UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The University of South Alabama men's basketball team grabbed the lead late in the first half and held on to defeat Saint Peter's 54-49 in the Springfield Bracket final of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame 2017 Tip-Off Tournament at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

Junior Rodrick Sikes, who was named to the all-tournament team, led all scorers with 13 points and grabbed a career-high six rebounds. Sophomore Jordan Andrews added 11 points.

A 7-0 run that began at the 2:33 mark of the first half gave USA the lead for good, and a 16-8 burst after halftime gave the Jaguars a double-digit lead. South Alabama had just one field goal in the final 7:25 of the contest and held on when Saint Peter's ended the contest on an 11-4 scoring run.

The Jaguars (3-2) held the Peacocks (1-3) to 28.1 percent shooting for the game and 22.5 percent from 3-point land.

GAME FACTS
- South Alabama graduate student Rozelle Nix opened the scoring at the 18:34 mark of the first half, but the Jaguars went almost 11 ½ minutes without another field goal
- Despite the drought, the game was tied at 16-16 after sophomore Herb McGee hit a 3-pointer with 7:07 left before halftime
- A 12-3 run by the Jags that spanned halftime – thanks to four points each from Nix and sophomore Trhae Mitchell – gave the Jaguars a 28-21 advantage
- The lead stretched to 50-38 with five minutes left, but the Peacocks rallied back, scoring 11 of the next 15 points
- SPU took advantage of three turnovers and 1-for-5 shooting from USA in the final 5:09, but Sikes hit a pair of free throws with 23.1 left in the contest to put the game away
- Seven of Andrews' 11 points came at the free-throw line, but his streak of consecutive free throws to start the year ended at 28
- Sophomore Josh Ajayi joined Sikes on the all-tournament team – Ajayi had seven points and seven boards after putting up 18 points in the semifinal on Saturday vs. Maine

NOTES
- The last time South Alabama allowed fewer than 50 points in back-to-back games was in the 2011-12 season
- USA last scored 55 or fewer in a win at Troy on March 2, 2013
- Saint Peter's field-goal percentage is a season low by a South Alabama opponent
- South Alabama outrebounded Saint Peter's 47-31 – the 47 boards are the most against a Division I opponent since Feb. 4, 2016, and the plus-16 rebounding margin ties the program's best vs. a DI school since Jan. 3, 2013
- Ajayi, Nix and Mitchell all had seven rebounds each – Mitchell tied his career high for the third time in four games
- Mitchell has led the team in rebounding four times this season
- Andrews has scored in double digits all five games in 2017-18
- USA had 21 turnovers for the third time in five games this season
- The Peacocks outscored the Jaguars 20-5 off turnovers

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Matthew Graves
Opening statement: "I'm extremely proud of the team. We got contributions from a lot of different guys. They played really hard. Early in the game, we were not doing a great job of taking care of the ball, but that didn't affect us defensively. That was the second game in a row where we had some trouble scoring early in the game, but we kept guarding. Now, our team is starting to take the next step in being mature and understanding that if we really defend, we're going to give ourselves a chance to compete in each and every game."

On the team effort: "That's the true definition of a team – we've got guys that are capable scorers and defenders that are buying into their roles off the bench. There's no question that we've got to do a much better job taking care of the basketball, but I'm so proud of how we were physical and we rebounded tonight. We did a great job of giving them one tough shot. If we can continue with that mantra and work on fundamental basketball, like taking care of the ball, that's going to help us down the road."

On what the team can take from the win: "We won a regular-season championship, and it's a memory and an experience to build on. That's what you want with a young ballclub – you give them experiences they can relate back to. This win tonight is going to help us down the road, I promise you that."

UP NEXT
The Jags return home to host Stetson on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m.

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).

Join the Jaguar Athletic Fund (JAF) Priority Fund, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to the Priority Fund directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give

—USA—