MOBILE, Ala. --- The University of South Alabama men’s basketball team let two leads slip away as Middle Tennessee went on a 20-5 run late in the second half to defeat the Jaguars 80-68 Saturday afternoon at the Mitchell Center.

Middle Tennessee remains in first place in the Sun Belt Conference East Division and improves to 14-11 overall and 9-4 in league play. South Alabama falls to 13-12 and 5-8.

“This game was pretty much an exact replica, with the exception of New Orleans, of our last five or six games,” said USA head coach Ronnie Arrow. “We had at least a 10-point lead in the first half (again) and we haven’t been able to put the game away. They had kids that delivered and gave them big shots when they needed it.”

South Alabama came out of the gates running on all cylinders, jumping out to a 14-2 lead and held a 22-6 advantage after a dunk from freshman Martino Brock (Memphis, Tenn.). But Middle Tennessee answered with a 20-4 run to tie the score at 26-26 and led 34-33 at the break.

The two teams traded leads several times in the opening moments of the second half before USA opened up a seven-point advantage (58-51) with 11:26 left on five consecutive points from Brock.

The Blue Raiders answered once again, reeling off 20 of the game’s next 25 points, including 10 straight when trailing 63-61. Desmond Yates converted a turnover into a 3-pointer and hit a jumper on MTSU’s next possession to go up 68-63 with 5:54 left in the contest.

The Jaguars, who committed 15 turnovers for the contest, had three in a span of four possessions and missed four consecutive shots as the game slipped away.

Junior Tim Williams (Pontiac, Mich.) finally stopped the bleeding with a bucket, but MTSU tacked on six more points, thanks to two more turnovers, for a 12-point lead with just under a minute to play.

Williams accounted for South Alabama’s only two field goals in the final 8:26.

“It’s frustrating for the players and it’s frustrating for us,” said Arrow. “It’s frustrating for our fans. We just have to find a way to come back.”

MTSU’s James Washington posted a game-high 18 points and hit four 3-pointers. Yates added 16 and Montarrio Haddock contributed 13.

Williams tallied 11 of his team-high 16 points after halftime. Senior Bryan Sherrer (Monticello, Ark.) had 14 on 5-for-7 shooting and junior Gary Redus II (Decatur, Ala.) scored 13.

The Jaguars continue their three-game homestand Thursday against Florida International. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05 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: Sherrer’s point total was his first double-digit game since scoring 20 at North Texas on Jan. 21… USA hit a season-high nine 3-pointers… South Alabama won the rebounding battle for the fifth straight game (35-25) but has just a 1-4 record during that span… Brock set a new career high with five assists… MTSU had seven turnovers, the second-fewest by a USA opponent this season… Senior Charles Tabet (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) pulled down a team-best seven rebounds, tying his season high, and had seven points for his highest scoring output of the year… Middle Tennessee held a 30-13 advantage in free throw attempts, converting 26 for an 86.7 percentage… The Blue Raiders converted 15 turnovers into 23 points.

—USA—