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MOBILE, Ala. – Freshman Mychal Ammons (Vicksburg, Miss.) scored a career-high 25 points and the University of South Alabama men’s basketball team shot a season-high 53.8 percent from the floor in a 74-57 victory over Arkansas State Thursday night at the Mitchell Center.

The win is South Alabama’s third straight at home. The Jags are now 13-10 overall and 5-7 in Sun Belt Conference play. The Red Wolves fall to 10-16, 4-7.

Six different USA players converted 50 percent or better from the field to contribute to the team’s best shooting performance of the season.

“I think this is the best overall game we’ve played since early in the season, since maybe LSU and some of those games where we were very focused,” said USA head coach Ronnie Arrow.

“I think the biggest thing with our team tonight is we had guys coming off the bench helping us so we could rest our starters,” Arrow continued. “I thought Dallas Jones, no doubt had his best game. Wendell Wright came in and contributed and we haven’t been getting that from the guys off the bench; we’ve been having to play our starters too many minutes and I think tonight we were about to rest them a good portion of the game.”

Ammons distributed his scoring output evenly, scoring 12 in the first half and 13 in the second. He shot 5-for-6 from the floor before halftime and 9-for-13 for the game. He just missed his first career double-double with nine rebounds.

“He is such a tremendous, not only person, but athlete and he’s learning the outside game,” Arrow said. “I keep saying that he’s never played outside before this year and he’s learning, making better decisions with the ball, he’s finishing inside and that’s what we need from him.”

Seven of Ammons’ points came at the free throw line in eight attempts and he added two steals.

Sophomore Augustine Rubit (Houston, Texas) had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Jags.

After falling behind by six early in the contest, South Alabama used a 19-7 run in just under seven minutes to take a six-point lead of its own with 4:57 left before halftime. The Red Wolves answered with four consecutive points, but the Jags scored the final six of the half, including a long jumper from Rubit as the clock expired.

A 3-pointer from ASU’s Ed Townsel got Arkansas State to within three in the early moments of the second half, but South Alabama countered with a 19-5 run, using its inside game to get 13 of those points either in the paint or at the free throw line. Senior Antione Lundy (Saginaw, Mich.) capped off the scoring burst with a triple.

“That was the least physical basketball team I’ve ever put on the floor tonight,” said Arkansas State head coach John Brady. “We had two problems tonight: we couldn’t guard and we weren’t very good offensively. When those two things happen, your team doesn’t play very well. They were so much more physical than we were. Thirty-two of their baskets were in the paint.”

Townsel was one of three Red Wolves in double-figure scoring with a team-high 17 points and three 3-pointers. Trey Finn and Darion Griswold came off the bench to tally 11 points each.

South Alabama travels to Louisiana at Monroe Saturday afternoon for a 2 p.m. start.

NOTES: USA’s 17-point win is the program’s biggest in Sun Belt play since defeating Florida Atlantic 91-70 on Feb. 14, 2009… Ammons’ 25 points are the third-most by a USA player this season… Arkansas State’s 23 rebounds are the second-fewest by a USA opponent this year (Denver, 19)… USA won the rebounding battle (34-23) for the 17th time in 23 games… The Jaguars shot a season-best 88.2 percent (15-17) from the free throw line… Junior Wendell Wright (Long Beach, Calif.) dished out a career-best four assists… Junior Javier Carter (Dallas, Texas), the Sun Belt’s leading shot blocker (2.9 blocks per game entering Thursday), played 14 minutes off the bench but failed to block a shot for the second consecutive game… He did record two steals and four rebounds… Sophomore Dallas Jones’ (New Market, Ala.) nine points tie the second most in his career.

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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