and some that are, and he’s one of those guys that are always around the basket. He’s also strong enough that he can finish it.”

GSU controlled play for much of the first half thanks to 12 USA turnovers and a 60.9 shooting percentage. The Eagles led by as many as 15 points after converting the Jaguar miscues into 22 points.

The turning point came at the stroke of halftime. Sophomore DeAndré Hersey (Carrollton, Ala.) hit a lay-up off an inbounds pass as the first-half buzzer sounded to go into the break behind 39-26.

That spark carried over into the second half as the Jags scored the first 12 points of the period to cut the margin down to 39-38. The Eagles committed three turnovers in their first four possessions.

Georgia Southern managed to keep the lead until the 9:53 mark when a jumper by sophomore Martino Brock (Memphis, Tenn.) started a 10-1 run to put South Alabama on top for good. Rubit and Brock combined for seven of the points and junior Allyn Cooks (Bryan, Texas) hit a key 3-pointer to tie the contest at 51-51.

Rubit capped off the rally with a put-back to give the Jags a 56-51 lead with 6:18 to play.

“We had guys that came in and played hard, rather than giving excuses like the first half,” said Arrow. “We played hard, and good things happen when you play hard.”

Once the Jaguars took the lead the Eagles could only close to within two. USA made six of its last seven free throws to ice the victory.

South Alabama outscored Georgia Southern 42-19 in the second half alone and held the Eagles to 20.8 percent (5-24) shooting after halftime.

Rubit led all players with his scoring and rebounding. Brock and senior Tim Williams (Pontiac, Mich.) each had 15 points and senior Gary Redus (Decatur, Ala.) added 11 points. Brock dished out a game- and career-high six assists.

GSU’s Jelani Hewitt came off the bench to score 13 points while Ben Drayton and Eric Ferguson contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively.

The Jaguars host Alcorn State Tuesday evening at 7:05 p.m.

NOTES: Rubit has recorded double-digit rebounds in each of his last four outings and six times for the season… He grabbed 10 offensive rebounds… Brock has led the team in assists in the last four games… The Sun Belt Conference’s leader in steals per game, Brock grabbed four Saturday… The Jags shot 4-for-15 from the free throw line in the first half but went 13-for-19 after halftime to finish 17-for-34… GSU has yet to defeat at Division I school (0-9)… The Jaguars are 4-0 when winning the rebounding battle and outshooting their opponent.

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).

—USA—