OXFORD, Miss. – The University of South Alabama men's basketball team sustained two extended periods without a point in a 92-58 loss at Ole Miss Thursday night at the Pavilion at Ole Miss.

The Jaguars conclude non-conference play with a 7-6 record. The Rebels move to 9-3 on the year.

"I'm obviously disappointed," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "Early in the game I thought we were defending well – we were holding them under one point per possession, which is our goal – but obviously we weren't able to score the ball. I don't think it was necessarily a product of taking bad shots, it was we weren't strong with the ball when we got the ball inside. I think at one point we were 3 of 14 on shots around the rim in the first half.

"They are bigger, they are longer, but you have to be able to convert in the paint against these guys."

South Alabama, which shot a season-low 28.8 percent from the floor, went scoreless for a stretch of 7:29 in the first half – part of a 14-0 Ole Miss run – then was unable to record a point for a 5:26 stretch in the second half as the Rebels put up 20 unanswered.

"It was frustrating but I'm pleased we didn't jack up a bunch of 3s," Graves stated. "I thought for the most part, the 3s that we took were in rhythm and the right shot – certainly we had a couple that we would want back – but we have to be more efficient around the rim. That's one thing early in the season we were doing; we were shooting over 50 percent on 2-point shots.

"Tonight, whether it was their length, or their physicality, we didn't do a good job of finishing around the rim."

The Jags trailed by just two with 14:08 on the clock in the first half before the Rebs broke the contest open. Terence Davis started the rally with a 3-pointer, and Justas Furmanavicius finished it off with seven in a row for a 24-8 lead.

USA went 0 for 11 from the floor during that stretch, with nine shots coming inside the 3-point arc, and had four turnovers.

Trailing by as many as 22, the Jaguars attempted a comeback, scoring seven unanswered to trail by 12 with 13:53 to play, but the Rebels answered with a 26-5 run, including 20 in a row.

Eight of Ole Miss' 20 points came at the free-throw line during that stretch while South Alabama missed five consecutive attempts from the floor.

Senior Nick Stover (Los Angeles, Calif.) came off the bench to pace the Jaguars with 17 points, shooting 6 for 13 from the floor and 3 for 6 from 3-point land.

"I thought Nick came out and played very aggressively," Graves noted. "As long as he plays within himself, he does a really good job for us. He's got a nice shot when his feet are set, and when he takes his time with the basketball, he's really efficient. We need for him to stay that way and stay positive, and hopefully we can get a couple of other guys – especially our guards – to play better."

Senior Georgi Boyanov (Lovech, Bulgaria) added 10 points, two assists and two steals, and senior Don MuepoKelly (Fontana, Calif.) recorded his third double-digit rebounding game of the year with 10.

Ole Miss' Sebastian Saiz – the leading rebounder in the SEC – posted his seventh double-double of the season with game-highs of 23 points and 16 rebounds. Deandre Burnett joined him in the 20-point club with 21 on four 3-pointers, and Cullen Neal added nine assists and no turnovers.

The Jaguars open Sun Belt Conference play at home Jan. 2 against Troy.

NOTES: South Alabama has lost four in a row in the series and is 1-5 overall against Ole Miss… The Jaguars have posted a negative assist/turnover ratio in 5 of 6 losses this season, and are minus-29 overall… Stover is averaging 20.5 points, and converting 57.7 percent from the floor and 58.3 percent from 3-point land in his last two games; he returned after a one-game absence due to injury… Ole Miss' totals of 38 points in the paint, 21 points off turnovers and 42 bench points set or tie season highs by an opponent… One game after having his 14-game streak with at least one block or steal, MuepoKelly picked up one each tonight… Boyanov extended his double-digit scoring streak to seven games, but suffered his worst shooting night in that stretch, going 4 for 11 overall and 0 for 3 from distance… Five of USA's last six opponents have converted 50 percent or better from the floor in the second half; UM shot 53.3 percent (16-30) tonight… The Rebels' 46 points are the most allowed before halftime this season, and the Jaguars' 26.5 shooting percent was a first-half season-low.

The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are scheduled for a week of March Madness in the Big Easy.  New Orleans will once again be home to the two championships that will take place at Lakefront Arena from March 7-12 and ticket books can now be purchased from your school's ticket office.  For more information, visit the Sun Belt Conference's championship central websites - Men's Championship – Women's Championship – and be sure to follow the #FunBelt on social media - @SunBelt.

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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