After seven games last season, South Alabama had a 7-3 record that included a road win at Arkansas. The team, filled mostly with newcomers, had come together quickly. But its toughest test still lay ahead: the Sun Belt Conference opener broadcast nationally on ESPN2.

“With eight new players, being on national TV and being the first conference game, you’re a little leery about how your guys are going to show up. But we know that they’re going to be pumped up,” said Arrow.

The Jaguars were faced with a tough opponent in their league opener: Arkansas-Little Rock. The Trojans had lost four starters, but were defending Sun Belt West Division champions and were looking for revenge after USA eliminated them in the semifinals of the SBC Tournament a few months before.

“We knew we were going to be in a war,” said Arrow. “We played physical, they played physical. We knew it was going to be a physical game and an important game. We just hoped that all of our new players were up to playing the physical part that we were going to have to play. The tough preseason games that we play help get us ready for the conference season.”

The tough preseason games and hard work paid off as South Alabama shook off a slow start to rally for a 74-71 win.

Instead of Tim Williams, the team’s leading scorer coming into the game, carrying the team, the duo of Bryan Sherrer and Gary Redus II split go-to honors. Sherrer, an Arkansas native, scored a career-high 21 points while Redus came off the bench to tally 16.

Sherrer did most of his damage in the first half, accumulating 16 of his game-high 21 points before the break, while almost single-handedly keeping the Jaguars, who trailed 34-28 after 20 minutes of play, in the game.

“I was able to get out in transition and get a few buckets,” said Sherrer. “At one point in the game we went through a dry spell and I felt somebody had to get the team back on track and I felt confident in doing that.”

Redus scored 13 of his 16 after halftime, including a 10-for-10 performance at the free throw line.

For Sherrer it was his fifth straight game in double-figure scoring and his first-ever 20-point game.

“He’s just solid,” Arrow said of his senior leader. “I can’t think of a better word to describe him. He knows the phases of the game. He knew early in the game to push it and who to get the ball to. We wanted the ball in his hands late in the game because we knew he would make good decisions and make his free throws.”

While Redus was perfect at the line, Sherrer was almost as good, knocking down 11 of his 13 attempts. Eight of his 16 first-half points came at the stripe on nine attempts. His 11 makes on 13 attempts remained the most by a USA player the rest of the campaign.

UALR took control in the first half with an 11-0 run to take a 23-14 lead and went into halftime up six. USA shot just 28.1% in the first 20 minutes and committed 11 turnovers.

The Jaguars battled back and eventually took the lead at the 13:50 mark on a dunk from Williams and an alley-oop from LaShun Watson capped off a 19-6 run and the deficit turned into an eight-point advantage.

While South Alabama never trailed again, UALR came back to within one on three occasions. The Trojans’ Solomon Bozeman went to the line for two free throws with 13 seconds remaining with a chance to tie, but only made one of two. Redus hit both of his free throw attempts at the other end and a final 3-point attempt by Bozeman missed the mark.

“With it being the first Sun Belt game both teams were really pumped up to get the conference season started,” said Sherrer. “There was a lot of intensity and with it being on national television, both teams came to play that night.”

“I thought it showed a lot of fortitude with our guys to be able to win the first conference game and having a good showing on national TV,” said Arrow.

The win helped propel USA to its second 3-0 start in the Sun Belt in the last three years. Sherrer ended up tying his career-best scoring night twice more during the season. Redus’s performance at the line was the best by a South Alabama player all year.

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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