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MOBILE, Ala. – Down 10-2 early in the contest, Arkansas State went on a 20-2 run—including 18 unanswered points—to walk away with an 85-61 win over the University of South Alabama men's basketball team Thursday night at the Mitchell Center.

The Red Wolves win their third straight game to improve to 14-8 and 7-4 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Jaguars drop their sixth straight contest to fall to 7-17 and 1-10.

Arkansas State went on spurts of 12-3 and 15-3 in the second half to hand South Alabama its worst home loss since 2008-09.

"We knew going into the game that it was going to be tough," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "They're a very good team and they were playing at a high level, coming off a good win. I thought we got off to a great start. We shared the ball, we moved the basketball and we got some post touches. During that stretch we missed a couple of shots that were good shots and we were playing in a good rhythm. Then we hit a spell where it was an 18-0 run and we just didn't get enough stops.

"In the second half, I felt like we traded some baskets and then they took off on us again. At one point they were shooting 81 percent from the floor and when a team, I think they were 13 of 16 at the time, there's something wrong there. It's not just on the players; we have to do a better job of figuring out ways that we can guard people. Right now we're struggling on the defensive end of the floor and it shows up. I felt like offensively, we scored enough to win the game, but you can't give up 85 points and expect to win."

The Red Wolves shot 52.8 percent for the game and 64.3 percent in the second half. ASU made 13 of its first 16 shots after halftime, including runs of six and seven conversions in a row.

Melvin Johnson III scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, all within a six-minute stretch where he accounted for 18 of the team's 22 points.

"They are the second-best offensive team in the league, statistically," Graves noted. "You go 18-for-18 from the line and you shoot almost 50 percent from the '3.' Let's face it, there were three or four of those shots from three that they don't normally make, but the problem is it was the three or four baskets or the couple of free throws that allowed their guys to really get in rhythm and do some things. When you're in a nice rhythm offensively that allows shots that you might not normally make, they go in because you're feeling really good about yourself."

The 18-0 run started with a 3-pointer from Johnson, and after three straight misses from the Jags, a layup from Kendrick Washington gave the Red Wolves their first lead of the contest at 14-12. USA turned the ball over on five of its next six possessions and Brandon Reed knocked home two free throws at the 9:24 mark to take a 22-12 lead.

The Jaguars responded with an 11-4 rally to cut the deficit to three after an Isaiah Maston (Birmingham, Ala.) triple, but the Red Wolves outscored USA 9-5 to end the half and led 35-28 at the break.

South Alabama got as close as five early in the second half but Johnson single-handedly increased the margin to 16 with seven unanswered points and a 15-3 run in just over five minutes gave ASU its largest lead of the contest at 28.

"We really played well the whole game," Red Wolves head coach John Brady said. "Defensively, we were good throughout, and then in the second half, offensively, we were really good. We haven't shot the ball like this at home, but we shoot it on the road. We really played well, and I was really proud of our guys and how they continued to defend the whole game."

Senior Augustine Rubit (Houston, Texas) poured in a team-best 23 points and senior Antoine Allen (Baltimore, Md.) was the only other Jaguar in double-digits with 10. Junior Mychal Ammons (Vicksburg, Miss.) grabbed seven rebounds and sophomore Barrington Stevens III (Allen, Texas) tied his career high with six assists.

South Alabama travels to Western Kentucky Saturday at 7 p.m. The game will be carried live on ESPN3.

NOTES: South Alabama scored the first seven points of the contest and led 10-2 less than four minutes into the game… The 24-point loss ties the biggest home defeat in the last six seasons; Troy won 94-70 on Jan. 15, 2009… Rubit jumped up to 14th in Sun Belt history with 1,798 points; he is three points shy of 13th in league history and third at South Alabama… Rubit recorded his eighth 20-point game of the year and second in a row… He reached double-digit points for the 93rd time in his career to move into second place by himself in the USA record book… Rubit has gone without a double-double in his last five games, the longest stretch in his career… Rubit's 15 points ties the most by a USA player in the first half this season…Stevens has set or tied a new career high in assists the last two games and is averaging 5.7 helpers over his last three outings… South Alabama has allowed two of its last three opponents to score 85 points after not permitting any opponent to do that in regulation in the first 21 games… ASU's 11 triples are the most by 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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