Game Notes

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's basketball team, currently in sixth-place in the Sun Belt Conference standings, will take on seventh-placed Texas State Wednesday night as both squads fight for a top-eight finish and a berth in the SBC Tournament.

Tip off will be at 7:05 p.m. at the Mitchell Center. Fans can listen on 710 AM in Mobile or on iHeartRadio, or watch on South Alabama All-Access on USAJaguars.com. Updates during the game will be provided via live stats on the USA home page and Twitter at @SouthAlaMBK.

"I think this game is important for two reasons: 1) you're playing at home and regardless of who you're playing, you want to protect your home court, and 2) having already lost to Texas State, you certainly don't want a team to sweep you, which affects tiebreakers and different scenarios on down the line," Jaguar head coach Matthew Graves said. "It's a big game for us and we need to play really well."

The Jaguars (7-15, 5-6 SBC) are coming off a 67-61 road loss Saturday at Louisiana-Monroe that saw USA fall behind by as many as 18 in the second half before a furious rally fell short. It marked the second straight game the Jags got behind by double-digits; against Louisiana-Lafayette on Thursday, USA completed a 13-point comeback in an 89-85 win.

"There's no question we need a complete, 40 minutes," Graves said. "We need guys playing with a high amount of energy and attention to detail. We need to come with our work helmets because Texas State is very physical and we did not play well against their physicality a few weeks ago."

Sophomore Ken Williams (Houston, Texas) and senior Dionte Ferguson (Prattville, Ala.) paced the Jaguars last week, averaging 21.0 and 17.0 points, respectively. Williams recorded his seventh 20-point performance of the season at ULM with a game-high 23 and hit three 3-pointers in each game. Ferguson shot 63.6 percent from the floor last week and had eight total blocks.

Texas State (10-10, 4-7 SBC) has lost five straight, including three consecutive at home since its 82-71 home win over South Alabama on Jan. 15. Four of the five were by single-digits, including one in overtime and one two-point decision.

"Some of their recent results are misleading; they played well against Louisiana-Lafayette all the way down until there were two or three minutes left," Graves noted. "Lafayette ended the game on a 14-1 run to open the game up late, so it was back and forth. That's what this league is; if you're able to go on a 7-0 or 10-2 run, and get some separation, you can win. All of these teams are very close in talent and it's the team that can play the best for 40 minutes and be able to stay focused that will come out on top."

The Bobcats have just one player in double-digit points: Emani Gant, who is 11th in the league with 14.1 per game. He scored a team-high 22 points—18 on 9 of 10 shooting in the first half alone—against the Jags in the first meeting, and leads Texas State with 6.7 rebounds per contest.

"We've got to meet his physicality; he absolutely beasted us on the inside," Graves said. "He got to the glass and where he wanted to on the dribble, and I was disappointed in our lack of physicality in playing them.

"We were not very solid the entire game. We were very jumpy and gambled for steals. We did not play very good position defense all night long."

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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