Box Score (html)
Box Score (pdf)
Photo Gallery

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men’s basketball team held Alabama A&M to 18.5 percent shooting in the first half and got a double-double from junior Antione Lundy (Saginaw, Mich.) in a 67-44 win Saturday night at the Mitchell Center.

The Jaguars win their third straight game—the program’s longest streak in almost a year—to improve to 4-2 on the season. The Bulldogs drop to 2-3.

USA jumped out to a 29-14 lead at halftime thanks to a stifling defense that held its second straight opponent to under 32 percent shooting for the game.

“The first half was the difference in our defense,” said USA head coach Ronnie Arrow. “Any time you can hold a team to 14 points at this level that means you’re getting after it defensively.”

Lundy set new career highs in both points (13) and rebounds (14). He nearly had a double-double in the first half with nine points and 12 boards, and added a personal-best three assists.

“There’s no question that he gave us some lift,” Arrow said. “We weren’t scoring inside. We were struggling in there, and he came in and gave us some really good minutes inside scoring-wise and defensively. He took a couple charges in there.”

Junior Freddie Goldstein (Milwaukee, Wis.) also enjoyed a career night, leading the Jags with a personal-best 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting. He converted two of his three 3-point attempts and had three assists.

“He’s been steady,” Arrow commented. “We’d like for him to have more assists and less turnovers, but he’s playing the point probably for the first time for that many minutes. He’s doing a good job. We need to just be able for him to get more and more where he can get people open for him to get assists and for us to get some easy buckets, especially in transition.”

The USA defense clamped down in the first half, holding AAMU without a field goal for two extended periods. The Bulldogs went 0-for-10 from the floor twice over a span of 9:46 and 7:33 before halftime, the second of which allowed the Jaguars to go on a 14-0 run to break open a three-point contest.

The huge run came exclusively from Goldstein and Lundy, who combined for all 14 points. Goldstein started the rally with a 3-pointer, followed by a jumper and two free throws from Lundy. The pair alternated scores from there, getting another ‘3’ from Goldstein and a layup each.

The duo combined to score the team’s final 15 points of the first half.

South Alabama stretched its lead to as many as 29 after halftime with an 11-0 spurt, getting points from five different players.

All told, 10 of the 12 USA players who saw action contributed to the scoring total.

Junior Javier Carter (Dallas, Texas) added 10 points and four blocks for the Jaguars.

AAMU’s Jeremy Crutcher recorded a team-high 11 points and five assists. Casey Canty, the Bulldogs’ leading scorer coming into the contest (15.5 ppg), was held to six points and had five turnovers.

South Alabama hosts Conference USA opponent Southern Miss Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m.

NOTES: The Jaguars won the rebounding battle 47-30 and are 4-0 this season when outrebounding their opponent… The team has blocked 20 shots in its last two games and Carter has 11 rejections over that span… USA shot 11-for-26 from the floor in both the first and second halves… Rubit had eight points and nine rebounds, ending his streak of leading the team in scoring at five games… Roberson tallied nine points; he had been averaging 16.7 points in USA’s wins… Freshman Mychal Ammons (Vicksburg, Miss.) set a new career high with three blocks… Alabama A&M missed its first 11 3-point attempts… Lundy’s 14 rebounds are the most by a USA player other than Rubit since Brandon Davis grabbed 16 boards against New Orleans on Jan. 31, 2009.

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).

—USA—