Game Notes

Game 10 • South Alabama Jaguars (5-4) at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Cougars (2-6)
December 10, 2017 • 2 p.m. • Vadalabene Center (4,000) • Edwardsville, Ill.

THE COACHES
South Alabama
Matthew Graves (Butler, 1998)
Record at USA: 56-82 (5th year)
Overall Record: Same
Record vs. SIUE: 0-0

SIU Edwardsville
Jon Harris (Marquette, 2002)
Record at SIUE: 14-52 (3rd year)
Overall Record: Same

LAST GAME
South Alabama fell behind early and lost 87-58 at Florida International on Dec. 2. Southern Illinois-Edwardsville edged IUPUI 82-81 on Wednesday.

NEXT GAME
The Jaguars return home to take on Eastern Illinois on Saturday. The Cougars host Chicago State on Dec. 19.

ON THE AIR
TV: Fox Sports Midwest
Radio: 99.5 FM The Jag; J.D. Byars (pxp)
On the web: 995thejag.com/listen (audio); Fox Sports Go or OVC Digital Network (video)

RANKINGS (Through Dec. 7)
USA: #290 RPI, #258 Sagarin
SIUE: #200 RPI, #320 Sagarin

THE SERIES
USA leads 1-0.

Current winning streak: USA, 1 win
SIUE's last win in series: N/A
Last meeting: South Alabama 111, SIUE 78 (11/25/78)
USA's last win on the road: N/A
USA's record on the road: 0-0
USA's road streak: N/A
USA's longest winning / losing streak in series: 1 / 0

Notes: South Alabama won the only meeting between the two schools in the 1978-79 season, 111-78 in Mobile.

OPENING TIP
South Alabama will be playing in its first game Sunday since Dec. 2. It is the longest layoff for the team this season.

In their last time out, the Jaguars allowed Florida International to shoot 61.3 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from 3-point land for 49 points in the first half. In its previous five games, USA gave up 31.3 percent shooting, 13.8 percent from distance, and an average of 23.0 points before halftime.

The 49 points and 61.3 shooting percentage are the most by a USA opponent in a half this season. The game prior, against Southern Miss, the Jaguars set new season lows with 19 points allowed on 25.9 percent shooting.

Despite this, the Jags are still ranked 14th in Division I in 3-point defense (.275) and 47th in scoring defense (64.2).

After forcing 21 turnovers against Stetson, and 22 turnovers vs. New Orleans, South Alabama has forced just nine total in the two games since then, including a season-low two at FIU.

USA has its four-game win streak when scoring 69 points or fewer snapped last Saturday. The team is still 4-2 when scoring under 70, the most wins under head coach Matthew Graves.

The FIU game was the Jags' best sharing night of the season, with 15 assists on 20 field goals. In its last three games, South Alabama has a .683 assist/field goal ratio (41 assists on 60 FGs).

Josh Ajayi had a team-high 16 points against FIU, breaking Rodrick Sikes' four-game run as the team's leading scorer. In his last four outings, Ajayi is averaging 15.5 points and 7.0 rebounds, and shooting 52.1 percent from the floor.

Sikes was still in double-digits with 11, extending his streak with at least 10 points to eight games. His 11-point output was the lowest in his double-digit scoring streak, but he still leads the team with 15.4 ppg this season, which ranks 11th in the Sun Belt.

Joe Thompson was one of three Jaguars to pull down seven rebounds vs. FIU. He is averaging 8.0 rebounds in his last two games.

Dederick Lee, who is in a three-way tie for the team lead in assists with 21, tied his career high on Dec. 2 with nine points, on a personal-best three 3-pointers. He went 3 for 4 from distance, all in the first half.

Southern Illinois-Edwardsville has held just one opponent to fewer than 75 points this season.

The Cougars rank 342nd in Division I in scoring defense (87.5 ppg), 345th in field goal defense (.502) and 329th in 3-point defense (.407). The Jaguars are 333rd in scoring offense (63.9 ppg).

SIUE's Jalen Henry is sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring (16.4 ppg) and Daniel Kinchen is 11th (15.1). Henry is also fourth in rebounding (8.6 rpg).

PREVIEWING SUNDAY
Head coach Matthew Graves on Southern Illinois-Edwardsville
On getting back after a long layoff: "It's really good to get back and have some practice time. With the combination of a lot of games, our travel schedule and getting ready for finals, it's been hard to find a lot of practice time. It's good to get back in and work on some things."

On what he wants to see improved: "Defensively, we have to get back to flying around, being aggressive and contesting shots better. Through the first nine games, we've been solid defensively. There are areas we can improve upon, but we've been solid for the most part. Offensively, we're really struggling in that area. We've tried to go back to basic basketball – passing, catching, dribbling – and being more solid in the fundamental areas."

On Southern Illinois-Edwardsville: "They're a team that is trying to find their way. They have an outstanding scorer in Jalen Henry who's been really good for them this year. They're trying some different defenses and they run a lot of different actions offensively to keep you off balance. Any time you go on the road, you've got to play well in order to win. We have to go up there with a focused, together mindset and be ready to compete."

On how to defend Jalen Henry and Daniel Kinchen: "First and foremost, we have to do a great job of contesting shots. If we contest shots and rebound the basketball, we've shown the ability to do a great job with our scouting report and fly around defensively. If we can do that, I feel like we'll be in pretty good shape."

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—