Game Notes

Game 16 • South Alabama Jaguars (6-9, 0-2) at Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans (7-7, 2-0)
January 9, 2014 • 7 p.m. • Jack Stephens Center (5,600) • Little Rock, Ark.

THE COACHES
South Alabama
Matthew Graves (Butler, 1998)
Record at USA: 6-9 (1st year)
Overall Record: 6-9 (1st year)
Record vs. Arkansas-Little Rock: 0-0

UALR
Steve Shields (Baylor, 1988)
Record at UALR: 171-150 (11th year)
Overall Record: Same

LAST GAME
South Alabama fell to 0-2 in Sun Belt play with a 73-63 loss to Georgia State on Saturday. Arkansas-Little Rock won on a buzzer-beater by Josh Hagins to defeat Texas-Arlington 72-70.

NEXT GAME
The Jaguars continue their stay in Arkansas and travel to Jonesboro to take on Arkansas State Saturday. The Trojans play host to Troy.

ON THE AIR
Radio: 105.5 WNSP (the station will be picking up UALR's broadcast feed)
On the web: www.wnsp.com (audio)

RANKINGS (through Jan. 7)
USA: #231 RPI (RealTimeRPI), #198 Sagarin
UALR: #173 RPI (RealTimeRPI), #221 Sagarin

THE SERIES
USA leads 25-14.

Current winning streak: USA, 2 wins
Last meeting: USA 70, UALR 66 (2/2/13)
UALR's last win in series: 75-50 (1/26/12) in Little Rock
USA's last win in Little Rock: 70-66 (2/2/13)
UALR's last win in Little Rock: 75-50 (1/26/12)
USA's record in Stephens Center: 3-1
USA's record in Little Rock: 9-9
USA's road streak: Won 1
USA's longest winning / losing streak in series: 6 / 3

Notes: Last season's victory by the Jaguars in Little Rock was the program's first since 2007-08… The Trojans' 75-50 win in 2011-12 was the second-biggest win by UALR in the series… USA has won nine of the last 12 meetings dating back to the 2005-06 season… UALR's win in Mobile on 1/22/09 ended a four-game USA winning streak in the series… USA won 10 of 11 from 3/2/97 to 3/3/01… The Jags are 6-1 vs. the Trojans in the SBC Tournament, including 3-1 at neutral sites… The lone loss came in 2010-11 (82-68) in the first round… South Alabama advanced to the SBC championship game in 2009 with a 54-44 win in Hot Springs.

OPENING TIP
South Alabama has lost four straight games for the first time since January 2011. Arkansas-Little Rock has won three straight and four of its last five.

After leading at halftime in the first eight games of the season, the Jaguars have trailed at the break in six of their last seven outings.

Georgia State shot 45.0 percent from 3-point range on Saturday, the most by a South Alabama opponent this season. GSU converted 57.1 percent in the first half but only 16.7 percent in the second. The Jags entered the contest 16th in the nation in 3-point percentage.

USA will be looking for its first win away from home of the season against UALR, holding a 0-4 road record and 0-2 mark in neutral sites.

After going scoreless in his Sun Belt opener vs. Western Kentucky, Ken Williams set a new personal-best with 19 points against Georgia State. Williams nailed five 3-pointers, the most in his young career, and grabbed a career-high seven rebounds. Since setting a then-career best with 15 points Dec. 7 at Rice, he had scored a combined 17 points in the five games prior to Saturday.

Augustine Rubit recorded his sixth double-double of the season—and first since Dec. 17—against Georgia State with 11 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. It was the 48th of his career, more than any other active Division I player. The 14 boards give him 1,038 total, the most among any NCAA player in any division.

Rubit is averaging 19.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in his last three games against the Trojans. He has three career double-doubles in five games vs. UALR, including two in a row.

Mychal Ammons blocked a game-high three shots against Georgia State, giving him a team-best 20 on the season. His 1.3 blocks-per-game average is fifth-best in the Sun Belt. He is just seven rejections shy of his season high of 27 set last season. Ammons has blocked three shots twice this year, previously doing it against Gonzaga, the most by any USA player this season.

Georgia State was held to just two offensive rebounds Saturday, leading to three second-chance points. The Jaguars had been outrebounded by a total of 18 in their previous two games, but won the rebounding battle 41-28.

UALR's Will Neighbour is in the Sun Belt's top 10 in four different categories, ranking seventh in scoring (16.5 ppg), sixth in rebounding (7.4 rpg), third in steals (1.6 spg) and fifth in 3-point percentage (.432).  In three career games against the Jaguars he is averaging 9.0 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 30.0 percent from the floor and 18.2 percent beyond the 3-point arc.