Game Notes

Game 13 • South Alabama Jaguars (6-6, 3-1) at Louisiana at Monroe Warhawks (2-7, 1-2)
January 3, 2013 • 7:30 p.m. • Fant-Ewing Coliseum (7,000) • Monroe, La.

THE COACHES
South Alabama
Jeff Price (Pikeville, 1981) - Interim
Record at USA: 1-1 (1st year)
Overall Record: 294-187 (18th year)
Record vs. ULM: 0-0

La.-Monroe
Keith Richard (ULM, 1982)
Record at ULM: 12-57 (3rd year)
Overall Record: 162-174 (12th year)

LAST GAME
South Alabama suffered its worst shooting night of the season in a 63-54 loss to Arkansas State. Louisiana at Monroe hit a 3-pointer with eight seconds left to defeat Florida Atlantic 65-64.

NEXT GAME
The Jaguars return home to host Middle Tennessee Saturday. The Warhawks travel to North Texas.

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

RANKINGS (Through Jan. 1)
USA: #256 RPI (RealTimeRPI), #210 Sagarin
ULM: #292 RPI (RealTimeRPI), #319 Sagarin

THE SERIES
USA leads 9-4.

Current winning streak: South Alabama, 1 win
ULM’s last win in series: 67-65 (1/15/11)
Last meeting: South Alabama 88, ULM 86 (2/11/12)
USA’s last win at Fant-Ewing Coliseum: 88-86 (2/11/12)
ULM’s last win at Fant-Ewing Coliseum: 61-58 (1/14/10)
USA’s record at Fant-Ewing Coliseum: 5-2
USA’s road streak: Won 1
USA’s longest winning / losing streak in series: 7 / 2

Notes: The last three meetings have been decided by a combined seven points… ULM broke a seven-game losing streak to South Alabama during the 2009-10 season in Monroe, 61-58 and won again in Mobile the next season 67-65… Freddie Goldstein tied his own school record with nine 3-pointers in USA’s 88-86 win in Monroe last season, to end a two-game skid to the Warhawks… ULM’s two-game win streak matched the program’s longest against South Alabama… USA’s average margin of victory in its seven-game win streak was 15.3 points… The two schools played four times in 1975 and 1976 but didn’t resume the series until 2005… The Jags’ last two wins at home have been by seven points.

OPENING TIP
Despite leading the series against ULM 9-4, South Alabama has lost two of the last three meetings, and the lone victory was an 88-86 win last season in Monroe.

In that win, Freddie Goldstein tied his own school record with nine 3-pointers, part of a team effort that netted a season-high 14 trifectas, the most by the program since February 2008.

The Jaguars are coming off a season-worst 4-for-27 performance from 3-point land against Arkansas State Saturday. USA entered the game first in the Sun Belt in 3-point percentage and third in 3-pointers per game.

One game after becoming the 14th member of USA’s 1,000-point club, Augustine Rubit moved into 13th place on the school’s career scoring list with 20 points, his seventh 20-point performance of the season. He needs 12 points to pass Henry Williams for 12th place; Rubit recently passed Williams for fourth place at USA in career rebounds.

Rubit is averaging 21.5 points and 14.3 rebounds in his last four outings, recording a double-double in all four games to tie his career long streak set late last season. Rubit ranks second in the Sun Belt and eighth in Division I with seven double-doubles on the year. He has scored 20 or more in three of his last four games (19 vs. UALR) and is second in the league in scoring average (18.9 ppg).

Rubit pulled down 17 rebounds against the Red Wolves which is tied for the fifth most in a game in his career. He has 10 or more boards in five straight games and in eight of his last nine. He leads the league in rebounding (10.8 rpg) and is ninth in the nation.

After blocking just three shots total in consecutive games vs. UAB and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Jaguars have rejected 12 in their last two contests, thanks to Rubit’s four and Javier Carter’s three. Carter has blocked a shot in six straight games and is third in the Sun Belt and 38th in the nation in blocks per game (2.4).

The Warhawks rank 344th out of 345 teams in free throw percentage (54.6%), 338th in scoring offense (56.0 ppg) and 326th in turnovers per game (17.1).

In spite of ULM’s futility on offense, Trent Mackey, the team’s leading scorer at 12.6 ppg, is 18th in the nation in 3-point percentage (45.8%) and 19th in 3-pointers per game (3.0). He had 11 points against the Jaguars last season, converting three times in four attempts from behind the arc.