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MOBILE, Ala. – Middle Tennessee hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 24.9 seconds left in regulation and the go-ahead bucket in the last minute of overtime to defeat the University of South Alabama men's basketball team 68-67 Saturday afternoon at the Mitchell Center.

The Blue Raiders snap a three-game losing streak to even its record at 4-4 while the Jaguars drop to 2-4.

"I thought it was an outstanding game," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "I wish more people could have had the chance to see it. We obviously came out on the wrong end of that, but I really feel like, for a complete game, that was the best we have played all year. That's a good sign. I didn't feel like after Tuesday's game with Spring Hill we were trending in the right direction. We came back today and were a little sloppy to start. We got down 10, but our guys fought back and played extremely hard. We shared the basketball more today and made the extra pass. I thought a few guys actually grew up a little bit."

Down four in overtime, South Alabama freshman Taishaun Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind.) nailed a 3-pointer and was fouled with 6.0 seconds left but was unable to hit the free throw. Middle Tennessee went back to the free-throw line with 4.2 seconds on the clock but was unable to convert. USA's last-ditch attempt at the buzzer was off the mark.

Both teams controlled one half of the game—Middle Tennessee never trailed before halftime, leading by as many as 10 points, but South Alabama rallied to pull within two at the break, then went up early in the second and fell behind just once before overtime. The biggest lead for either team after the 10-minute mark of the second half was five points.

The Jags went up 58-53 on a 3-pointer from junior Barrington Stevens III (Allen, Texas) with 3:44 left in regulation, but that would be the last USA field goal until overtime. Marcus Tarrance answered on the Blue Raiders' next possession with a layup, and just over a minute later, freshman Abdul Lewis (Newark, N.J.) converted twice at the charity stripe to go back up five.

MT outscored USA 6-1 after that, as Edward Simpson made a 3-pointer with 2:12 left and Jaqawn Raymond converted from distance with 24.9 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.

Perrin Buford opened the scoring in the extra frame 27 seconds in but sophomore Ken Williams (Houston, Texas) hit a triple for a 64-63 advantage. Jacquez Rozier put up Middle Tennessee's next three points, first on a free throw with 1:51 left to tie the game, then made a layup with 42.6 seconds left to go ahead by two.

Following a USA miss, Raymond went 2-for-2 at the free-throw line with 13.2 seconds remaining before Johnson's potential four-point play.

Lewis recorded his first-ever double-double with new career highs in points (17) and rebounds (12). He had 11 points and eight rebounds in the second half alone and led all players in both categories.

"I was really proud of him," Graves said of Lewis. "Those guys from Middle were older, more physical and he was right back at them. He fought them very well. To get a double-double in 36 minutes, we've had a guy that's done that a few times around here in the past. He did a great job playing hard and playing through some fatigue. What he needs to understand is that he's capable of doing this more and more. We look for bigger and better things ahead from Abdul. Once again, I'm really proud of how hard he competed tonight and played."

Lewis, who came off the bench, led a contingent of four Jaguars in double figures. Stevens had a season-best 14 on three 3-pointers, and Johnson and Williams had 10 each. Johnson dished out a game- and career-best six assists.

"Against Spring Hill we were awful at sharing the ball," Graves said. "On a scale of zero to 10, we were a zero at sharing the ball. Today I think we were more of a six or seven. We're not going to get it all in four days, but if we can build on that we can be a really fun team to watch. We have some skilled guys that can do some things. We have a couple of guys struggling right now, but once we get everyone clicking we have some really good pieces. We're going to continue to add. Certainly, brighter days are ahead for our program."

Rozier had 12 points to lead the Blue Raiders and Reggie Upshaw added 10 points and a team-best nine rebounds.

South Alabama embarks on a three-game cross-country road trip next week, starting Dec. 15 at 9 p.m. CST at Pepperdine.

NOTES: South Alabama has gotten a double-double from four different players in its last four games… Middle Tennessee has won the last seven meetings between the two schools, but this is the highest point total for South Alabama since an 80-68 home loss on Feb. 6, 2010… The Jaguars hit the 30-point mark in the first half for the first time since the season opener… USA came into the game ranked 17th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game and had 12 today, its second-lowest total of the year… The Jaguars won the battle of the boards (38-33) for the fifth time in six games in 2014-15… MT started 1-for-9 from 3-point land before hitting two of its last three attempts; USA went 4-for-16 from distance in regulation and 2-for-3 in overtime… Johnson's assist total of six ties the most by any Jaguar in the last two seasons… The Jags have been outshot by all six opponents this year.

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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