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MOBILE, Ala. – Arkansas State fought back from an 11-point deficit in the second half and despite a career night from University of South Alabama senior Dionte Ferguson (Prattville, Ala.), the Jaguars dropped a 63-60 overtime decision Tuesday night at the Mitchell Center.

The Red Wolves win their fourth straight to go to 6-4 overall and the Jaguars fall to 2-9 with their sixth straight defeat. It was the Sun Belt Conference opener for both schools.

"What a tremendous start to the Sun Belt season," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "That was a great game. I thought Arkansas State played well. I thought we did some really good things. Both teams really defended their butts off. Anytime teams are held to under 40 percent on field goals, you give yourself a chance. They defended. They defended. It came down to somebody making a play or two. [PJ] Hardwick banked in a shot, then [Cameron] Golden ended up hitting an off balance three as the shot clock expired.

"A lot of different things happened, but I am really proud of our effort tonight. We stayed together and played hard. We played through some adversity, and when it came down to it we didn't make enough shots from the perimeter. We had really good looks and sometimes you can't control whether you make the shot. You can control whether it is a good shot. We took good shots, for the most part, we just didn't make enough of them tonight."

USA trailed by three in the final seconds of overtime but two 3-pointers missed the mark.

Ferguson set new career highs with 18 points and five blocks, and recorded his second double-double of the year with a game-high-tying 13 rebounds.

"I think Dionte played like you want a senior to play and to set a tone in conference play," Graves noted. "He had a double-double and five blocked shots. He had great effort and great energy. We need that night in and night out from him, and he understands that. He got some extra individual work in the last couple of days and it paid off. The numbers prove it. We need him to set a tone and be a leader for us. He's not so much a leader in the way he talks but in his effort and work ethic. I was really proud of that."

Arkansas State used a 15-4 run over a 10-minute stretch, holding South Alabama to 1-for-10 shooting from the floor and eight turnovers while converting 6-for-13 on the other end, to tie the game at 45-45 with 6:13 left.

The two teams traded baskets on four consecutive trips down the floor until USA finally missed and ASU took just its second lead at 51-49 with 3:42 left.

South Alabama missed an opportunity to tie at the free-throw line with 2:19 remaining and Nouhoum Bocoum made the Jags pay with a second-chance layup to go up 53-50 with 1:48 on the clock.

Freshman Taishaun Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind.) responded on the other end with a 3-pointer to knot the game at 53-53 at the 1:29 mark.

Neither team was able to score for the remainder of regulation as the two squads combined for three missed shots and a turnover, and they found themselves tied again after a pair of made buckets in the first 2 ½ minutes of overtime.

The Red Wolves broke through on a fall-away 3-pointer from Cameron Golden as the shot clock expired with 2:23 left, and after forcing a stop, Charles Waters dunked home a missed Golden layup on the next trip down the floor.

A layup from USA freshman Abdul Lewis (Newark, N.J.) was answered with two free throws from P.J. Hardwick to maintain ASU's five-point advantage, but Johnson nailed his fourth triple of the night with 28.4 seconds remaining to pull within two. Golden went just 1 of 2 at the line on the other end but the Jaguars were unable to convert.

"We stole the win, but you have to give our team credit for having that toughness and the grit to keep fighting and keep coming back and making them miss and get some rebounds," Arkansas State head coach John Brady said. "Then we made enough big plays to win it."

Johnson finished with 17 points—one off his career high—and added three steals.

"Taishaun made some really big shots there for us," said Graves. "We need him to step up and continue to do that. I thought he did a good job with his defensive pressure, taking them out of some things they wanted to do. Again, we need more effort from him. In his first conference game, I thought Taishaun did an outstanding job."

Junior John Brown (Charlotte, N.C.) was the third Jaguar in double-digit points with 10.

The Red Wolves' Anthony Livingston recorded his fourth double-double of the year and third in a row with a team-high 16 points and 13 rebounds. Boucoum and Golden had 14 points and six rebounds each.

South Alabama goes on the road for its next two contests, starting Saturday vs. Texas-Arlington at 7:15 p.m.

NOTES: Johnson hit all four of the team's 3-pointers on the night; the rest of the squad went a combined 0-for-14 from behind the arc… South Alabama has lost its last five overtime games dating back to the start of the 2013-14 season… Arkansas State's 35.9 field goal percentage is the second-lowest by a USA opponent this season, and its 27.3 conversion rate in the first half is the lowest in any half by the opposition… The Jags won the shooting battle for the first time this season (39.1%-35.9%)… Ferguson's five blocks are the most in a game by a USA player since Augustine Rubit had five at Western Kentucky last Feb. 15… Ferguson has at least one rejection in his last seven outings with multiple blocks four times… The Jaguars have lost five of their last seven Sun Belt openers… ASU has won five straight in the series and seven of the last eight, but tonight is the closest victory during that stretch, and the Red Wolves improve to 3-0 in overtime vs. the Jags… Johnson is averaging 17.3 points in his last three games, and 3.5 steals in his last two… His four 3s and 4 of 6 shooting from distance tie the best by a USA player this season… All 10 of Brown's points came in the first half on 5-for-7 shooting, and it was his first double-digit scoring game since Southern Miss on Nov. 17… USA won the rebounding battle 45-41 after losing it 46-32 vs. Howard its last time out… Arkansas State's 11-point rally is the largest comeback win for a USA opponent this season.

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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