Game Notes

Game 8 • South Alabama Jaguars (2-5) at Richmond Spiders (4-4)
December 18, 2014 • 7 p.m. • Robins Center (7,201) • Richmond, Va. • Gotham Classic

THE COACHES
South Alabama
Matthew Graves (Butler, 1998)
Record at USA: 13-25 (2nd year)
Overall Record: Same
Record vs. Richmond: 0-0

Richmond
Chris Mooney (Princeton, 1994)
Record at UR: 170-138 (10th year)
Overall Record: 188-148 (11th year)

LAST GAME
South Alabama gave up a 17-0 second-half run in a 78-68 loss at Pepperdine. Richmond held Howard to a season-low 41 points in a 54-41 win.

NEXT GAME
The Jaguars continue play in the Gotham Classic at IUPUI on Saturday. The Spiders face Pepperdine in Madison Square Garden.

ON THE AIR
Radio: 710 AM WNTM; J.D. Byars (pxp)
On the web: www.iheart.com/live/newsradio-710-wntm-1 (audio)

RANKINGS (through Dec. 16)
USA: #317 RPI, #262 Sagarin
UR: #55 RPI, #92 Sagarin

THE SERIES
First meeting.

OPENING TIP
South Alabama had its run of four straight games with a double-double—by four different players—snapped Monday at Pepperdine. Freshman Abdul Lewis had 10 rebounds but scored four points.

The Jaguars have been outshot by every opponent this season. Pepperdine converted 47.5 percent from the floor while the Jaguars shot 38.3 percent.
USA is 1-16 on the road the last two seasons. The win came at Western Kentucky last year.

The Jags dished out a season-best 15 assists at Pepperdine on 23 field goals. The assist-to-field goal ratio is also a season high and the team had just nine turnovers. Junior Barrington Stevens III and sophomore Ken Williams both gave out four assists with no turnovers.

Williams has three multi-assist games with no turnovers in his last four games, including seven assists and no miscues combined in his last two outings. He had one multi-assist-and-no-turnover game last season.

Stevens tied his career-high assist total with no turnovers with four and has moved up to third in the Sun Belt Conference and 41st in the nation in assist/turnover ratio at 2.9. In his last three games, Stevens has 11 assists and two turnovers.

The Jaguars used a different starting lineup for the first time this season as freshmen Taishaun Johnson and Lewis earned their first career starting assignments.

Johnson responded with 12 points to extend his run of games in double-digit scoring to six. He shot just 2-for-8 from the floor, but hit eight of his nine free-throw attempts and had two steals.

Lewis didn't have the best shooting night either (2-for-7, 4 points), but had a team-best 10 rebounds. He is averaging 11.0 rebounds in his last two games and has three double-digit rebound performances this season, best on the team. He ranks fourth in the league with 7.4 boards per game.

Senior Dionte Ferguson set a new personal best with 16 points Monday on 7 of 9 shooting. His field-goal percentage of 77.8 Monday is the best by a USA player in a game this season and he currently ranks fifth in the Sun Belt at 56.8.

Richmond is 33rd in the nation in scoring defense at 57.9 points per game, and allowed a season-low 41 points Saturday vs. Howard. The Spiders held Howard to 29.5 percent shooting from the floor overall and 17.4 percent in the second half.

Conversely, Richmond is 297th in scoring, having broken the 70-point barrier just twice and is averaging 50.0 points in its last two games.