Game Notes

MOBILE, Ala. – After a come-from-behind victory at Troy Tuesday, the University of South Alabama men's basketball team will try for consecutive wins Saturday when they host Appalachian State at the Mitchell Center.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Fans can follow the action via live stats on USAJaguars.com, Twitter at @SouthAlaMBK, audio on 710 AM or www.iheart.com/live/newsradio-710-wntm-1, or video on JagNationTV.com.

"I was really pleased with getting a road victory at Troy after two losses in Louisiana," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "We've got some confidence coming back home and we're looking forward to getting back in front of our fans in the Mitchell Center."

The Jaguars (8-12, 3-6) will be going for back-to-back victories for the second time this season before heading out for another road trip to Sun Belt Conference-leader Little Rock and Arkansas State.

"I think it's crucial," Graves said of getting consecutive wins. "We lost some spots in the standings losing home games, so we need to do a much better job of protecting our home court. You could argue this is the biggest game of the season on Saturday as we try to climb up the standings and put ourselves in position to be in that top eight."

Junior Ken Williams (Houston, Texas), who dished out a career-best eight assists at Troy, scored a then-career high 26 points against the Mountaineers last season in Mobile, shooting 5 for 6 from 3-point land to start a five-game run with 20 points or more.

App State (6-14, 4-5) opened the 2015-16 with a 2-12 record that included a nine-game losing streak, but since then has won four of its last six, and defeated Troy 75-71 Thursday night on the road. One of their two recent losses was a 101-100 setback to Georgia Southern after the Eagles converted a four-point play at the buzzer.

"I think Coach (Jim) Fox has them playing at a really good level right now," Graves said. "They're winning games in a variety of ways. They have an outstanding scorer, if not the best scorer, in the league in Frank Eaves. They've got some complementary pieces that are starting to play better and better, and when you watch them on film, you can clearly see they're getting more comfortable with each other as each game goes by."

The Mountaineers have the conference's top scorer in Eaves, who is averaging 21.3 points per game, and a league-best 3.5 triples per contest. He also ranks second in 3-point percentage (.455) and fifth in free-throw percentage (.829).

Eaves averaged 18.0 ppg against South Alabama last season while shooting 50 percent from the floor.

"You have to constantly be aware of where he is because he's capable of getting 30 (points) on you on any given night," Graves noted. "You have to have a great awareness of him, communicate, rotate and be very active. At the same time, they've got other players that can hurt you, but first and foremost, he gets a lot of attention, and you have to get back and challenge their other guys because they're capable of beating you as well."

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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