Game Notes
Game 22 • South Alabama Jaguars (9-13, 4-7) at Little Rock Trojans (20-2, 10-1)
February 6, 2016 • 6 p.m. • Jack Stephens Center (5,600) • Little Rock, Ark.
THE COACHES
South Alabama
Matthew Graves (Butler, 1998)
Record at USA: 32-54 (3rd year)
Overall Record: Same
Record vs. UALR: 3-3
Little Rock
Chris Beard (Texas, 1995)
Record at UALR: 20-2 (1st year)
Overall Record: 161-47 (7th year)
LAST GAMESouth Alabama fell 79-73 in overtime at Arkansas State Thursday. Little Rock routed Troy 72-49.
NEXT GAMEThe Jaguars start a three-game homestand Thursday against Georgia State. Little Rock opens a four-game road trip against Louisiana-Monroe.
ON THE AIRRadio: 710 AM WNTM;
J.D. Byars (pxp)
On the web:
www.iheart.com/live/newsradio-710-wntm-1 (audio)
RANKINGS (through Feb. 4)USA: #239 RPI, #263 Sagarin
UALR: #62 RPI, #71 Sagarin
THE SERIESUSA leads 28-17.
Current winning streak: Little Rock, 1 win
USA's last win in series: 57-55 (3/12/15) at SBC Tournament
Last meeting: Little Rock 69, South Alabama 60 (12/30/15)
USA's last win in Little Rock: 72-69 (1/5/15)
UALR's last win in Little Rock: 65-60 (1/9/14)
USA's record in Stephens Center: 4-2
USA's record in Little Rock: 10-10
USA's road streak: Won 1
USA's longest winning / losing streak in series: 6 / 3
Notes: South Alabama swept the season series last year 3-0, defeating the Trojans in the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament… The Jaguars' victory in Little Rock in 2012-13 was the program's first since 2007-08… The Trojans' 75-50 win in 2011-12 was the second-biggest win by UALR in the series… UALR swept the season series in 2013-14 for the first time since 1995-96… UALR's win in Mobile on 1/22/09 ended a four-game USA winning streak in the series… USA won 10 of 11 from 3/2/97 to 3/3/01… The Jags are 7-1 vs. the Trojans in the SBC Tournament, including 4-1 at neutral sites… The lone loss came in 2010-11 (82-68) in the first round; Little Rock eventually won the tournament… South Alabama advanced to the SBC championship game in 2009 with a 54-44 win in Hot Springs.
OPENING TIPA Little Rock win would give the Trojans a season sweep of South Alabama for the second time in the last three seasons. The Jags took all three games last year.
UALR's current RPI of 62 is the highest of any 2015-16 USA opponent.
South Alabama has at least eight 3-pointers in five of its last six games and tied its season high with 11 Thursday at Arkansas State. This comes after a three-game run where the Jags had 10 triples total.
South Alabama is holding its last two opponents to 34.8 percent shooting overall and 30.2 percent from 3-point territory.
USA's 20 offensive rebounds vs. ASU are the team's second-most all season, and it led to 17 second-chance points, its most since putting up 25 at Samford in December.
Georgi Boyanov set a 2015-16 team record with seven offensive boards and six of Nikola Marijan's seven rebounds came on the offensive end.
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. 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. The 14 rebounds Thursday are the most by a USA player this season.
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.
Ken Williams just missed a 20-point outing at Arkansas State with 19 points on five 3-pointers, and he led the team with five assists for the 13th time this season. Williams is averaging 6.3 assists in his last three games and has a team-best 70 this season.
Williams' five triples are his second most in a game this season, and two more than he had in the previous four games combined. He is five 3s from a tie for third at South Alabama in a career.
Nick Stover scored 13 of his 15 points Thursday in the second half and hit a pair of 3-pointers. The 15 points are tied for his second-most in a game this season.
The Trojans lead Division I in scoring defense (57.9 ppg) and rank fifth in field goal percentage defense (.374) and 10th in turnover margin (+4.1).
Marcus Johnson Jr., Little Rock's leading scorer at 13.3 per game, was held to six points on 1 for 6 shooting by South Alabama in Mobile earlier this year. The six points are tied for his second-fewest in a game this season.
Josh Hagins is averaging 17.3 points in his last three games vs. the Jaguars, including 23 in Mobile last year. He is the third-most accurate free-throw shooter in the nation at 90.5 percent.
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—
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