Game 7 • South Alabama Jaguars (3-3) at Southern Miss Golden Eagles (4-2)
November 28, 2018 • 7 p.m. • Reed Green Coliseum (8,095) • Hattiesburg, Miss.

THE COACHES
South Alabama
Richie Riley (Eastern Kentucky, 2005)
Record at USA: 3-3 (1st year)
Overall Record: 38-31 (3rd year)
Record vs. Southern Miss: 0-0

Southern Miss
Doc Sadler (Arkansas, 1982)
Record at USM: 40-83 (5th year)
Overall Record: 189-190 (13th year)

LAST GAME
South Alabama rallied in the second half but fell short at Texas A&M 74-62. Southern Miss lost to city rival William Carey 78-72.

NEXT GAME
The Jaguars host Florida A&M on Saturday. The Golden Eagles take on Rust Sunday.

ON THE AIR
Radio: 99.5 FM The Jag; J.T. Crabtree (pxp)
On the web: 995thejag.com/listen (audio); CUSA.tv (video)

RANKINGS (through Nov. 26)
USA: #307 NET, #256 Sagarin
USM: #146 NET, #173 Sagarin

THE SERIES
USM leads 25-17.

Current streak: USA, 2 wins
Last meeting: South Alabama 69, Southern Miss 58 (11/29/17)
USM's last win: 57-54 (12/14/15) in  Mobile
USA's last win at Reed Green Coliseum: 78-55 (11/30/16)
USM's last win at Reed Green Coliseum: 68-59 (11/17/14)
USA's record at Reed Green Coliseum: 2-6
USA's record in Hattiesburg: 8-13
USA's road streak: Won 1
USA's longest winning / losing streak in series: 6 / 8

Notes: Southern Miss is 14-5 in the last 19 games… USA snapped a six-game losing streak in the series in 2016-17 in Hattiesburg with a 78-55 victory, the Jaguars' largest since 2005 and scored the most points vs. USM since 2002… The Jags' six-game winning streak came from 1971-74… USA won three straight from 2005-08 after losing eight in a row from 1996-2004…USM broke the three-game skid in 2009 in Mobile… Southern Miss'  93-58 win in 2010-11 was the 12th-worst loss in South Alabama history… USA was averaging 56.3 ppg in USM's previous six-game win streak, scoring no more than 59 points.

OPENING TIP
South Alabama has won the last two meetings vs. Southern Miss since suffering a six-game losing streak. A win would match the longest win streak against USM since taking three in a row from 2005-08.

The team leading at halftime has won each of USA's first six games. USA is also 3-0 when outshooting its opponent and 0-3 when being outshot.

Through six contests, USA hasn't had a game decided by fewer than 12 points.

South Alabama tied its season low Friday in rebounding margin (-15) and was held to 14 defensive rebounds. The Jags have been outrebounded by an average of 14 in their last three outings.

The Jaguars are tied for the league lead in blocks per game (5.3) and have two players in the top three individually. Trhae Mitchell tops the league at 2.2 per game and R.J. Kelly is third with 1.5 per outing.

Mitchell did not record a block against Texas A&M for the first time this season. He had multiple rejections in four of his first five games of the year.

USA had its two-game run with single-digit turnovers snapped on Friday but posted a positive assist/turnover ratio for the third time with 18 assists and 12 turnovers. The Jags are 2-1 when tallying more assists than miscues.

Southern Miss leads Conference USA in assist/turnover ratio (1.77) and is third in turnover margin (+2.8) and fourth in steals (8.2 spg).

Rodrick Sikes recorded 15 of his team-high 21 points against Texas A&M in the first eight minutes of the contest, matching the Aggies' output as a team through that point in the game. He finished 7 for 17 from the floor and 5 for 15 from 3-point land.

Sikes is first in the Sun Belt in 3s per game (3.5), fourth in 3-point percentage (.318) and 11th in scoring (16.5 ppg).

Sikes ranks just outside the school's top 10 in 3s and 3-point attempts. He is 13th in both categories with 109 and 304, respectively. He needs eight treys and 28 attempts to tie for 10th.

In three games where he scores in double digits, Sikes is averaging 25.3 points, but in three single-digit games, he is averaging 7.7.

Jordan Andrews has converted six of his last nine 3-point attempts and is shooting a team-high 52.0 percent from distance this season.

PREVIEWING WEDNESDAY
Head coach Richie Riley on Southern Miss
On facing Southern Miss: "We have another tough road challenge. Southern Miss is really good; this is the best team that Doc (Sadler) has had there. He's got a veteran group. Tyree Griffin is a high-level guard. They have a lot of really good pieces around him that can do a lot of things: make 3s, great versatility to drive the ball and create matchup problems. You have to do a good job defensively to keep them out of the paint."

On going back out on the road: "It's our third road game and when you take over a new program, you want to see growth with your team when playing on the road. One of the toughest things to do is go on the road and win, whether you're playing in front of a massive crowd like Auburn, or in a building with 1,000 people. It's hard to go into someone else's building and win so I hope to see a lot of growth from our guys and hopefully we'll be in a position to win the game."

On the positives from the Texas A&M game: "I told our guys after the game, you've got to have that mentality for 40 minutes if you're going to have any chance to win on the road. It doesn't mean you're going to hit every shot or not make any mistakes, but you have to have that in you to will yourself to make tough plays to keep yourself in the game. We just had so many moments in the middle of that game that we allowed them to separate from us. Next thing you know, you're down 20 points and you're playing catch up. We did a good job of not laying down and that's something that this group has struggled with at times, handling adversity. I was proud of what we did in the last 12 minutes of trying to fight back."

Scouting Southern Miss: "Defensively his teams are always really good. They play hard and they're physical. They make it tough for you to get to the paint. They're really packed in there defensively and do a great job helping. They force you to make outside shots, so going into this game, we have to shoot the ball really well to open up some driving lanes for us to attack the basket. Offensively, they're led by Griffin who's as good as any guard we've played all year. Not only does he score but he gets other guys involved. They'll play small a lot but they've got a legitimate big man in Tim Rowe, who's a good player. It'll be an interesting matchup because we play small a lot too. There will be a lot of matchups that we have to do a good job of winning some of those 1-on-1 battles. We have to limit Griffin – that's a huge key in the game – but we have to a good job of not letting those other guys get loose."

On the return of Kory Holden: "This will be the first chance he'll have to get out on the court but we're not sure how many minutes he's going to be able to play. He's still on his way back; he's not 100 percent yet, but he is going to get out there and we're excited to have him. Not only does he add another body to a team that has a short roster, but as the season goes, he's going to be an impact guy for us. He helps us with his ball-handling, which is something we've struggled with some in our road games, but he also gives us a scoring punch. He's one of our best shooters and he's a veteran presence. He's played in big games at Delaware and South Carolina."

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).

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