Game Notes

Game 12 • South Alabama Jaguars (2-9, 0-1) at Texas-Arlington Mavericks (7-4, 1-0)
January 3, 2015 • 7:15 p.m. • College Park Center (7,000) • Arlington, Texas

THE COACHES
South Alabama
Matthew Graves (Butler, 1998)
Record at USA: 13-29 (2nd year)
Overall Record: Same
Record vs. UTA: 1-1

UT Arlington
Scott Cross (Texas-Arlington, 1988)
Record at UTA: 144-117 (9th year)
Overall Record: Same

LAST GAME
South Alabama fell 63-60 at home in overtime to Arkansas State. Texas-Arlington held off Georgia Southern 62-61.

NEXT GAME
The Jaguars continue their road trip to Arkansas-Little Rock on Monday. The Mavericks travel to Troy.

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. 31)
USA: #347 RPI, #313 Sagarin
UTA: #87 RPI, #155 Sagarin

THE SERIES
USA leads 6-1.

Current winning streak: South Alabama, 1 win
UTA's last win in series: 73-65 (1/25/14)
Last meeting: South Alabama 78, UTA 73 (3/8/14)
USA's last win at the College Park Center: N/A
USA's last win in Arlington: 87-79 (12/17/77)
UTA's last win in Arlington: 73-65 (1/25/14)
USA's record in Arlington: 1-1
USA's road streak: Lost 1
USA's longest winning / losing streak in series: 5 / 1

Notes: Before Texas-Arlington entered the Sun Belt, the last game between the two schools was in 2003 and the one prior to that was in 1981… Six of the seven meetings have been decided by eight points or less… USA and UTA have met twice on neutral floors: in 1972 in Statesboro, Ga. and in 2003 in Tampa, Fla.

OPENING TIP
South Alabama closed out the 2013-14 campaign with four wins in its last seven games, including a 78-73 victory in the season finale over Texas-Arlington.

The Jaguars are 0-1 in Sun Belt Conference play for the fifth time in the last seven seasons and have lost their last five overtime games dating back to the start of 2013-14.

Last year in Arlington against the Jaguars, Lonnie McClanahan scored 19 points on 7 of 10 shooting. He was held to five points in Mobile, but Jamel Outler came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers for 13 points.

South Alabama outshot its opponent for the first time this season, winning the shooting battle vs. Arkansas State 39.1 percent to 35.9 percent.

Arkansas State's 35.9 percent shooting from the floor is the second lowest by an opponent this season, and the Red Wolves converted 26.3 percent from 3-point land. ASU shot 27.3 percent before halftime, USA's best defensive effort in a half all year. The Jags also tied a season high with six blocks, five coming from senior Dionte Ferguson.

Ferguson's blocks total is the most in a game by a USA player since Augustine Rubit had five at Western Kentucky last Feb. 15. Ferguson has a team-best 14 and ranks fifth in the Sun Belt with 1.3 per contest. He has at least one rejection in his last seven outings with multiple blocks four times.

Ferguson recorded his second-ever double-double—and first since Nov. 28 against Miami—with a career-high 18 points and 13 rebounds. It was his third double-digit scoring game of the year, and he did it on 8 of 13 shooting from the floor. Ferguson is averaging 10 rebounds in his last three games and ranks third in the league with 7.9 per outing.

Freshman Taishaun Johnson put up 17 points vs. Arkansas State, his ninth double-digit point performance in his last 10 games. He hit all four of the team's 3-pointers—the rest of the Jaguars went 0-for-14 from distance—for a new career high. Johnson is averaging 17.3 points and 3.0 triples in his last three games, and 3.5 steals in his last two.

Johnson has been effective getting to the free-throw line, attempting 45 on the season, second-most on the team behind Ferguson's 47, and is converting 77.8 percent at the stripe, 11th in the conference. He has made 17 of his last 19 attempts from the line.

Junior John Brown hit the 10-point plateau Tuesday—on 5-for-9 shooting—for the first time since Nov. 17 at Southern Miss. All 10 points came before halftime.