NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans men's basketball team went on an 18-3 rally to break a 50-50 tie late in the second half to defeat the University of South Alabama 71-60 Wednesday night at Lakefront Arena.

The Privateers shot 6 for 12 from the floor during that 6:18 stretch and five different players contributed to the run. A dunk from Damion Rosser started a run of 10 unanswered points for a 60-50 lead, then after a three-point play from junior Trhae Mitchell, UNO reeled off eight more in a row to take a commanding 68-53 lead.

On the other end of the floor, the Jaguars missed six of their seven attempts, including all three from behind the arc, and turned the ball over three times.

Mitchell led the Jags with a career high 20 points, and added eight rebounds and three blocks.

GAME FACTS
- South Alabama used an 11-2 burst to take an early 16-10 lead, thanks to two 3s from Mitchell
- USA led the rest of the way and took a six-point lead on two other occasions in the first half, the final time coming with eight seconds left before intermission on a dunk from junior Josh Ajayi
- New Orleans scored 10 of the first 11 points of the second half, with five coming from Ezekiel Charles to go ahead 38-35
- UNO went up four at the 13:14 mark but the Jags answered with six straight points until a three-point play from Scott Plaisance allowed the Privateers to retake the lead
- Two free throws from Ajayi and a steal-and-layup from sophomore John Pettway tied the contest at 50-50; on UNO's next possession, Rosser scored the first two of 10 straight points to take over the game
- Mitchell shot 8 for 12 from the field and 3 for 4 from 3-point land; the three 3s are also a new career best
- Ajayi finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, and Pettway tied his personal best with nine points and recorded the first multi-steal performance of his career, leading all players with four
- Charles tallied 15 of his team-high 18 points in the second half and made all three attempts from behind the arc

NOTES
- New Orleans' win was its first over South Alabama since Jan. 8, 2005, a span of 11 games; it was USA's third-longest active win streak over an opponent, and longest against a Division I school
- Tonight marked the first time in a South Alabama game this season that the team leading at halftime lost the game, but the team holding the advantage in shooting percentage has still won every game this season
- UNO shot 58.3 percent (7-12) from 3-point territory tonight, the highest allowed by USA this season; the previous six opponents had converted just 21.1 percent (19-90) from deep
- The Jaguars posted their second-worst assist/turnover ratio (6 assists, 17 turnovers) of the season
- Graduate Kory Holden missed the game due to injury
- South Alabama fell to 1-20 in its last 21 true road games
- Mitchell is the fifth different Jaguar to record a 20-point game this season

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richie Riley
Opening statement: "We got outworked and outplayed in every facet of the game. We had opportunities to win the game – it was real similar to a couple of road games we've had – and were right in the mix but they went on a run. We struggled to finish plays, whether it was free throws or good looks at the basket, and when we didn't do that, we dropped our heads and it carried over to the defensive end which allowed them to go on a run. New Orleans does the things that we struggle with. They play extremely hard consistently for 40 minutes, bring an unbelievable physicality to the game and they never beat themselves. That's what we have to do as a team; we have to do better at those small, intangible things to give us a chance to win games like this."

On New Orleans' run: "I'll have to watch the film, but I feel like we got some shots at the basket that we usually make, whether it was Ajayi inside or Rodrick with a clean look at a '3'. We did a good job of getting some paint touches, we just didn't convert, and when you don't convert, your energy goes down. For almost every team in the country, when the ball doesn't go in the basket, your defensive energy goes down, and when your energy goes down against a team like this, they're going to make you pay because if they don't score the first time, they'll have three or four guys on the offensive glass and they're coming at your neck. That's what they do and we didn't respond to it very well."

On Mitchell's night: "He's becoming more aggressive and I told him tonight in the locker room that I was proud of him for that. He had five turnovers, which isn't good, but he was forced to make some plays. On this team, he has to make plays. With our personnel, he has to get out of his comfort zone of being that glue guy. He's an extremely good glue guy, but on this team he has to be much more for us to have a chance to win. He's trying to do that; this is probably the most aggressive he's been in his career, even counting high school. He's trying really hard and he's getting better. As the season goes on, I think we'll see even more offensive improvement."

UP NEXT
South Alabama opens a six-game homestand Saturday against Tulane at 3 p.m.

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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—USA—