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TROY, Ala. – Georgi Boyanov (Lovech, Bulgaria) recorded his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and four University of South Alabama men's basketball players scored in double-digits to give the Jaguars a 71-67 win over Troy Thursday night at Trojan Arena.

The Jags snapped a three-game skid and improved to 8-17 overall and 6-8 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Trojans dropped to 9-14, 4-10.

"There's no question we needed this win to get back on track and get refocused," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "Anytime you can win a game on the road in league play, it's a great thing. I thought our guys continued to battle throughout the game. It was a very well-played game, both teams made some runs and neither team really jumped out to a big lead. We were very fortunate that we made a lot of the right plays at the end of the game and came out with the victory."

Boyanov scored 12 points and had six rebounds after halftime. He shot 6-for-9 from the floor and had two steals and assists apiece, including one theft with 13 seconds left to help seal the win.

"His energy and effort were really tremendous tonight," Graves said. "He gave us a big boost. When Georgi gives us a double-double, we're 3-0. It's his effort and focus, and he's capable of doing that, he's just has to be more consistent about it. We need him to play well."

USA sophomore Taishaun Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind.) shared game-high honors with 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting. Senior Dionte Ferguson (Prattville, Ala.) had 14 points and seven rebounds, and sophomore Ken Williams (Houston, Texas) added 13 points and a career-best six assists.

"I thought Ken and Barrington (Stevens III) did great with their assists to turnovers and made the extra pass," Graves noted.

After Troy used an 8-0 run midway through the second half to go up three, South Alabama answered right back with a 10-1 spurt to take the lead for good. Johnson hit a layup and the 10-minute mark to get it going, then hit the first of back-to-back 3-pointers to go up 56-50 with 8:01 left.

The Trojans struck right back with four straight points to cut the margin down to two, but the Jaguars scored eight of the next 10 points and held Troy to one field goal in a six-minute stretch. The closest the Trojans would get in the last 5:33 would be four points.

Troy shot just 34.5 percent after halftime and 38.3 percent for the contest. The USA defense held the Trojans to 33.3 percent (4-12) on 3-pointers after converting 60.0 percent (6-10) in the first half.

"You have to give credit to our players and to Coach (Darnell) Archey," Graves said. "He did an outstanding job with the scouting report and the defensive scheme, calling out their actions. Our players did an excellent job of following through with that. We had three days to prepare for them; when we have three days to prepare for somebody and our guys stay locked in and focused, that's a recipe for success. Our scouting and preparation were top-notch this week."

All five Troy starters hit double-digit points. Kelton Ford had 17 points and Wesley Person tallied 14.

The Jaguars return home Saturday to host Texas-Arlington at 4:05 p.m.

NOTES: South Alabama's 36 points at halftime are its most in the first half since Jan. 8 vs. Appalachian State… Johnson has scored 17 points in each of his last two games… USA is 6-4 overall and 4-2 in the Sun Belt when leading at halftime… The Jags have four wins when a player records a double-double—three of those wins are when Boyanov has one… Williams' plus-five assist/turnover ratio is a personal best… Ferguson has multiple blocks in four of his last five games, with 14 rejections over that stretch… USA is averaging 81.8 points in SBC wins and 62.8 points in losses… Williams had three 3-pointers on the night to move into a tie for 10th in USA history for career treys with Ravonte Dantzler (1999-01), and Williams' 61 on the season is the second-most by a sophomore in school history… South Alabama has won seven of the last eight meetings with Troy.

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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