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MOBILE, Ala. – Howard held the University of South Alabama men's basketball team to a season-low 30.6 percent shooting and James Daniel III scored a game-high 22 points in the Bison's 73-60 victory Tuesday night in the Gotham Classic at the Mitchell Center.

The Bison even their record at 7-7 while the Jaguars drop their fifth in row to fall to 2-8.

"I'm obviously really disappointed in our game tonight," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "I thought we came out very slow and got behind, but then we dug in and made some good plays. We kind of played back-and-forth and had a good stretch of about 10 to 12 minutes where we defended really well and did some good things. You go into the half, down three and we're holding steady, but you can just sense that the momentum was beginning to shift. We did not rebound the ball very well in the first half, then it really showed itself in the second half. They were a lot quicker to the ball. They were more physical. The ball meant more to them.

"We didn't get much movement. In the first half we had seven assists on eight field goals, which is outstanding. In the second half, we got really stagnant, stood around a lot and felt sorry for ourselves because shots weren't going in. No. 1, (James) Carlton got hot, and we didn't have an answer for him. That's how you get down 73-60."

Daniel made three 3-pointers and went 5-for-5 at the free-throw line for his 22 points and added four assists. James Carlton added 17 points and Marcel Boyd grabbed a game-best 14 rebounds.

Freshman Taishaun Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind.) paced the Jags with 17 points and new career-highs with three 3-pointers and four steals. Sophomore Ken Williams (Houston, Texas) recorded eight of his 11 points from the free-throw line, and tied a season-best with four assists.

The Bison took control midway through the second half with a 15-4 run, almost singlehandedly from Carlton, who contributed 11 of the 15 points.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars missed seven of their eight shots during that 5:25 stretch and fell behind 62-48 with 8:16 to play.

"When you have a really thin bench, your margin for error shrinks," Graves said. "Tonight, we saw that we had no answers, both on the offensive end and defensively. Carlton was able to get a basket anytime. Then when they did miss, we couldn't get the rebound. So you really compound those sort of problems and it makes for a long night."

South Alabama's 15 made field goals were a season low and the team was outscored 32-12 in the paint.

"We got impatient from the perimeter," Graves noted. "Then also, our bigs were really tentative about flashing in there, especially Abdul (Lewis) tonight. Dionte (Ferguson) had a rough night, going 1-6. When you're not able to get some production at the rim, 32-12 in the paint is not a very good recipe for us."

The Bison dominated the boards as well, winning the battle 46-32 overall with 23 offensive rebounds, almost double the previous high by an opponent entering the game (12 by Southern Miss and IUPUI). The 23 offensive boards led to 24 second-chance points.

"I think it was an effort thing," said Graves. "I think we weren't making shots on the other end, and we allowed that to affect our energy and effort on the defensive end on the floor."

Howard jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead to start the contest but South Alabama answered with seven unanswered to almost pull even. The Jags were able to hold the lead for nearly the final 12 minutes of the first half, starting at the 12:04 mark, but a 9-4 Bison run right before halftime—on two 3-pointers and a three-point play—gave them the lead for good.

The Jaguars will be off until after Christmas when they open Sun Belt Conference play Dec. 30 at home against Arkansas State.

NOTES: Junior John Brown (Charlotte, N.C.) was held out for precautionary reasons (back)… The Jaguars haven't hit the 70-point plateau in their current five-game skid… USA entered the game No. 1 in the conference in defensive rebounding percentage, but was outrebounded 23-20 on its defensive end tonight… The 24 second-chance points are double the previous high by a USA opponent this season… Johnson is averaging 17.5 points in his last two games… His night at the free-throw line (6-for-6) ties the best performance by a Jaguar this season (Brown vs. Carroll)… Williams set new career highs in free throws made (8) and attempted (10)… The Jags went 23-for-29 from the line, season highs in both categories; they had been averaging 10 made free throws and 15.9 attempts in losses this year… South Alabama assisted on seven of its eight field goals in the first half, but only two of seven in the second… Daniel's 22 points tie the most by a USA opponent this season… The Jaguars went 6 of 14 from 3-point land in the first half but 1 of 8 after intermission.

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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