HOT SPRINGS, Ark. --- University of South Alabama senior Bryan Sherrer (Monticello, Ark.) made a jumper with five seconds left and Florida Atlantic missed a lay-up at the buzzer to give the Jaguars a 52-51 victory Saturday in the first round of the Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championships at Summit Arena.

The ninth-seeded Jags improve to 17-14 on the season while the No. 8 seed Owls end their season at 14-16. South Alabama will face top-seeded Troy Sunday evening at 6:45 p.m. on Convention Center Court.

“It was a very close game,” said USA head coach Ronnie Arrow. “We survived and get to go on and there are a lot of schools that wish that they were still playing. Our guys played hard. I was proud of our guys – they played hard and hit the big bucket at the end.”

Sherrer’s basket came 22 seconds after Sanchez Hughley put FAU ahead 51-50 with the second of two free throws. He missed the first, giving the Jags a chance to lead on their next possession.

Hughley’s final free throw capped off a 23-8 FAU run over a 12-minute stretch.

Sherrer took the ball deep in his own court on the inbounds play, drove down the right side of the lane and swished a step-back jumper.

“I had a smaller guy on me so I just tried to get to a certain spot on the court, get on top of him and shoot a jump-shot. I got to my spot and it went in,” said Sherrer.

On the other end, FAU’s Brett Royster grabbed a Shavar Richardson miss but a wide-open lay-up as time expired was off the mark.

After overcoming a rough start which saw the Jags commit seven turnovers while scoring just two points, South Alabama rallied to lead 30-19 at halftime. Florida Atlantic shot just 20% from the floor, missed its last 10 3-point attempts and went over five minutes without scoring.

The USA lead crept up to 14 midway through the second half but FAU got back in the game with a 15-4 run as the Owls’ shooters finally warmed up. Raymond Taylor (one 3-pointer) and Greg Gantt (two) contributed long-range buckets to pull within three, 46-43.

South Alabama answered with shots on back-to-back possessions for a seven-point advantage but Florida Atlantic responded with eight straight points to reclaim the lead with 27.4 seconds left.

The Jaguars held the league’s second-ranked 3-point shooting team to 25% from beyond the arc. Gantt, who led the league with 2.9 treys per game hit two of his 12 long-range attempts.

“The number one thing I put on the board in the locker room was ‘Guard the 3-point line’ and I think we did that,” said Arrow.

Sherrer paced the Jaguars with a career-high-tying 21 points. He shot 8-for-11 from the floor and 3-for-4 from 3-point territory in 36 minutes. It was his first game since Feb. 11 when he suffered a torn lateral meniscus in his knee.

“He is the kind of player that any coach wants, on and off the court. I can’t say enough about him. He just comes to play.”

Junior Tim Williams (Pontiac, Mich.) tallied 12 points, all in the first 12 minutes of the game. He just missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Sophomore Allyn Cooks (Bryan, Texas) tied his career high with six assists.

Taylor paced the Owls with 14 points on four trifectas. Royster added 13, a game-high 15 rebounds and six blocks. Gantt finished with 12 points.

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: FAU’s 19 points were tied for the second-fewest by a USA opponent in a half all season and the 20% shooting was the lowest in a half… Sherrer came off the bench for the first time this year and ended his streak of 30 straight starts not due to injury… The Jaguars blocked a season-high eight shots, including a career-best five from freshman Javier Carter (Dallas, Texas)… Carter did his damage in just 15 minutes of action… The Owls dominated the boards, outrebounding the Jaguars 50-34 with 25 coming on the offensive end… FAU held a 26-11 edge in the second half alone… South Alabama held Florida Atlantic to a season-low 27.3% shooting for the contest.

—USA—