Game Notes

Game 19 • South Alabama Jaguars (8-10, 2-5) at Troy Trojans (4-15, 2-5)
Jan. 27, 2011 • 7 p.m. • Sartain Hall (4,000) • Troy, Ala.

THE COACHES
South Alabama
Ronnie Arrow (Southwest Texas State, 1969)
Record at USA: 185-138 (12th year)
Overall Record: 319-229 (20th year)
Record vs. Troy: 5-4

Troy
Don Maestri (Southern Miss, 1969)
Record at Troy: 481-351 (29th year)
Overall Record: Same

LAST GAME
South Alabama withstood a couple of FIU second-half rallies to snap a four-game losing streak on Saturday 86-78. Troy lost 77-58 at Western Kentucky.

NEXT GAME
The Jaguars return home Sunday to host Louisiana at Lafayette at 4:05 p.m. in a game to be broadcast on the Sun Belt Network. The Trojans travel to Louisiana at Monroe Saturday.

ON THE AIR
Radio: 105.5 WNSP; Lee Shirvanian (pxp)
On the web: www.wnsp.com (audio)

RANKINGS (Through Jan. 25)
USA: #302 RPI (RealTimeRPI), #302 Sagarin
Troy: #285 RPI (RealTimeRPI), #289 Sagarin

THE SERIES
USA leads 9-5.

Current winning streak: Troy, 2
USA’s last win in series: 69-67 (1/16/10)
Last meeting: Troy 67, South Alabama 55 (3/7/10) SBC Tournament
Last five games: Troy leads 3-2
USA’s last win at Sartain Hall: 90-74 (2/10/08)
Troy’s last win at Sartain Hall: 73-66 OT (1/30/10)
USA’s record at Sartain Hall: 3-2
USA’s road streak: Lost 2
USA’s longest winning / losing streak in series: 5 / 2

Notes: Despite the in-state rivals being separated by about 170 miles, the two schools have met just 14 times… All but two of the meetings came after Troy joined the Sun Belt in 2005… South Alabama won the two pre-Sun Belt clashes in 1993 and 1995… USA avenged two regular season defeats last year by winning 78-75 in the Sun Belt Tournament quarterfinals… The Jaguars won the first five games in the series… South Alabama won the first three clashes in Troy but has lost the last two… A buzzer-beating shot by Allyn Cooks gave USA a 69-67 victory in Mobile on Jan. 16, 2010.

OPENING TIP
The 86 points Saturday are USA’s most since scoring 90 vs. Mobile on Dec. 27, the most in a league game since totaling 96 in overtime on Feb. 14, 2010 at Florida Atlantic and the most in regulation vs. the SBC since Feb. 14, 2009, also against FAU.

The win Saturday—the school’s 700th all-time—broke a four-game losing streak. The Jaguars will go for back-to-back wins for the first time since Dec. 27.

The 80.5 points over the last two games are the most in consecutive league outings since averaging 83.5 from Dec. 31-Jan. 2, 2010.

Troy is last in the conference and 326th in Division I in scoring defense (79.9 ppg).

Only two of South Alabama’s eight wins have come when the team scores less than 80 points. The Jaguars average 80.9 points in wins and have outscored the opposition by an average of 17.4 points.

USA won vs. FIU for the first time when being outrebounded (1-9 record).

Troy ranks first in the Sun Belt and ninth in the nation in 3-pointers per game (9.3). The Jaguars rank 303rd in the nation in 3-point defense (37.9%). Since Sun Belt play began on Dec. 30, no USA opponent has had less than five trifectas in a game.

South Alabama has struggled away from home, compiling a 1-7 mark in opposing gyms. USA averages 60.0 points and has been outscored by 16.1 points. Only one loss has been by single-digits, an eight-point setback at Florida Atlantic, and four have been by 20 or more.

Augustine Rubit’s 24 points vs. FIU is a new career high and he added 11 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the year (T-1st in Sun Belt). It was the most points by a USA player in a double-double game since Tim Williams had 28 points and 12 rebounds at Troy on Jan. 30, 2010. Rubit has three double-doubles with at least 20 points and seven double-doubles in his last 12 outings, including in back-to-back games for the second time this season.

After his 19-point outing vs. FIU, Martino Brock is averaging 18.8 points over the last four games since missing the FAU game on Jan. 6 and has scored at least 17 each time. He tied his career high with eight made field goals.