Box Score

BOONE, N.C. – University of South Alabama sophomore Josh Ajayi recorded 20 of his game- and season-high 26 points after halftime to lead the Jaguars to a 77-66 victory against Appalachian State Thursday night.

The Jags (14-12, 7-6 Sun Belt), who pick up their first win on the road this season, outscored the Mountaineers 46-34 in the second half.

Ajayi accounted for all 10 points in a 10-3 run in the final 5:35 to give South Alabama a 66-60 lead with 3:26 left in the contest. App State's Ronshad Shabazz hit a '3' with 1:16 left to cut the margin to 70-66, but USA scored the final seven points of the contest – four from Ajayi – to put the game away.

Junior Rodrick Sikes scored 18 of his 24 points in the first half, hit four 3-pointers, and was credited with three steals. Ajayi made all eight free-throw attempts, part of a 21-for-26 effort as a team.

GAME FACTS
- The Jags jumped out to a 17-6 lead in the first six minutes, but a 16-4 App State (11-16, 6-8 Sun Belt) rally to end the half, helped by a 6:56 field-goal drought by USA, gave the Mountaineers a 32-31 lead at the break
- Neither team led by more than five for the first 16 minutes of the second half; the Jags used an 8-1 run to turn a five-point deficit into a two-point lead midway through the period
- Three straight points from App State's Isaac Johnson gave them a 57-56 lead with 5:46 to play, but Ajayi scored six unanswered to put the Jags up five
- Ajayi answered a bucket from Griffin Kinney with one of his own, then after a Mountaineer free throw, he converted twice at the line for a 66-60 lead with 3:26 on the clock
- Kinney scored again, but sophomore Jordan Andrews nailed a 3-pointer on the Jaguars' next trip down the floor to put them up 69-62
- Shabazz's triple would be the Mountaineers' final points of the contest; App State went 0 for 2 from the floor and committed a turnover in the last 1:15, while Ajayi had two offensive and defensive rebounds each
- Kinney led the Mountaineers with 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds; Johnson recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 boards

NOTES
- Head coach Matthew Graves missed the second half due to an illness
- The Jaguars have won three straight games for the first time this year
- South Alabama improved to 3-10 this season when trailing at halftime, 3-11 when being outrebounded (39-36), and 12-0 when holding the opposition to fewer than 70 points
- Sikes is averaging 19.5 points in the first half of the last two games
- South Alabama is 6-3 when Sikes scores 20 or more, and 5-1 when Ajayi has a double-double
- Sikes and Ajayi have hit the 20-point plateau four times this season, and twice in the last two games
- Ajayi is averaging 20.0 points and 7.5 rebounds, while shooting 54.7 percent from the floor in his last four outings
- USA now leads the series 6-1
- Sikes tied his career high with three steals
- Andrews' eight points are his most against a Division I opponent since Dec. 29, and he had seven points total in his previous seven games
- Ajayi is averaging 25.0 points and 12.5 rebounds against Appalachian State this season
- Ajayi's 8-for-8 performance at the line is the best by a Jaguar this season

THEY SAID IT
Assistant Coach Brock Morris
Opening statement: "Obviously we had a unique situation with Coach Graves being sick. He was really tough in the first half. He told me, 'I don't think I can make it but I have to be out here for these guys.' He didn't want to show any weakness and I have to give him a lot of credit. I told the guys in the locker room that he is the toughest dude I know because he could hardly walk. He stuck it out for those guys and when we got to halftime, he just couldn't go anymore. These guys rallied together and it was a group win."

On the second half effort: "When an assistant coach on a staff has to take over, it's very different. One of the important things for us was to have buy-in from the team. The guys on the floor were giving it everything they had, and the ones that weren't playing were giving suggestions on the bench. Everybody was engaged, all the way down the bench. You saw the toughness, character, competitiveness and the togetherness play out in the second half. You score points, you hold them and you were just tough down the stretch on the road."

On Ajayi and Sikes' performance: "I thought Rodrick got really hot. We talked as a staff about getting him some shots coming out, but they were all over him because he was so hot early. So we knew Josh is a really good scorer and we tried to pound it inside. He took the load and Rodrick took a lot away from him. Those other guys, Herb (McGee), Jordan, who hit two big shots, Nick Davis was playing well and hit a big '3,' Joe Thompson and Kevin Morris came off the bench, and they were able to give us some other things. But Josh and Rodrick did a great job with the scoring load."

UP NEXT
South Alabama completes its road trip Saturday with a 2:30 p.m. CST contest at Coastal Carolina.

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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—USA—