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MOBILE, Ala. – Georgia State went on a 13-4 run late in the second half and shot 60 percent after halftime in a 65-54 win over the University of South Alabama men's basketball team Saturday afternoon at the Mitchell Center.

The Panthers win for the fifth time in six games and go to 16-8 overall and 9-4 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Jaguars fall to 7-17 and 5-8.

USA rallied from a 12-point deficit in the first half and led by as many as four early in the second but GSU proved to be too tough in the late stages.

"The one thing I told the guys is that teams are going to make runs," Jaguar head coach Matthew Graves said. "We're going to make a run, they're going to make a run. Right now what we're running into is our runs, whether it's 8-2, 12-4 or whatever kind of run you want to put together, that run is to put us back in the game. We're not making that run when it's a tie game and going up six or eight, and kind of putting some pressure on them. I'm certainly very proud of how resilient the guys are and we need to figure out a way, when we're not scoring, to really get some stops and dig in so we don't dig ourselves such a hole."

The Jaguars shot a season-low 27.8 percent from the floor, including 25.9 percent in the second half, while the Panthers hit 42.9 percent for the game and 60.0 percent after halftime.

"A couple of those shots late were rushed to try to catch back up," Graves said. "I felt, especially in the first half, we got some really good looks from the 3-point line. We started rushing them a little bit as the score kind of got away from us. Guys got a little bit tighter. We just needed to get that one or two in a row to settle us down. It all really starts with if we get out in transition and get some free throws, we start feeling good about ourselves a little bit. We struggled to do that in the first half, and that's one of the reasons we got behind."

R.J. Hunter led all players with 19 points, and added five assists and three blocks and steals each. Kevin Ware had 15 points and Markus Crider added 14.

Freshman Taishaun Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind.) had 17 points on three 3-pointers for the Jags, and senior Dionte Ferguson (Prattville, Ala.) had 12 and three blocks.

"I think (Taishaun) did a very solid job," Graves noted. "Taishaun is one of our most competitive guys. He needs to continue to play like that and practice like that all the time as well and be competitive and stay focused. He scored the ball well. Again, I thought he did a really great job on R.J., who got 19 points."

Sophomore Ken Williams (Houston, Texas) scored all 11 of his points in the second half and junior Barrington Stevens III (Allen, Texas) poured in 10 points.

Freshman Abdul Lewis (Newark, N.J.) tied his career high with 12 rebounds.

The two teams traded a couple of big runs early in the second half and stood at 45-45 halfway through the period. From there, Ware started the game-changing run with a layup, five different Panthers contributed points, and almost seven minutes later, Georgia State led 58-49.

GSU's defense held USA to just one field goal in almost 10 minutes, as the Jags went 1-for-9 with four turnovers and trailed by eight with just under two minutes left.

Williams hit a 3-pointer—his only one of the night—with 56.7 seconds left to pull South Alabama within 59-54, but Georgia State went 6-for-6 at the foul line in the final minute and the Jags missed their last three shots.

"I thought it was a great team win, I thought the guys really buckled down defensively," Georgia State head coach Ron Hunter said. "I thought the guys just did a nice job. We willed ourselves to win; we had to have this one. This was a must win for us, we knew that and we got it and now we move on and get back to Atlanta."

USA missed their first seven shots from the floor and fell behind 24-12 with 3:31 left after a Hunter 3-pointer, but reeled off the next 12 points—going 4-for-5 from the floor over a 3:14 stretch—and two free throws from Hunter were the only thing that prevented a tie game at halftime.

The Jaguars go on the road to face in-state rival Troy Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.

NOTES: Georgia State has won a school-record four straight games in the series… Hunter and Johnson attended the same high school (Pike HS in Indianapolis, Ind.)… Stevens had his run of 12 straight assists without a turnover snapped; he finished with three apiece… Ferguson has 12 blocks in his last four games… South Alabama is averaging 53.2 points in its last five losses… Williams was held below two 3-pointers for the first time in five games; he is averaging 2.6 treys per game since the start of January… Lewis had 12 rebounds without attempting a field goal… The starting five for both teams combined to score all but four points in the game… GSU's Ryan Harrow, the Sun Belt's leading scorer at 20.4 per game, did not play due to a concussion… Hunter was held to a career-low point total against South Alabama; he entered the game averaging 26.3 points in three games… USA's second-half shooting percentage of 25.9 (7-27) tied a season low… The Panthers' nine blocks are the most by an opponent this year… Georgia State outscored South Alabama 30-18 in the paint and 21-12 off turnovers.

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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