Game Notes

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's basketball team will start a crucial segment of the season with the first of three straight home games Thursday night against Georgia State.

Thursday also starts a stretch of five out of six games in the Mitchell Center as the Jaguars work towards clinching a spot in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. They are currently tied for eighth; the top eight will qualify for a trip to New Orleans.

"We understand that we need to play extremely well over the next four games – three games at home and on the road at Appalachian State," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "No one game is more important than the other, but the most important one is Georgia State because it's our next game. We need to play well and our players understand that. We're looking forward to the challenge."

South Alabama is coming off an 0-2 road trip to Arkansas State and Little Rock, and currently stand at 9-14 overall and 4-8 in the conference.

The Jaguars lead the series between the two schools 13-10 but have lost the last six meetings.

Junior Ken Williams (Houston, Texas) had his seven-game double-digit scoring streak snapped Saturday, but still led the team with nine points. He is ninth in the Sun Belt in scoring (14.3 ppg) and 3-pointers (1.9 pg), and eighth in assists (3.2 apg).

Georgia State, picked to finish second in the league by the coaches in the preseason poll, enters Thursday's game with a 13-8 overall record and a 6-6 mark in the SBC. The Panthers have lost four of their last five outings, including a 90-69 home setback to Texas-Arlington last Saturday.

"They're extremely talented and do a great job defensively in their zone, causing you to take bad shots and forcing you to play a little differently because it's 40 minutes of zone defense," Graves said. "We've got to continue to attack the middle of the paint, we have to rebound extremely well on the offensive end, and we can't rely on shooting 3-point shots. If we do those three things, we'll have a chance to score the ball pretty effectively.

"Defensively, we've got to do a great job of keeping them out of transition. Kevin Ware is outstanding in the open court, and in their half-court offense, Jeremy Hollowell is a tough matchup because of his size and his ability to play on the perimeter, so we have to do a tremendous job on him."

GSU is last in the league in scoring offense at 65.5 points per game, and the last time the Panthers reached 70 points was Jan. 9 against South Alabama.

Hollowell leads the team and is 10th in the conference at 14.0 ppg. He had a game-high 23 points – converting all seven free-throw attempts – against the Jags in Atlanta earlier this year.

Defensively, the Panthers rate as one of the league's best, ranking third in scoring defense (64.4 ppg), fourth in field goal percentage defense (.403), and second in 3-point percentage defense (.312).

"They're very active and long; they have a lot of length along their frontline and in their backcourt," Graves noted. "It's a staple of what Coach (Ron) Hunter does with his team; they're really good at playing that zone, moving it around and morphing it to match up with you a little bit. They've had a great deal of success and you can tell that their players have really bought in to playing that style."

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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