Game Notes

Game 25 • South Alabama Jaguars (7-17, 5-8) at Troy Trojans (9-13, 4-9)
February 12, 2015 • 7:30 p.m. • Trojan Arena (5,200) • Troy, Ala.

THE COACHES
South Alabama
Matthew Graves (Butler, 1998)
Record at USA: 18-37 (2nd year)
Overall Record: Same
Record vs. Troy: 1-1

Troy
Phil Cunningham (Campbellsville, 1990)
Record at Troy: 11-20 (2nd year)
Overall Record: Same

LAST GAME
South Alabama rallied from a 12-point deficit but let Georgia State pull away in a 65-54 loss. Troy lost 65-62 at Appalachian State.

NEXT GAME
The Jaguars come home to host Texas-Arlington Saturday. The Trojans take on Louisiana-Lafayette.

ON THE AIR
Radio: 710 AM WNTM; J.D. Byars (pxp)
On the web: www.iheart.com/live/newsradio-710-wntm-1 (audio); South Alabama All-Access (video)

RANKINGS (through Feb. 10)
USA: #315 RPI, #304 Sagarin
Troy: #297 RPI, #291 Sagarin

THE SERIES
USA leads 16-7.

Current winning streak: South Alabama, 1 win
Troy's last win in series: 79-74 (2/6/14) in Troy
Last meeting: South Alabama 86, Troy 78 (2/22/14)
USA's last win at Trojan Arena: 53-49 (3/2/13)
USA's record at Trojan Arena: 1-1
USA's record in Troy: 6-3
USA's road streak: Lost 1
USA's longest winning / losing streak in series: 5 / 2

Notes: Despite the in-state rivals being separated by about 170 miles, the two schools have met just 23 times; all but two of the meetings came after Troy joined the Sun Belt in 2005… South Alabama won the two pre-Sun Belt clashes in 1993 and 1995… The Jaguars won the first five games in the series and seven of the first eight… A buzzer-beating shot gave USA a 69-67 victory in Mobile on Jan. 16, 2010… Freddie Goldstein set a new school record with nine 3-pointers in the 2011-12 season at Troy… USA leads the series 2-1 in games played at the Sun Belt Tournament, including an 87-81 victory in 2011-12 in the first round… Troy snapped a five-game skid last year in Troy.

OPENING TIP
South Alabama is averaging 53.2 points in its last five losses.

In the Jaguars' five Sun Belt Conference wins they average 84.0 points, but only 62.8 points in eight losses. USA has scored 53, 55, 61, 43 and 54 points in its last five defeats.

After scoring 18 points apiece in the first half at Louisiana-Monroe and Texas State, the Jaguars scored 24 before halftime Saturday. Twelve of those points came in a span of 2:52, a 12-0 first-half run that tied the game at 24-24.

Freshman Taishaun Johnson led the Jaguars with 17 points vs. Georgia State; he scored 15 points in the previous two games combined.

Sophomore Ken Williams scored all 11 points Saturday in the second half, going 6-for-6 at the free-throw line, and tied his career high with seven rebounds. He had one 3-pointer, his fewest in a game since going 0-for-5 at Appalachian State on Jan. 22. Williams is averaging 2.6 treys per game since the start of January, and 2.4 per game on the season, fourth best in the conference. He needs three triples to tie for 10th all time at South Alabama.

Williams is seventh in the league in scoring average at 14.9 ppg.

Williams averaged 15.5 points against Troy last season, shooting 48.0 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent from 3-point land. He had 18 on four triples with four assists in Mobile.

Freshman Abdul Lewis tied his career high with 12 rebounds Saturday, grabbing five offensive and seven defensive boards. He did that without attempting a single field goal.

Lewis' 12 boards moved him up to a team-best 6.7 per game, eighth in the SBC.

Junior Barrington Stevens III committed three turnovers against the Panthers, his first in four games. He had 12 assists without a miscue the previous three games, including six in a win over Louisiana-Lafayette.

Stevens leads the Sun Belt in assist/turnover ratio at 2.3, and is eighth in assists (3.4 apg).

Stevens scored 10 points on 4 of 10 shooting vs. GSU and drilled two 3-pointers. He scored four points combined on 2 of 14 (14.3%) shooting in the previous two contests.

Stevens averaged 12.0 points vs. Troy a season ago, converting 10 of his 18 attempts from the floor, including 9 of 11 inside the arc. He had nine assists with just three turnovers, including a six-assist, one-turnover performance in Troy.

With three blocks Saturday, senior Dionte Ferguson now has 12 in his last four games, and ranks third in the league with 1.5 per contest.