Game Notes

MOBILE, Ala. – Following three straight games away from home, the University of South Alabama men's basketball team will play in the Mitchell Center for the first time since mid-November when the Jaguars take on Spring Hill Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.

Video—available to subscribers of South Alabama All-Access— and live stats will be available on USAJaguars.com, in-game updates will be provided via Twitter at @SouthAlaMBK, and fans can listen to the game on 710 AM or on iHeartRadio.com.

"I'm excited to be back and playing at the Mitchell Center in front of our own fans," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "Our guys are really excited to be back in their home arena. We need to see if we've learned our lessons from being on the road, what we need to do and how hard we need to prepare. To get back out there and play a game will be good for this team."

South Alabama fell to 1-3 after an 87-75 loss at No. 17/20 Miami Friday, which saw the Jags fall behind 23-0 to start the contest before outscoring the Hurricanes 75-64 the rest of the way. USA scored 54 second-half points—13 more than the first-half totals of the previous two games combined—with sophomore Ken Williams (Houston, Texas) putting up 14 of his team-high 16 points in the second half.

"We showed some resolve; we didn't quit," Graves said. "We kept fighting and actually executed really well in the second half and scored 54 points. It was great to see our offense start to flow a little bit and hopefully we can carry that over and gain some confidence and rhythm, and continue to play well on the offensive end of the floor.

"Defensively, we need to do a better job of not letting the ball get into the paint. We let the ball get in the paint too easily, whether guys cut in front of us or not being active in our gaps and controlling the ball handlers. We need to focus on containing the ball and not letting it get into the paint."

Graves hopes the Jaguars can overcome their early-game struggles that has seen them shoot 28.8 percent before halftime in their last two games for 41 total points.

"It's a confidence thing, so hopefully the confidence we gained against Miami in the second half will carry over into our first half against Spring Hill," Graves noted. "It's about playing with a greater sense of urgency and greater pace right from the opening tip, and not saying, 'I need a few possessions to get settled in and get my rhythm.' It's being ready to go when the ball is tipped. It's a lesson that you have to continue to learn, especially for a young team. Hopefully we're starting to learn that lesson."

South Alabama outrebounded Miami 43-35—with 22 offensive rebounds—to mark the third time this season USA won the battle of the boards. Senior Dionte Ferguson (Prattville, Ala.) pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds with nine coming on the offensive end. Ferguson leads the Sun Belt Conference and is 15th in the nation with 4.3 offensive rebounds per game.

The team is second in the league in rebounding margin (+3.8).

"Our effort has been really good on the offensive glass," Graves noted. "Certainly we've missed enough shots, the good thing is we're getting a lot of the shots back. Once we get those opportunities, we've got to either convert at the rim or look to kick it out. Defensively, we've done a good job of consistently making good contact and not allowing the other team to kill us on the offensive glass. Like I've said all along, if we can be even or slightly better rebounding, we're going to give ourselves a really good chance."

The Badgers (0-6) will be looking for their first win of the season after making the move up to NCAA Division II prior to the start of the 2014-15 year. Five of Spring Hill's losses have been by double-digits; the closest loss came 69-62 in overtime to Carroll, a team South Alabama defeated 83-64 in the season opener.

Robert Drummond is SHC's leading scorer at 11.3 points per game, shooting 52.0 percent from the floor and 46.2 percent from 3-point land.

"Spring Hill will play extremely hard," Graves said. "They'll be unique for us to guard because they'll be undersized at almost every position, so you can get into some matchups, especially with your big guys that have to guard out on the perimeter, so that makes it difficult. They run a true motion offense, which is different. A lot of teams these days will ball-screen, but they run a true motion so there's constant movement. They cut very hard so our guys have to understand they can't relax. That will be a great challenge for our defense in the halfcourt."

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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