Game Notes

MOBILE, Ala. – After a pair of losses where the University of South Alabama men's basketball team averaged 54 points, the Jaguars hope to regain the scoring touch Thursday night against Louisiana-Lafayette.

The game will be broadcast on 710 AM in Mobile and on iHeartRadio.com on the Internet, and subscribers to South Alabama All-Access can watch on USAJaguars.com. In-game updates can be found via live stats on USAJaguars.com or on Twitter at @SouthAlaMBK.

South Alabama (6-14, 4-5 SBC) has won five of the last six, and nine of the last 13, in the series against UL Lafayette. Ten of the last 12 meetings between the two schools have been decided by eight points or fewer.

The last time the two teams met, USA scored 89 points—its most in regulation vs. the Ragin' Cajuns since 2003—and was part of a run that saw the Jags score 71 or more in six consecutive games and average 82.7 points.

"I think it starts with more of a presence on the defensive end of the floor," South Alabama head coach Matthew Graves said of the Jags' recent struggles. "It's hard to get out in transition when teams are scoring the ball at a high rate. App State didn't score a lot of points, but they were very efficient with their scoring. NJIT scored a high number and were very efficient in the second half; we just didn't guard. We've got to get more of a defensive mindset if we want to get out in transition. That will solve a lot of issues."

Despite the recent scoring slump, USA still ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring in league games, averaging 75.0 points, and in field goal percentage (48.5%).

On Jan. 17 in Lafayette, South Alabama shot a season-best 66.7 percent for 54 points in the second half and rallied from a 15-point deficit in the first half and nine points at halftime.

Sophomore Ken Williams (Houston, Texas) had a career-high 28 points, part of a five-game run with 20 points or more. He was held to 10 points on Sunday.

Louisiana-Lafayette (11-9, 5-4 SBC) has lost four of its last five after a 4-0 start to the Sun Belt, but is the only school in the league averaging greater than 80 points per game (80.3).

"They're not only first in the league in scoring offense, but they have an outstanding inside-out scorer in Shawn Long," Graves said. "He can hurt you on the block or on the glass. In his last game, he hit five 3s, so he's an extremely versatile offensive threat. He's a hard matchup.

"The other thing they do is they get up and down the floor. They put your transition defense on its heels a little bit, so you have to get back. There will be a lot of possessions in the game Thursday, so we have to be focused every time the ball goes through the net because they'll be coming right back at us."

In their last four victories, ULL is averaging 87.8 points and shooting 54.0 percent from the floor. In their four conference losses, the team averages 67.8 points and shoots 36.5 percent.

"They're very dangerous," Graves stated. "They scored 96 points two games ago against Arkansas State and they're capable of that every night because of how fast they play. If you allow them to get in an offensive rhythm, it can be a long night. Keeping them out of transition and off the glass will give you a good opportunity to come out with a win."

Long, fifth in the league in scoring (17.1 ppg) and first in rebounding (9.9 rpg), was held to 6-for-18 shooting against South Alabama earlier this month, but he still scored 22 points on 10 free throws and grabbed 22 rebounds. He has scored 21 or more in three of his last four games with two double-doubles.

"It was a tale of two halves," Graves said of Long in the first meeting this year. "In the first half, he had a double-double, so we decided to double him in the post. It wasn't a true double-team but we paid a lot of attention to him, and I think we kept him off balance. I think that's what you have to do; if you game plan to double him every time he gets the ball, he's an excellent passer out of the post and he's surrounded by other weapons. We have to be diligent about doubling him sometimes, stay at home sometimes, and really mix it up to keep him off balance. That's the real key."

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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