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KENNESAW, Ga. – Junior Georgi Boyanov (Lovech, Bulgaria) scored eight straight points late in the contest and the University of South Alabama men's basketball team held IUPUI scoreless over the final 5:18 in a 78-68 win Tuesday afternoon at the KSU Convocation Center.

USA snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 2-3. IUPUI fell to 2-4. The game was part of the Legends Classic.

"I'm excited and we'll have a chance to enjoy a nice Thanksgiving after a win," South Alabama head coach Matthew Graves said. "I'm really proud of the character and resolve that our guys showed today coming off a loss the night before. IUPUI made a run in the second half and our guys hung tough together.

"We played some different lineups tonight and I feel like once guys get used to playing in certain situations, we're going to continue to get better. Certainly today, I'm very proud of our effort."

South Alabama finished the contest with 14 unanswered points in the last five minutes immediately after an 11-4 IUPUI run gave them a 68-64 lead with 5:18 to play.

IUPUI missed its final seven shots of the game, part of a 25.0 percent effort in the second half and 34.8 percent for the game. USA blocked a season-high nine shots, getting three each from Boyanov and junior Tafari Whittingham (Brooklyn, N.Y.).

"I think it really bothered them when we switched to our zone and our guys were very active, used their hands well, and rotated and covered for each other," Graves said. "That's what being on a team is all about, helping each other, working together and having each other's backs. In that second half, we really showed a lot of character."

On the other end of the floor, USA went 4 for 7 overall and got six points each from Boyanov and senior Barrington Stevens III (Allen, Texas). Stevens recorded six of the team's final eight points, going 4 for 4 from the free-throw line in the last 53 seconds.

"We were able to spread them out with our ball-screen coverage, and our guards, when they have space to operate, we're doing a good job of either getting paint touches, getting to the rim, or getting some nice drop-offs to our bigs for finishes. I really liked the versatility we showed there in the last few minutes of the game."

Boyanov scored the first six points of the run, including a 3-pointer with 3:56 left in the game to give the Jaguars the lead for good. He tied his career high with 17 points and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds.

"Georgi, in the last two games, has played extremely well," Graves stated. "Obviously he has some work to do defensively but there's no one that cares more about winning on this team than Georgi. He does an outstanding job and he wants what's best for the team. I'm so happy that he's starting to see his hard work pay off."

Junior Ken Williams (Houston, Texas) led all scorers with 19 points and tied his career high with six assists. He shot 6 for 8 from the floor and hit twice from behind the 3-point line to move into fifth place in school history in career triples with 154.

"Ken has done a great job in the last two games of getting into more of a rhythm, getting some confidence going with his shot, and I'm looking forward to that continuing as we head out on the road again," Graves said.

South Alabama used a 10-2 run in the first half to take its largest lead up to that point, 37-28, on a 3-pointer from Williams at the 4:44 mark. It would be the last field goal for the Jaguars the rest of the half as IUPUI closed the period on a 9-2 run, including a layup with 3.5 seconds remaining to trail 39-37 at the break.

The largest lead for either team in the second half was five until USA's late run.

Stevens finished with 10 points, junior Don MuepoKelly (Fontana, Calif.) tied his career high for the second straight game with 11, and junior Nick Stover (Los Angeles, Calif.) set a new personal record with 10 rebounds.

Darell Combs came off the bench for IUPUI to score 18 points, and T.J. Henderson added 14

South Alabama closes out its five-game road trip Saturday at Denver. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. CST.

NOTES: South Alabama avenged an overtime loss to IUPUI last year in Indianapolis… USA shot better than 50 percent in each half and converted more than half its shots for the first time all season… Boyanov is averaging 16.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in his last two games while shooting 12 for 21 from the floor… He had five of the team's seven offensive rebounds… The team's seven offensive boards are the lowest in a game this year; the next lowest was 14 at LSU… Williams' six assists are the most by a Jaguar this season, and he's led the team in dishes four times in five games… Stover is the third USA player to grab double-digit boards this season… MuepoKelly has increased or tied his point total in every game this season; he has 10 or more in each of his last three outings, and has made 10 of his last 13 field-goal attempts… MuepoKelly earned his first start 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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