COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M closed the first half on a 26-6 rally and got 25 points from Savion Flagg to defeat the University of South Alabama men's basketball team 74-62 Friday night at Reed Arena.

USA led for almost all of the first 11 minutes of the contest, thanks to senior Rodrick Sikes scoring 15 of the team's first 18 points, and went up six in the early going.

Down 21-17, three free throws at the 8:56 mark started the game-deciding run. The Aggies (2-4) reeled off 10 unanswered points to take the lead for good, then went on a 9-2 spurt, capped off with a triple from T.J. Starks with 27 seconds left.

The Jaguars (3-3) got as close as 12 late in the game, using a 21-10 run over an eight-minute stretch, with junior Josh Ajayi and sophomore R.J. Kelly combining for 19 points during that span.

GAME FACTS
- Sikes matched Texas A&M's scoring through the first eight minutes, almost single-handedly giving South Alabama an 18-15 lead at the 12:07 mark
- Sikes made five of his first six attempts from the floor and went 3 for 4 from distance
- Junior Jordan Andrews hit a '3' with 9:35 left for a 21-17 advantage, but Wendell Mitchell was fouled on a 3-point attempt on the other end and made all three to start a burst of 10 unanswered points
- Ajayi finally stopped the run with a jumper, however seven more consecutive points put Texas A&M up 34-23
- Two free throws from Kelly cut the deficit down to single digits again, then Flagg responded with six straight and Starks finished the first-half scoring with a trey
- Flagg converted 9 of 11 from the floor before halftime for 19 points as Texas A&M shot 60 percent as a team
- Another 10-0 run for the Aggies gave them their biggest lead of the contest, 60-37 with 11:55 to play
- The Jags outscored the Aggies 25-14 the rest of the way on the efforts of Ajayi and Kelly; Ajayi tallied 10 points, with Kelly adding nine on 3-for-3 shooting and a pair of treys
- Sikes finished with a team-high 21 points and five 3-pointers; Ajayi and Kelly finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively, off the bench
- Starks recorded 13 points, and Christian Mekowulu scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half

NOTES
- Sikes has scored 20 points or more three times this season; in the other three games, he was held to single digits each time
- Texas A&M outscored South Alabama 44-26 in the paint and 16-8 on second-chance points, but was outscored 32-16 on bench points
- Through six games, USA hasn't had a game decided by fewer than 12 points
- South Alabama's two-game run with single-digit turnovers was ended, but the Jags posted a positive assist/turnover ratio for the second straight game (18 assists, 12 turnovers)
- USA has lost 14 straight road games in the state of Texas dating back to the 2011-12 season
- South Alabama's rebounding margin of minus-15 ties a season low (Auburn); the team has been outrebounded by an average of 14 in their last three outings
- Andrews is shooting 52.0 percent (13-25) from 3-point land this season
- Texas A&M's Josh Nebo blocked seven shots, tying the most by a USA opponent this season; the Aggies had nine as a team

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richie Riley
Opening statement: "We got off to a really good start; that's how we want to start games on the road. When shots stopped falling, we got discouraged, like we do. As a group, we don't handle adversity very well. We've got to become better at that, especially if you're going to have a successful team win on the road, because you're going to see your fair share of it. I was proud of the moments we had in the last 12 minutes. We were down 23 and I challenged our guys to not quit. We were able to come back and only lost by 12. In no way, shape or form are we ever proud of a loss; either you win or lose the game. But I am proud of some of the moments and maturation of our guys tonight to not quit, like we have a couple of times earlier this year."

On Texas A&M's run late in the first half: "We missed some shots and had some key turnovers. If you're going to win on the road, you've got to have great ball security. Our total number wasn't bad tonight, but we had too many live-ball turnovers in that segment and that allowed them to get confidence. They're a team that's searching like we are in a lot of ways, and those easy baskets give you confidence. Flagg was really good in that segment. It comes down to our mentality. We have that mentality where when things are going really well for us, our energy is great and we're operating at a high level. When it goes bad, we put our head down and we start sulking. We've got to get out of that."

On Texas A&M's points in the paint: "We didn't guard the ball well and they had some matchups that were to their favor. They're extremely athletic – they're SEC-level athletes – and they've gone to Sweet 16s for a reason. Those guys can recruit on that other bench. Even though they've gotten off to a tough start record-wise, they play an extremely tough schedule. We had matchups in 1-on-1 situations where they drove us. We struggled to keep them out of the paint. Their size inside played a factor; they had multiple guys to throw at us and it wore us down a little bit."

UP NEXT
South Alabama stays on the road, traveling to Southern Miss on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. start.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the South Circle, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to South Circle 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—