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MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men’s basketball team recorded its most points since the 2002-03 season and got career-high scoring nights from sophomore
Augustine Rubit (Houston, Texas) and senior
Antione Lundy (Saginaw, Mich.) in a 102-62 win over Alcorn State Sunday afternoon at the Mitchell Center.
The Jaguars reached the 100-point plateau for the first time since Jan. 6, 2007 and set new season highs with 37 field goals, five 3-pointers, 21 assists, 11 steals and 53 rebounds.
USA improves to 5-3 on the year while Alcorn State ends its seven-game road trip with a 1-7 mark.
“For a few games now we’ve been saying we haven’t scored any points,” said Jaguar head coach
Ronnie Arrow. “I think we’re scoring points, and have been scoring points in our half-court offense. We hadn’t been getting any easy buckets in transition. Tonight we did that.”
Rubit tallied 31 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season and 17th of his career. He shot 13-for-22 from the floor and blocked two shots.
Lundy came off the bench to pour in 18 points in 18 minutes of work and missed just one shot in eight attempts.
Freshman
Mychal Ammons (Vicksburg, Miss.) and junior
Freddie Goldstein (Milwaukee, Wis.) each totaled 12 points and junior
Trey Anderson (Carrollton, Texas) dished out five assists.
“I think Trey’s finally figuring out what his role is,” noted Arrow. “I think he struggled early. We knew that he was better than what he was showing. Now that he’s seeing, at this level, the physicalness and the opportunities that he has if he’ll push the ball. He should be one of the top assist guys in the conference, if not in the country.”
Anderson and Goldstein combined for eight assists and two turnovers. The Jags’ 10 turnovers are a season low.
Rubit helped South Alabama win the rebounding battle 53-31. Junior
Wendell Wright (Long Beach, Calif.) pulled down a personal-best seven.
“I really think that this team could be one of the top rebounding teams in the nation,” said Arrow. “We just have to go out there and do it every game. We’ve got enough power on this team inside to be able to come away with 18 or 20 rebounds every game.”
The Jaguars never trailed and had a double-digit lead as early as the 13:49 mark after two free throws from Anderson. The Braves did not help their cause, missing 18 of their first 21 shots from the floor.
A 20-3 USA run over a 6:46 span in the first half—including nine unanswered—put the Jags ahead 39-12. ASU missed eight straight shots at one point and had five turnovers.
“We didn’t play tough at all,” said Alcorn State head coach
Luther Riley. “It was a totally embarrassing effort on defense, offense, everything. Toughness is a concern for us. Competitiveness, playing with cerebral alertness – we didn’t do any of that.”
The lead reached as many as 44 points in the second half and the Jags hit triple-figures with 39 seconds left in the game on two
DeAndré Hersey (Carrollton, Ala.) free throws.
South Alabama hits the road Thursday for the first time since Nov. 23 when it travels to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for a 7 p.m. contest.
NOTES: All 11 USA players in uniform scored a point, including sophomore
Andre Gowins (Gautier, Miss.) who recorded his first points of the season… Junior
Jose Diaz (Miami, Fla.) scored a career-best five points, including his first-ever 3-pointer… The 102 points are the school’s most since tallying 123 against William Carey on Feb. 23, 2003… Rubit is the first Jag to reach the 30-point mark since
Gary Redus went for 32 at Troy on Jan. 27, 2011… Wright started for the first time since the season opener in place of Ammons… Ammons averages 13.5 points when coming off the bench and 4.3 when in a starting role… The Jags had 15 assists on 18 first-half field goals… The 15 assists were already a new season high for the team… Lundy’s shooting night (87.5%) is the best by a Jaguar this season… Rubit’s totals of 13 field goals and 22 attempts are new career highs... South Alabama blocked nine shots with seven different players getting at least one… The team also had seven players get at least one steal.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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