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MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men’s basketball team held Spring Hill to 21.7 percent shooting in the second half and 28.3 percent for the game as the Jaguars used their defense to defeat the Badgers 73-40 in an exhibition Monday night at the Mitchell Center.

The game served as a final tune-up before the Jags officially open the 2012-13 Friday at Florida State (6 p.m. CST).

“I think that our defense was really good tonight,” said USA head coach Ronnie Arrow. “We held them to 28 percent. Last year we beat them by 24 and won 17 games. We’ll use it as a measuring stick. We’ve got to go to work because the next game is a big game for us and we’ve got a lot of work to do as far as taking care of the ball.”

South Alabama forced 28 Spring Hill turnovers and converted them into 20 points.

USA sophomore Mychal Ammons (Vicksburg, Miss.) scored 17 of his game-high 21 points in the second half and grabbed eight rebounds. He tallied 10 in a row late in the second half.

“I thought late in the game Mychal came up with some big things for us,” Arrow said.

Neither team shot the ball particularly well. South Alabama converted just 34.5 percent from the floor, including 29.0 percent in the first half.

The Jags’ shooting slump kept Spring Hill in the game early. USA went 0-for-10 with five turnovers in an almost eight-minute stretch that allowed the Badgers to close to within four (21-17) with 3:55 to play before halftime. The South Alabama defense did its part, holding Spring Hill to zero field goals over the final 6:21 and closed the first half on a 10-1 run.

“The press early was good but our half-court defense limited them and held them to 28 percent,” Arrow commented. “Any time you hold a team to 28 percent I think that’s pretty good.”

“In the first half, the press really hurt us; we couldn’t get our composure,” said Spring Hill head coach Robert Thompson.

USA’s scoring binge continued in the second half. The Jags went on a 10-0 run over a six-minute span to stretch an 11-point lead into a 42-21 advantage.

Alex Looney paced Spring Hill with 12 points; he was the only Badger in double-digit scoring and to make multiple field goals.

“I thought we gutted it out,” Thompson said. “We did a great job defensively, but the difference in the game was turnovers and our inability to shoot outside. I was proud of our kids’ effort; they came in and played hard for 40 minutes and held a good South Alabama team to under 40-percent from the field.”

Senior Freddie Goldstein (Milwaukee, Wis.) and junior Xavier Roberson (Houston, Texas) each had 13 points for the Jaguars. Junior Augustine Rubit (Houston, Texas) added 11 points and seven rebounds. Senior Javier Carter (Dallas, Texas) just missed a double-double with nine points and nine boards, and added four blocks and four steals. Goldstein and Ammons pulled down eight rebounds each.

NOTES: South Alabama and Spring Hill met in an exhibition for the second straight season… The two schools have played 19 times in the regular season… Roberson is coming back from a foot injury that held him out of USA’s final 16 games of the 2011-12 season… Rubit was held to two points and three rebounds in the first half… Both teams combined for 32 turnovers in the first half and 48 for the game.

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—