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

MOBILE, Ala. – A 20-5 second-half run and 20 consecutive free throws to end the game helped the University of South Alabama men’s basketball team defeat Troy 65-62 Thursday night at the Mitchell Center.

The Jaguars win for the fifth time in their last six games and move to 13-9 overall and 10-4 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Trojans fall to 10-14 and 5-8.

“That was a really hard-fought game,” USA interim head coach Jeff Price said. “I don't think anything is going to be easy for us at this point and it's just a really hard-fought game. To their credit, I thought that they did a great job of making things difficult for us on the offensive end. They play a zone, they play a switching soft man to man and it really had us back on our heels in the first half, really the first thirty minutes of the game. That's to their credit. We have to do a better job of attacking. Finally towards the end of the game I thought we took over the game. In the last seven or eight minutes I thought we got really aggressive. We got the ball inside and we got to the free throw line. And like I keep saying that's going to be the key to our team is to keep defending and keep getting to the free throw line.”

Junior Augustine Rubit (Houston, Texas) recorded his 13th double-double of the season for the Jaguars with 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Junior Dre Conner (Lauderhill, Fla.) posted 11 points, going 8-for-8 at the free throw line.

Troy’s Emil Jones paced all scorers with 23 points—15 in the second half—and had three steals. Hunter Williams had 12 points and four assists, and Antoine Myers posted 11 points.

The Jaguars started the game 4-for-13 at the free throw line before making 20 in a row to finish the contest. Senior Trey Anderson (Carrollton, Texas) made the first two with 10:25 left in the game and Rubit and Conner combined for the final 18, including USA’s last 16 points.

“Our free throw shooting was tremendous down the stretch,” Price said. “We had 20 consecutive free throws which is outstanding. That won the game for us.”

After the two teams traded leads multiple times in the first half, Troy took control early in the second with a 10-3 run to take its largest lead of the contest, 43-35 with 12:40 left.

The Jags started its game-changing run after that, answering the Trojans’ 10-3 run with one of their own, getting eight combined points from Rubit and senior Javier Carter (Dallas, Texas).

After two Troy free throws, South Alabama took the lead for the final time with 10 unanswered points, getting the final six at the line from Rubit and Conner.

The Trojans got as close as two points three different occasions and pulled within one (61-60) with 18.1 seconds left on a 3-pointer from Williams, but Rubit went to the line for two and Carter blocked a 3-point attempt with eight seconds remaining.

Jones hit two free throws with 3.6 seconds on the clock for Troy to make it a one-point game again but Rubit iced the contest with two conversions at the line and a desperation heave for the Trojans as the buzzer sounded was off the mark.

Carter finished with eight rebounds and five blocks. He made all three field goal attempts from the floor.

“I thought Javier defensively was really great,” Price said. “That's why I always put him in late. He got a block on a ‘3’ late in the game because of his length. And we were switching everyone one through five.”

South Alabama returns to action Saturday against Florida Atlantic. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game can be watched on the Sun Belt Network (CSS/Cox).

NOTES: South Alabama won for the first time this season when trailing at halftime (1-9)… After getting outrebounded for two straight games for the first time since the 2010-11 season, the Jags won the battle of the boards 37-32… USA’s 10-4 record is the program’s best after 14 games since the 2007-08 season… The Jaguars’ last five opponents have shot less than 40 percent from the floor and their last seven have shot a combined 24.3 percent from 3-point land… Rubit started 1-for-5 from the free throw line before making 10 straight to end the game; the 15 attempts are a new career high… Rubit reached the 20-point plateau for the first time since Jan. 17, a span of four games, the longest under-20 stretch for Rubit this season… He has four double-doubles in six career games against Troy… Rubit is one rebound shy of tying Curtis Kitchen of South Florida for 14th on the Sun Belt’s career rebounding list… Junior Antoine Allen (Baltimore, Md.) and Anderson were credited with three steals apiece; Anderson’s total is a new personal best… USA’s nine blocks tied a season high.

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—