TROY, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's basketball team went 6 for 6 from the floor in the final 6:15 of the game to defeat Troy 76-71 Saturday afternoon at Trojan Arena.

The Jaguars win for the 11th in the last 13 meetings against their archrival and improve to 11-12 overall and 4-6 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Trojans drop to 12-12 and 4-6.

"I'm extremely pleased with our effort tonight," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "I thought our guys were locked in and focused, and really wanted to get off to a good start. That was a huge key for us and I thought that first group did that. We made some runs and they made some runs, and I thought it was a great college basketball game. We had five turnovers – only one in the second half – and they only had eight, so there was a great flow to the game.

"Ultimately though, I thought our defense was what pulled us through at the end."

South Alabama was also solid from the free-throw line, going 5 for 6 in the final minute, and finished the contest on an 11-5 run.

"To stay in the race, you've got to be able to win some games on the road," Graves said. "We've been close a couple of times with Georgia State and Georgia Southern, but we weren't able to close either one of those games out. To come here and get that win is extremely huge. Hopefully it will give us some confidence as we head into Louisiana-Monroe, a place that our group has yet to win."

Both teams went on 10-0 runs in the second half – the Jags' stretched theirs to a 16-2 spurt to take an eight-point lead – and the teams were separated by no more than five points in a 12-minute stretch until the final 30 seconds.

After Troy's Kevin Baker hit a 3-pointer with 2:27 left, junior Shaq Calhoun (Rome, Ga.) answered with a triple of his own on the Jags' next trip down the floor, starting a run of eight unanswered points. The rally was finished off by two free throws from senior Nick Stover (Los Angeles, Calif.) with 30.4 on the clock to give USA a 73-66 advantage.

"I thought we were in control and we took some good shots down the stretch," Graves said. "We didn't panic or get in a hurry, and we did a pretty good job against their extended defense getting the ball in bounds. Our guys are doing a better job huddling up with each other and communicating what needs to be done.

"I'm just do proud of the work they're putting in. We still have a long season ahead of us, but again, I like where we are right now."

Senior Ken Williams (Houston, Texas) led the Jaguars in points (18), rebounds (7) and assists (7), while committing no turnovers. Thirteen of his points came in the second half.

"I thought Juice was very solid," Graves stated. "We played him off the ball most of the game, and in the last three or four minutes, with him at the point, I felt like we could do some different things. He made a few nice plays off a middle ballscreen and also found Shaq in the corner for a '3,' which I thought was a huge play. I'm really proud of his development and awareness. As a senior coming down the stretch, you couldn't ask for anything more tonight in his performance."

Senior Don MuepoKelly (Fontana, Calif.) poured in 16 points – on 5-for-5 shooting after halftime – and freshman Josh Ajayi (El Monte, Calif.) tallied 12 points. Ajayi and MuepoKelly had five rebounds apiece.

For Troy, Baker paced all scorers with 19 points. He was joined in double-figures by Wesley Person (14), Jordon Varnado (12) and Jeremy Hollimon (10). DeVon Walker pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Jaguars return to action in a week, continuing their three-game road trip at Louisiana-Monroe.

NOTES: South Alabama is now 1-4 this season in Sun Belt road games… Williams extended his double-digit scoring streak to eight – the longest active run on the team – and is averaging 15.9 points over that stretch; he averaged 6.4 points with one double-digit performance in the five games prior… USA has won the last three games in Troy… The Jaguars have trailed at halftime in seven of their last eight games, including five in a row, but improved to 3-9 when down at the break… South Alabama committed just 11 turnovers in two games vs. Troy this season, and the five tonight tie the fewest since the 1980-81 campaign… USA is 9-2 when posting a positive assist/turnover ratio (14 assists, 5 turnovers)… The Jags shot 71.4 percent from the free-throw line today; the team has shot 70 percent or better in the last four games, the longest streak of the season… Ajayi has reached double-digit points nine times in the last 10 contests… Freshman Trhae Mitchell (Austell, Ga.) recorded nine points – one shy of his career high – on 4-for-4 shooting, and added two blocks; in his last five games, he is averaging 5.4 points and 1.6 blocks per outing and converting 76.9 percent from the field.

The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are scheduled for a week of March Madness in the Big Easy.  New Orleans will once again be home to the two championships that will take place at Lakefront Arena from March 7-12 and ticket books can now be purchased from your school's ticket office.  For more information, visit the Sun Belt Conference's championship central websites - Men's Championship – Women's Championship – and be sure to follow the #FunBelt on social media - @SunBelt.

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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