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MOBILE, Ala. – Little Rock held the University of South Alabama men's basketball team to 30 percent shooting in the second half – including nine straight misses over a nine-minute stretch – and put off a late rally to win 69-60 Wednesday night at the Mitchell Center.

The Trojans run their record to 11-1 overall while the Jaguars fall to 5-7. It was the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams.

South Alabama jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the first five minutes but was outscored by 25 points until mounting a late comeback.

"I was pleased with the way we came out and started the game," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "We made some really good plays and were patient offensively. We were rotating defensively and active. They're a good team. We knew they were going to make a run. We kind of went through a lull there. Five out of eight possessions we turned the ball over and that allowed them to get it up to nine at one point there in the first half. I thought we really battled back at the end of the first half and made some good plays. They missed their last seven shots so defensively it was good to see that we responded and got back in the game.

"There in the second half as it was going back and forth, I felt like we missed some opportunities and missed a couple of layups. I think at one stretch we were 1-5 from the free throw line. One of those was a one-and-one. Against a defensive team like Little Rock, you have to take advantage of those situations where instead of it being eight or nine, maybe the game is two or three and they get a little bit tight there. We never could quite make enough plays to get it down to where it was one possession."

The Trojans, who entered the contest as the nation's top scoring defense (54.7 ppg), forced the Jaguars to shoot 22.2 percent (4 of 18) to start the second half before a rally closed the gap to five points with just over a minute to play.

A triple from senior John Brown (Charlotte, N.C.) and an old-fashioned three-point play from freshman Nikola Marijan (Backi Brestovac, Serbia) cut the margin from 14 to eight with 2:37 to play, and after a pair of free throws from Little Rock's Josh Hagins, sophomore Shaq Calhoun (Rome, Ga.) hit another trey and Brown threw home a dunk to cap off an 11-2 run and get the lead down to five with 1:10 to play.

The Jags' hot streak ran out there as they finished the game 1 for 5 from the floor while the Trojans went 6 for 8 at the charity stripe.

Little Rock pulled away midway in the second half, using its defense to force nine consecutive misses and transform a slim three-point lead into a 14-point bulge. South Alabama didn't help itself at the line, missing five times in seven attempts – including three in a row – while UALR went 6 of 7.

"I think during that stretch we might have had a couple of quick shots, but that was also the stretch where we missed at least two layups and we missed some free throws so you've got to be able to convert layups and free throws," Graves stated. "They're going to make it tough enough on you, so when you have your opportunity you have to take advantage of that. Certainly on that nine-minute stretch we missed on some opportunities that we should have taken advantage of."

Brown came off the bench to post a team- and season-high 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor and 3-of-5 from 3-point land. Calhoun also had 14 points in a reserve role.

"I was really proud of them and what I told them in the locker room is, the starting group, some of those guys struggled tonight and you never know how many minutes you're going to get to play and when your number is called you've got to be ready," Graves noted. "Tonight, Shaq and John were ready and it might be a different deal on Saturday. On Saturday if Ken (Williams) comes out and gets it rolling, then John or Shaq may not play as many minutes. It's a team sport and guys have to step up, be ready to play when your number is called and if you play well and make great plays, you're going to play more minutes. It's pretty simple."

Junior Georgi Boyanov (Lovech, Bulgaria) recorded his third straight double-double with 12 points and a season-high-tying 12 rebounds.

Hagins led all scorers with 17 points on three 3-pointers, and Jalen Jackson added 11 points off the bench.

USA made four of its first eight shots of the contest and forced six straight misses in scoring the game's first 11 points, but UALR went 5 for 6 after that and tied the game with a 14-3 run.

South Alabama opens the 2016 calendar year at home Saturday against Arkansas State at 4:05 p.m.

NOTES: USA had won the last three games in the series after sweeping Little Rock last year, including a 57-55 Sun Belt Tournament win in the first round… After committing a combined 43 turnovers in its last two games, South Alabama had just 13 miscues against a team that was averaging 17.1 turnovers forced coming into the contest… USA is 0-7 this season when being outshot by its opponent… Boyanov's three straight double-doubles is the longest streak by a USA player since Javier Carter had three in a row in March 2013… Junior Ken Williams (Houston, Texas) tied Richard Law for fourth place on South Alabama's all-time 3-point list with 161, but had just three points on 1-for-8 shooting… Brown's scoring total is his highest since scoring a career-high 22 in his first Division I game last season… Calhoun is averaging 14.5 points in his last two outings, shooting 50 percent from the floor over that stretch… The Jaguars totaled just 18 points in the paint, one game after tallying 38 against Rice.

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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