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JONESBORO, Ark. – South Alabama was held scoreless in the final 4:18 of regulation and was outscored 10-4 in overtime in a 79-73 defeat at Arkansas State Thursday night in the Convocation Center.

The Red Wolves go to 11-11 overall and 7-4 in the Sun Belt Conference, while the Jaguars fall to 9-13 and 4-7.

"We got off to a good start – it was 9-9 early – but we were turning the ball over and taking too many quick 3s early in the first half," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "We corrected some of that in the second half and took care of the ball.

"I thought Ken (Williams) and Georgi (Boyanov) stepped up and made some really nice plays for us during a stretch. There at the end of the game, we had the ball where we wanted and unfortunately we didn't make the shot. We got it in to overtime and kept fighting but we weren't able to make enough plays down the stretch."

The biggest lead by either team in the final 16:34 of regulation was six points.

Down nine at halftime, the Jags used a 14-3 run early in the second period to take the lead. USA tied their season best with 12 steals and had 20 offensive rebounds.

"I thought we showed really great resolve and grit," Graves stated. "We played extremely hard and were flying around. We did a good job on the glass getting 20 offensive rebounds. Georgi and Nik (Marijan) had 13 offensive rebounds; they kept getting it in there and tried to finish.

"We fought hard, but ultimately it's frustrating because we won't walk out of here with a win."

South Alabama took a 69-64 lead with 4:18 to play on a layup from sophomore Shaq Calhoun (Rome, Ga.). From there, the Jaguars missed their last seven shots and committed one turnover.

Anthony Livingston pulled the Red Wolves within three on a jumper with 3:25 to play, and Devin Carter hit his fifth 3-pointer of the night just over two minutes later to knot the score at 69-69.

"Carter played really well for them; he was able to find a couple of holes in our zone and stepped up. He made some big, big shots for them," Graves said.

After a pair of USA misses, Frederic Dure failed to convert the front end of a 1-and-1, giving the Jags one more shot, but a 3-point try from junior Ken Williams (Houston, Texas) was off the mark.

"I think fatigue played a little bit of a role," Graves noted. "Ken and Georgi played a lot of minutes for us. But, we're not going to use that as any kind of an excuse. We could've gotten to the free-throw line a few times, but we just didn't get the whistle."

In overtime, a pair of Georgi Boyanov (Lovech, Bulgaria) tip-ins sandwiched another Carter triple, but Boyanov's bucket with 3:13 left in the contest would be the Jaguars' last of the night. Livingston converted an old-fashioned three-point play at the 44.7 mark to give the Red Wolves the lead for good, and they went 4 for 4 at the line in the closing seconds.

Boyanov recorded his seventh double-double of the year with a team-high 20 points and new career bests of 14 rebounds and six steals.

"I thought Georgi was very active and flying around the ball, looking for opportunities," Graves said. "To add the six steals, he was very active with his length and was able to get some loose balls for us. I thought Georgi played a very well-rounded overall game."

Williams added 19 points on five 3-pointers, and paced the Jags with five assists. Junior Nick Stover (Los Angeles, Calif.) tallied 15 points and six boards.

Carter led all players with 33 points – 21 in the second half – and six treys. Livingston totaled 20 points and eight rebounds.

South Alabama faces league-leading Little Rock Saturday night at 6 p.m. at the Jack Stephens Center.

NOTES: USA is 2-1 in overtime games this season… Carter's point total is the most by an opponent this season… The Jaguars entered the game winners of their last two games when trailing at half, and tonight would have been the largest halftime comeback of the year… Boyanov's steals total is tied for 10th in school history for a single game and tied for fourth in a league contest… The last player to have six or more thefts in a game is Demetric Bennett vs. Texas College (7) on Dec. 19, 2006… All seven of Boyanov's double-doubles this season have come since rejoining the starting lineup on Dec. 14 at Samford… He is averaging 15.8 points and 10.0 rebounds with two double-doubles in his last four games… South Alabama is holding its last two opponents to 34.8 percent shooting overall and 30.2 percent from 3-point territory… Williams' five triples are his second most in a game this season, and two more than he had in the previous four games combined… As a team, USA tied its season high with 11 long-range bombs… Livingston is averaging 20.0 points and 10.3 rebounds in four career games against South Alabama… Williams is averaging 6.3 assists in his last three games and has a team-best 70 this season… USA's 82 field-goal attempts are the program's most in a game since putting up 87 against William Carey on Feb. 25, 2003.

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—