MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's basketball team held Blue Mountain (Miss.) to 11 points in the first half and 20.0 percent shooting for the contest in an 88-35 win Monday night at the Mitchell Center.

The Jaguars improve to 2-0 on the year; the game was an exhibition for the Toppers (1-1).

"I thought to start the game we were a little bit anxious and I have to give credit to Blue Mountain because to start the game they really ran their offense well," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "They were very patient, they ran the shot clock down several times and that caused us offensively to be jumpy and looking for that magical 6, 8, 10-point play. What our guys have to understand is that we have to take it one possession at a time. We got a little anxious and missed some shots that we would normally make. We eventually settled down and got some subs in, then got the starters back in and played hard, especially defensively."

The Jags' 11 points allowed are tied for the fewest before halftime since Georgia State scored two in 1981-82, and the 35 points total are tied for the fifth-lowest total in school history.

The 53-point victory is also tied for the second largest in school history, and biggest since 1979-80.

Blue Mountain converted just 16.7 percent (4-24) in the first half, and made 10 of its 50 attempts from the floor, and went 3 for 21 from 3-point land for the game.

"Our guys are really buying into the fact if you want to win a championship, you have to guard," Graves said. "There's going to be nights that you don't shoot the basketball well and things aren't going your way offensively. You have to be able to guard. You look at the numbers, I don't care who you're playing, when you limit a team to 20 percent from the field, you're contesting, you're competing and you're blocking out. You're getting to the loose balls more often than not. I was really proud of our defensive effort tonight."

Four Jaguars reached the double-digit point plateau, led by senior Ken Williams (Houston, Texas), who recorded a game-high 14 points. He went 2 for 5 from 3-point land, setting the school's career 3-point attempt record (603) in the process, and is two points shy of 10th in USA history (1,307).

Junior Shaq Calhoun (Rome, Ga.) scored 11 points and tied his career high with four steals, and senior Nick Stover (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Trhae Mitchell (Austell, Ga.) came off the bench to pour in 12 and 10 points, respectively.

"I think we had some good moments," Graves noted. "You go through the stat sheet and you have a lot of guys that scored the basketball. We shared the ball well. Trhae Mitchell's stat line was phenomenal: four shots, 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one block and two steals. I thought he was extremely active. A couple of our shooters knocked down two 3s and got in a better rhythm. Anytime you see the ball go in it's a good thing."

After a slow start that saw the Jags hold an 8-7 advantage after eight minutes, USA finished the half on a 26-4 run and held the Toppers to just two field goals in the final 14:31.

The scoring outburst continued after halftime as South Alabama scored 22 of the first 27 points to build a 56-16 lead. The margin stretched as big as 58 with a minute left before settling on the 88-35 final.

"It really was a balanced scoring effort," Graves said. "I think the thing that I perceived watching, and I hope our fans did as well, was the bench. I thought our bench was outstanding. As guys were coming in and out, they were cheering for everybody and they were encouraging each other. That's the kind of energy that we need to continue to feed on."

The Jaguars continue their four-game homestand this weekend with the Red Diamond Roundball Classic, starting Friday with Florida International at 7:05 p.m.

"We're now 2-0 and you never take a win for granted. They're hard to come by and we have three big games this weekend starting with FIU."

NOTES: South Alabama has won its home opener for 25 straight seasons, dating back to 1992, and is 41-8 all time in home openers… USA is allowing its first two opponents to shoot 13.9 percent (5-36) from 3-point land… The Jaguars outscored the Toppers 44-10 in the paint, 28-7 off turnovers, 18-6 on second-chance points, and 46-23 on bench points, and held a 55-32 advantage on the boards… After hitting just 13 of 29 from the free-throw line tonight, the Jags are converting 44.7 percent from the stripe on the season… South Alabama has recorded back-to-back games with a positive assist/turnover ratio for the first time since January 2015, and the plus-15 assist/turnover margin over two games is the largest since 2008-09… USA shot 62.5 percent (20-32) from the floor and 50 percent (7-14) from 3-point territory after halftime.

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).

—USA—