Box Score

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Trailing by as much as 16 early in the second half, the University of South Alabama men's basketball team rallied to within one in the final minute, but was unable to overcome Texas State, falling 72-69 Thursday night at Strahan Coliseum.

The Jaguars (8-7, 2-1 Sun Belt) went on a 17-6 run to get to 67-65 with 2:17 left, but Nijal Pearson hit all three free throws with 1:46 left to stretch the Bobcats' (9-7, 2-1) advantage out to five.

USA senior Nick Davis countered with a dunk on the next possession, and junior Rodrick Sikes converted twice at the line with 52.8 on the clock to make it a 70-69 contest. However, Alex Peacock hit a layup on the other end, and the Jags missed their last three shots, all from distance, to close out the contest.

Sophomore Josh Ajayi scored a season-high 25 points for the Jaguars, shooting 7 for 10 from the floor, 3 for 5 from 3-point land, and 8 for 9 at the charity stripe. Sikes added 18 points and five rebounds.

GAME FACTS
- Texas State (9-7, 2-1) used an 11-0 run in the first half to take a 24-11 lead, but after South Alabama battled back to get as close as four with less than three minutes left, Pearson scored seven unanswered, including a trey with 12 seconds remaining to give TXST an 11-point advantage at the break
- An 8-0 run made it a 51-35 lead for the Bobcats, but the Jaguars got 3-pointers from Ajayi, Sikes and sophomore Jordan Andrews in a 13-4 run to cut the margin down to 55-48
- Down 13 with 8:36 to play, Ajayi scored eight of the Jags' next 17 points, thanks to two triples, and Davis added another of his own with 2:17 left to cap a 17-6 scoring burst
- Peacock's clincher came with 26.4 seconds left
- Sikes missed a trey on the Jags' next trip down the floor, and another attempt from deep on the same possession went begging; the Bobcats missed the front end of a 1-and-1 on the other end, but a last-second attempt from Sikes was off the mark
- Peacock finished with a team-best 18 points on four 3-pointers, Immanuel King added 16 points, and Pearson tallied 12 and a team-high seven rebounds

NOTES
- South Alabama has lost 12 straight games in the state of Texas and dropped all five games in San Marcos
- Ajayi has scored 20-plus points this season on two occasions, and he tied his career high with three 3-pointers
- Sikes has scored in double-digit points in 14 consecutive games and is averaging 27.5 points in his last four outings
- Texas State's 19 second-chance points are the most by a South Alabama opponent this season
- The Jaguars' 93.3 free-throw percentage (14-15) is the program's highest since going 15 for 16 at North Texas on Feb. 23, 2013
- Ajayi's 70 percent shooting night is the best by a Jaguar this season
- Davis scored nine points for the second time in three games, and grabbed seven rebounds for the third consecutive outing; he is averaging 8.7 points and shooting 12 for 19 (63.2%) from the floor in his last three games
- The Jags went 9 for 26 from distance tonight; the team is averaging 9.8 treys in their last five outings

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Matthew Graves
Opening statement: "I think my disappointment is that some of the things we worked on for a couple of days heading out here, like being strong with the basketball, making sure we rebounded and blocked out defensively, didn't happen in the first half, which was evident by the 12 turnovers and 10 offensive rebounds allowed. In the second half, I thought we did an outstanding job taking care of the basketball and for the most part we kept them off the glass. At the end of the day, if you want to win on the road, you've got to play a complete game, and we flat out didn't do it tonight."

On losing the rebounding battle: "The offensive rebounds were essentially the difference in the game. If we forced them to take a tough initial shot, we didn't get them off the glass. A majority of those offensive rebounds came in the first half and you're down 11 at halftime instead of 3 or 4. It's stuff that's very correctable, but it just takes energy, effort and focus to do it every single possession."

On the second half comeback: "I think our defense really picked up and they weren't scoring the ball. We were moving the ball much better, attacking, and getting good looks. Josh did a good job spacing the floor and made some nice shots. I think they got frustrated because they weren't scoring on their end. We have to understand that we have to be a more locked-in defensive team because that frustrates other teams."

On Ajayi and Sikes' performances: "I thought Josh played really well tonight. He shot a very good percentage, finished around the rim and took appropriate shots around the perimeter. This was by far his most complete game. The evidence of how locked in he was, was how well he shot from the free-throw line. That's the effort and consistency we need from him night in and night out. Rodrick made a few big shots for us, and we talked about that last shot. I have the utmost confidence in him taking and making that last shot, but in that situation, he had Herb (McGee) wide open, and he has to learn to trust his teammates more. It's a great learning experience and I think this will make us a lot better down the stretch."

UP NEXT
South Alabama heads to UT Arlington Saturday for a 4:15 p.m. start.

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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