MOBILE, Ala. – Senior Rodrick Sikes scored a team-high 21 points and junior Josh Ajayi added a double-double to lead the University of South Alabama men's basketball team to an 81-60 win victory against Tulane Saturday afternoon at the Mitchell Center.

The Jaguars (5-5) used a 16-6 run midway through the first half to take control and go up 37-23. Back-to-back 3s from Sikes just 20 seconds apart finished off the burst.

After leading by 17 at halftime, sophomore R.J. Kelly opened the second-half scoring with a triple and the Jags never looked back. Tulane (3-6) pulled within 13 at the 12:31 mark but South Alabama responded with seven unanswered points, and led by as many as 23 in the final four minutes.

Ajayi recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, and junior Kevin Morris made all four attempts for a season-best 10 points.

GAME FACTS
- South Alabama used a 13-4 run early in the contest to take control, thanks to a 3-point play from Sikes and back-to-back layups from Ajayi – all within a 55-second span – then got a 3-point play from Ajayi to take a 19-13 lead
- An 8-1 run with contributions from four different players gave USA a double-digit lead for the first time at the 9:07 mark
- A layup from junior Abdul Dial – his only points of the night – just before the halftime buzzer sent the Jags into the break up 47-30
- Tulane's Caleb Daniels scored on consecutive trips down the floor to trim the lead down to 59-46 with 12:31 to play, but graduate Kory Holden nailed a '3' on the other end, and sophomore John Pettway and junior Trhae Mitchell added buckets for seven points in a row and a 66-46 lead midway through the second half

NOTES
- Saturday was Tulane's first trip to Mobile since Jan. 26, 1974, which was also the last win by South Alabama in the series; the series is now tied 3-3
- Sikes hit the 20-point mark for the fourth time this season and it comes one game after tying his season low on Wednesday at New Orleans (six points)
- Kelly set a new career high with six assists and committed no turnovers
- Mitchell tied his personal best with three steals and added two blocks and five assists
- Morris' point total is the second-highest against a Division I school in his career
- The Jaguars hit double-digits in 3-pointers made for the fourth time this season
- South Alabama's 19 assists tied the team's season high against a Division I opponent and the Jaguars posted a positive assist/turnover ratio for the fourth time (3-1 record)
- The Jags shot better than 50 percent in each half for the first time vs. a DI school in 2018-19 and finished at 53.4 percent for the contest
- Tonight marked Tulane's worst loss of the season

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richie Riley
Opening statement: "I'm really proud of our team today. I said this last time, but whether we win or lose I come in here and I'm brutally honest. Sometimes we win and I sound like we lost. I hate losing more than anything. Today I can genuinely say that I'm proud of our guys. For the first time all year we put together 40 minutes. We played really well for an entire game. Our focus, our concentration, our energy and effort were incredible, and that was 10 deep. All 10 guys played that were available and they all played their role to the best of their ability. That's all that we can ask them to do. I'm just really proud of the resiliency they showed. I loved everything about our team today: how the four guys who are sitting out cheered, the way our managers cheered, the way our coaches coached, and the way the guys who were out on the court played. I loved everything about our program. That's who we want to be. That's who we're striving to be every day. It's a work in progress, but that's who we want to be from an energy standpoint and being what we were as a team today."

On the team's confidence after a win: "It's huge. I told our guys after the game, 'You wonder why I coach you guys so hard every day. It's because I believe in you and what you're capable of doing. Today you showed that. You guys went out there and did what you're supposed to do, and look at the results.' We beat a good team. They're better than their record. You see that we've got some common opponents. They played Louisiana and Georgia State in close games. They're a good team. We did a nice job of doing what we were supposed to do today. That's why we coach them so hard. I believe in these kids. I know we didn't recruit them, but I believe they're capable of so much more. Today they showed that. I hope it's something that our team can carry with us, especially as we practice the next 10 to 11 days. It gives us a chance to learn from this game and learn some things that we did well and need to continue doing. We also have a chance to continue to get better at things we're not doing well."

On individual performances: "I'm so happy for Kevin Morris. He brings unbelievable energy every single day at practice. If he plays four minutes in a game, he cheers the entire time. If he has a bad practice, he's cheering for the other guys. He's a selfless kid. His practice habits have been very good, but he hasn't played well in the games. He's practiced well and today he got the reward. I talk about that all the time. If you work hard enough and do what you're supposed to do, then you'll always get rewarded. He played really well and had some really good finishes around the rim; he just competed. He was 4 for 4 with 10 points and three offensive rebounds, a couple of which were baskets. I was so happy for him. Looking at the other guys, Rodrick Sikes had 21 points and was much more efficient, which I love. Josh Ajayi had a double-double, which I love. Two stats really stick out: R.J. Kelly had six assists and zero turnovers. When he's stationary, he's a really good passer. He did a nice job of that tonight by getting other guys involved. Trhae Mitchell had five assists and one turnover. Trhae has become more aggressive, and we have to have that on this team. He's buying into that. Between those guys there were 11 assists and one turnover. That's a drastic improvement from when we first got here in the spring. I'm proud of their growth and improvement."

UP NEXT
South Alabama will take an extended break before returning to action Dec. 19 against Alabama A&M at 7 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).

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

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