South Alabama was coming off a tight 69-65 overtime win over FIU when Louisiana at Lafayette came to Mobile on February 13, and needed some momentum heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
The Jags faced one of the most talented teams in the Sun Belt Conference. The Ragin’ Cajuns were led by the eventual Sun Belt Player of the Year in Tyren Johnson, who finished the year averaging a league-leading 17.9 pts and 8.0 rebounds (second in the SBC).
But while ULL had a dominant player, USA had two: Tim Williams and Martino Brock.
Williams and Brock nullified the Johnson threat by recording a double-double each as the Jaguars came back for the second straight game, rallying from a 10-point deficit at halftime to win 67-65.
“We knew that it was a talented team and that Johnson was probably the best player in the conference,” said head coach Ronnie Arrow. “We were going to play a team that was as talented as any team in the conference. Our guys showed up and did the right things. They showed up in the second half and did what they needed to do to beat a very good team.”
The Jags rebounded from a sub-par first half that saw them shoot just 29.0% from the floor, including a 2-for-14 performance from 3-point land. The Ragin’ Cajuns, on the other hand, hit 46.7% in the opening half and made five of their nine long-range attempts.
“I remember at halftime Coach Arrow told me to be competitive,” said Brock. “He said not to let Tyren Johnson get what he wants to get and compete with him. Coach said that Johnson wasn’t any different than me and that I had a great opportunity to be better than him. That’s why Coach brought me here.”
Momentum swung back and forth after halftime. USA hit back-to-back 3-pointers coming out of the break but ULL answered with five straight points. South Alabama came back with a 9-2 run only to see Johnson single-handedly record a seven-point spurt.
Brock and Williams combined for the next nine Jaguar points but it was Allyn Cooks who finally gave South Alabama the lead with a 3-pointer and a lay-up on back-to-back possessions.
Cooks, who finished with 11 points, added two more on the next possession for the team’s largest lead of the game.
Johnson wouldn’t quit and showed why he would be the league’s player of the year. With his team down four with just under three minutes remaining, he assisted on a dunk by Colby Batiste, hit a 3-pointer to retake the lead, then stole the ball, went behind the back on the dribble en route to a lay-up.
Two proved better than one in the end as Brock and Williams teamed for South Alabama’s final five points beginning with two free throws from Williams on possession after Johnson’s lay-up. Brock put the Jaguars on top for the final time on an acrobatic put-back after a miss with 23 seconds left and added the final point on a free throw with nine seconds left.
A last-gasp attempt by Randell Daigle was off the mark.
“I always think we can win the game – always,” said Williams. “Especially when we’re at home because we have great fans and we don’t want to let them down. We knew we had to keep chipping away and we knew we’d take it.”
Williams finished with 23 points and a career-high 12 rebounds while Brock added 19 points and a personal-best 13 boards to become the first and only USA teammates to post double-doubles in the same game all year. Williams also dished out a career-high five assists.
“Those two guys are two of our more talented players and we expect them to show up every night and give us a good game,” said Arrow. “A double-double every night would be great but we needed for them to be solid every night.”
Johnson finished with 30 points, the most by a USA opponent all season. His line for the night included 30 points, six rebounds, three assists, three blocks and four steals. He shot 10-for-18 from the field and 3-for-4 from distance.
“We were prepared for Johnson but we didn’t know he was that good,” said Williams.
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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