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MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's basketball team had four players—including two freshmen—in double-figure scoring and the Jaguar defense held William Carey to 35.1 percent shooting for the game in a 76-53 win Monday night at the Mitchell Center.

In two home games, USA has held the opposition to 31.6 percent shooting and 55.5 points per game.

"I thought we did a good job of playing with a lot of intensity early on," Jaguar head coach Matthew Graves said. "We came out and really defended well early. One of our goals was to really improve in our transition defense and for the most part we did that tonight. So that was certainly a step in the right direction from the game with Texas to now.

"We just need to continue to put together more of a full 40 minutes of action. We still have lulls in our game and part of that is having a young team and part of that is learning a new system. At the same time, the focus is each and every possession, you have to play it like it's your last possession and we're getting better at that but we still have a long ways to go."

The Jaguars improve to 2-1 on the year; the game was an exhibition for William Carey (2-0).

After allowing William Carey to end the first half on a 7-2 run to go into halftime down 38-28, the Jaguar defense permitted just one field goal over the first 5:43 of the second period and the Crusaders converted only 8 of 29 (27.6%) after halftime.

WCU, ranked No. 10 in the NAIA preseason poll, came into the game averaging 92 points in its first two games of the year.

"I thought (our defense) was really good and it started with our ability to sprint back and go to wall in transition," Graves noted. "If we don't give up baskets in transition, our system is very hard to score against. Our biggest concern and problem is getting back and getting the defense set. We like to see our shots go in and talk about it on the way down the floor so if we make a basket, we have to sprint and make a wall defensively. If we can do that, we're going to be a very tough team to score on all year."

"We knew in order to cut into that lead we had to have a well-executed second-half offensively, and we didn't get it done," William Carey head coach Steve Knight said. "We had some pretty good looks that just didn't go in."

USA senior Augustine Rubit (Houston, Texas) recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds, despite a subpar night at the free-throw line, shooting just 2-for-12.

The team didn't fare much better, converting 14 of their 30 attempts for 46.7 percent.

"Not concerned about it," Graves said of the free-throw shooting. "We can make a big deal about it, but you look in the Texas game and we shot almost 80 percent as a team. Tonight if you would have told me Augustine would have been 2-for-12 from the free throw line I wouldn't have believed it. It's one of those things that happens, you don't want it to happen. What we have to understand as a team and what Augustine needs to understand as an individual is that you can't let what just happened affect the next play. He let it affect the next play and the next play and the next play. So it's a learning experience for him and I have the utmost confidence that any of those guys will step up and make free throws in the next game. We're going to keep practicing the same way."

Freshmen T.J. Johnson (Tamarac, Fla.) and Ken Williams (Manvel, Texas) set new career highs with 12 and 11 points respectively. Johnson came off the bench and went 5-for-7 from the floor and 2-for-2 from 3-point territory, while Williams shot 4-for-6 and 3-for-4 on the night.

Williams entered Monday's contest on a 1-for-14 slump from long range.

"I spoke with Ken the other day and I told him if I'm doing a scouting report on you, I would simply say you're just a shooter because all you want to do stand around the 3-point line and not really look to attack," Graves said. "I thought tonight he did a good job of attacking the basket. He still made a couple of 3s I believe. He was in more of an attack mode, which if he has that mindset, he has a nice range game and the ability to take the ball to the basket. Earlier he was just settling for 3-point shots and not looking to attack. I told him tonight after the game I thought he did a better job of attacking and it showed in the stats. T.J., for a freshman in the system that we're trying to play, he does a tremendous job of getting to the right spot. Defensively, he is absolutely outstanding and I think as the year goes on he's going to play a big role on the defensive end of the floor. If he keeps making spot-on 3s he's going to keep going up. He's very reliable."

Sophomore Barrington Stevens III (Allen, Texas) recorded all 10 of his points in the second half, not missing any of his four field goal attempts, and added three assists.

The USA lead fell into single-digits just once in the second half, but the Crusaders wouldn't go away until a 12-3 run gave the Jags an 18-point margin. Junior Dionte Ferguson (Prattville, Ala.) started it off with a dunk and freshman Austin Karazsia (Linton, Ind.) added four straight, part of eight unanswered by South Alabama.

A 13-5 spurt in the final moments pushed the Jaguars' advantage to 25 with a minute left.

"I thought South played pretty steady all the way through," Knight said. "I also thought we did some good things with our presses. I thought we caused some havoc out there a few times. We just had too many turnovers – 22 turnovers – and they got some run-outs on a few of them. You've got to almost play a perfect game against a team like this. You don't go on the road against a DI opponent and shoot 27 percent in the second half and beat them."

WCU's Daron Bell and Donovan Walker shared game-high honors with 12 points apiece.

South Alabama hosts the CBE Classic this weekend, starting Friday with Southern Miss at 7:05 p.m.

NOTES: Rubit moved into fifth place in Sun Belt Conference history with 923 career rebounds and stands 10 shy of fourth place and 11 from third… He also blocked two shots to pass Ronald Douglas for fifth in school history with 97, and became the eighth player in school history with 500 made field goals… South Alabama has won nine straight home games, tied for the 10th-longest streak in school history… USA's six 3-pointers tonight are its lowest in a game this season; the Jags entered the game first in the Sun Belt with 11 per contest… South Alabama's 51.9 field goal percentage after halftime is its highest in any half this season… USA has committed 15 turnovers in each of its first three games… The Jaguars have held an opponent under 30 percent shooting in a half twice: vs. Detroit (25.6%, 2nd) and William Carey (27.6%, 2nd).

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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