Game Notes

MOBILE, Ala. – Following Thursday's thrilling overtime win over Georgia State, the University of South Alabama men's basketball team will turn its attention to Georgia Southern Saturday at the Mitchell Center.

Tip-off is scheduled for 4:05 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.

Saturday's game can also be seen on ESPN3.com. Drew Fellios and Bob Donewald will be on the call.

South Alabama has won three of its last five games after snapping a six-game losing streak to Georgia State Thursday, rallying from a 10-point deficit in the second half for a one-point win.

"I think we're going to be able to take some confidence from winning a game against a very good Georgia State team at home," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "As we look to Saturday, we have some momentum, but we understand that Georgia Southern is playing as well as anyone in this league after winning four straight games. We're going to have to play our A-game, there's no doubt about that."

After going 0-5 in overtime games the last two seasons, the Jaguars are 3-1 this season and 2-1 against Sun Belt Conference opponents. The three OT wins are the most in school history.

"I think we're understanding and learning to better value possessions," Graves said. "There's no one possession that's more important than the other; it's the next possession that's most important. We're doing a better job of managing that. Certainly we could be a lot better, but from last year to this year, we're getting to the free-throw line more, and the biggest difference is, defensively we've been able to get some stops at some crucial moments."

USA junior Ken Williams (Houston, Texas) recorded his fifth 20-point game Thursday with a season-high 27 points. He is eighth in the league in scoring (14.8 ppg), assists (3.2 apg) and free-throw percentage (.798).

Georgia Southern enters the contest with a four-game win streak – the second-longest active in the Sun Belt – and has won five of the last six. All four wins in the Eagles' run have come by single digits, and a fifth was a 101-100 victory at Appalachian State.

Defensively, the Eagles lead the conference in steals (8.0) and are second in turnover margin (+3.57) and turnovers forced (15.5). On the other end of the court, they are second in the league in 3-pointers per game (8.7).

In Statesboro, Georgia Southern shot just 26.9 percent from the floor and 11.5 percent from 3-point land, both season lows by a South Alabama opponent.

"I think it starts with our ability to contest their 3-point shooters," Graves stated. 'They do an outstanding job of putting three and four guys on the floor at a time that are capable of making 3s. We're going to have to defend the 3-point line at a really high level, like we did in Statesboro. At the same time, we can't sell out to the 3-point defense because we can't let them drive and get in the lane and get us in foul trouble. But to start, our initial focus has to be on making them shoot contested 3-point field goals."

GS's Tookie Brown is averaging 23.7 points in his last three outings and leads all Sun Belt freshmen with 18.3 points per game to rank fourth in the conference. He was held to two points in the first half against South Alabama in January, but exploded for 15 in the second.

Mike Hughes is second on the team in scoring (13.8 ppg) and first in 3-pointers (45).

"With Brown, and you can add Hughes to that mix, that is a lethal, athletic guard combination," Graves noted. "Brown is probably the best freshman in the league at this point. He does a great job of mixing up getting in the paint and making 3s, and when he's rolling, their team is really good.

"You can't forget about Hughes. As a sophomore, he's been through the league, and he has the ability to get to the rim and make plays. If he's making the 3-point shot, that's a two-headed monster that's really hard to defend."

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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