MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama senior Ken Williams (Houston, Texas) scored 16 of his team-high 19 points in the second half and added seven assists in the Jaguars' 84-75 win over Youngstown State Saturday afternoon in the Red Diamond Roundball Classic at the Mitchell Center.

The Jaguars improve to 4-0 for the first time since the 1990-91 season; the Penguins fall to 1-3.

"I thought we came back off a short turnaround and tough game," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "We had a little bit of a slow start offensively, but once we got going, it was really good to see some of the veteran guys get it going. Nick (Stover) and Juice (Ken Williams) shot much better today. I thought Don (MuepoKelly) did a great job with the double-double and really competing.

"You've got to give a lot of credit to Youngstown State, we had them on the ropes a couple of times and they stepped up and made a couple big 3s. They're so hard to contain without fouling. We did a good job initially, but if Cameron Morse missed the shot, Jorden Kaufman was able to put it in. Overall, I'm really pleased with our effort."

Williams shot 6 for 13 from the field and 3 for 5 from 3-point land, and moved into second place at South Alabama with his 209th career 3-pointer, passing Demetric Bennett (2004-08). Williams' seven assists are one shy of his career best.

He also moved into 10th place in career scoring, moving past USA Hall of Famer Roger Webb with 1,327 points.

"He really got in a rhythm today," Graves said of Williams. "He's an extremely confident player when he gets in a rhythm. He puts such a pressure on the defense because of the way he can play off a ball screen and make the shot. He's really made this progression in this game where he can find other people and his seven assists to one turnover really speaks to that."

After a tie score at halftime, the Jags took control early in the second half, using a 12-0 run to take a 51-42 lead. Five different players contributed during the four-minute scoring burst, including 3-pointers from freshman Herb McGee (Reserve, La.) and Williams.

Youngstown State scored seven of the next 10 points to cut the deficit to five, but South Alabama countered with an 11-2 run to take its largest lead of the game, 65-51 with 8:22 to play.

The Penguins wouldn't go away and thanks to Cameron Morse, who scored 18 of his game-high 27 points after halftime, they got as close as four with just under a minute left, but missed their last three attempts as the Jags closed the contest out with five unanswered points.

"I thought our defense did really well with the exception of putting them on the free throw line a little too much," Graves stated. "We contested a lot of shots and we were able to rebound. When you look at the rebounding, it's even. That may sound crazy, but for our roster and where we are, if we can be even on the glass and keep our turnover percentage down, which it wasn't bad tonight, but it started to creep up a little bit because there were a lot more possessions because of how fast Youngstown State likes to play."

USA senior Don MuepoKelly (Fontana, Calif.) recorded his second double-double of the season with 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Senior Nick Stover (Los Angeles, Calif.) came off the bench to tally 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and McGee added 10 points on three 3-pointers.

"We're starting to slowly develop the understanding that on any given night it's the next man up," Graves said. "Tonight we had different guys step up and play well. For example, it's not that Josh (Ajayi) played bad with nine (points) and four (rebounds), but he wasn't 27 (points) and 10 (rebounds). Tonight you have Nick Stover shoot 70 percent from the floor with 16 points and two assists, and you have (Williams) get 19 (points) and seven (assists). Herb (McGee) stepped up and makes three big 3s throughout the game. That really helped his confidence.

"Having all those different pieces, yes it can get challenging at times and the points get uneven, but at the end of the day, the guys have to understand that the coaching staff is going to play the guys who are playing well. The sooner we understand that from a player's standpoint, the sooner we'll have a complete buy-in."

Morse went 10 for 10 at the free-throw line for his 27 points and added six rebounds and assists each. Jorden Kaufman posted a double-double with 17 points and a game-best 14 rebounds.

The Jaguars wrap up the Red Diamond Roundball Classic Sunday at 3:05 p.m. against Jacksonville.

NOTES: A win Sunday would match the school's best-ever start to a season… USA has won four straight under Graves for the first time… Each of South Alabama's first four opponents have shot less than 37 percent from the floor and 30 percent from 3-point land… Junior Shaq Calhoun's (Rome, Ga.) streak of scoring 11 points in three straight games came to an end as he had five in 17 minutes before fouling out… Williams is in a three-way tie for ninth at USA with Rory White (1977-82) and Junie Lewis (1986-89) for career free throws made (262)… Williams needs 40 more triples to tie Derek Turner's (1988-92) school record… South Alabama has posted a positive assist/turnover ratio in three of the team's first four games… The USA bench outscored YSU's 37-9.

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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