Game Notes

Game 25 • Arkansas State Red Wolves (9-16, 4-8) at South Alabama Jaguars (12-12, 5-6)
February 10, 2018 • 3:05 p.m. • Mitchell Center (10,000) • Mobile, Ala.

THE COACHES
South Alabama
Matthew Graves (Butler, 1998)
Record at USA: 63-90 (5th year)
Overall Record: Same
Record vs. A-State: 2-6

Arkansas State
Mike Balado (St. Thomas, 1998)
Record at A-State: 9-16 (1st year)
Overall Record: Same

LAST GAME
South Alabama pulled away in the second half in a 73-56 victory over Little Rock on Thursday. Arkansas State fell 89-83 in overtime at Troy.

NEXT GAME
The Jaguars travel to Appalachian State on Thursday. The Red Wolves host Little Rock.

ON THE AIR
Radio: 99.5 FM The Jag; J.D. Byars (pxp)
On the web: 995thejag.com/listen (audio); JagNationTV.com (video)

RANKINGS (Through Feb. 8)
USA: #261 RPI, #233 Sagarin
A-St: #279 RPI, #255 Sagarin

THE SERIES
Arkansas State leads 25-19.

Current streak: South Alabama, 1 win
A-State's last win in the series: 74-62 (1/23/17)
Last meeting: South Alabama 73, Arkansas State 70 (3/4/17)
USA's last win at the Mitchell Center: 73-70 (3/4/17)
ASU's last win the Mitchell Center: 89-67 (1/2/16)
USA's record at the Mitchell Center: 7-7
USA's record in Mobile: 14-8
USA's home streak: Won 1
USA's longest winning / losing streak in series: 5 / 5

Notes: South Alabama had a five-game win streak over ASU snapped in 2009-10 in Mobile, then ended a five-game Arkansas State streak in 2014-15 in Jonesboro… The Red Wolves had won the previous four meetings prior to USA's five-game streak and have won 10 of the last 13 against the Jaguars… Ken Williams hit a shot with 0.8 seconds left to win 73-70 last year… Arkansas State is 5-0 in games decided in overtime… The series dates back to the 1970-71 season… The Jags have scored more than 90 points just once in 44 games (91-78, 12/28/06).

OPENING TIP
Arkansas State has won 10 of the last 13 meetings between the two schools, but two of South Alabama's wins have come in the last three seasons.

The Jaguars are coming off their second-biggest conference win of the season, and shot 50 percent in each half for the first time in 2017-18.

USA won the rebounding battle Thursday 35-27, holding LR to the second-fewest rebounds by an opponent this season (26, Georgia State). The Jags are 9-1 when outrebounding the opposition, with five straight wins.

South Alabama is 10-2 this season when leading at the half, and 2-10 when trailing.

After giving up 79.0 points in its previous four games, USA held Little Rock to just 56, its fewest allowed against a Division I opponent since Dec. 16 vs. Eastern Illinois.

The Jaguars are second in the league in 3-point defense (.304), third in scoring defense (67.5) and fourth in field-goal defense (.409). They rank ninth, 61st and 40th in those categories, respectively, in the nation.

Thursday's win was the program's 10th of the year at home, tying the most in the last nine seasons.  The 2007-08 team won a Mitchell Center-record 17 games, and the 2008-09 squad won 11.

Trhae Mitchell set a new career high in scoring for the third time in the last four games with 19 points on Thursday. He shot 8 for 12 from the floor and 2 for 4 from 3-point land, while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out three assists.

In his last four games, Mitchell is averaging 15.3 points and shooting 70.6 percent from the field.

Josh Ajayi has hit double-digit points five times in his last six games, and is averaging 15.7 points and 8.5 rebounds in that span. He had 16 points and seven boards on Thursday.

Six of Ajayi's points vs. Little Rock came at the free-throw line. He is shooting 85.0 percent from the stripe in his last seven outings.

John Pettway scored all of his career-high eight points Thursday in the first half, and dished out a team-best four assists. He didn't miss a shot, going 3 for 3 from the floor and 1 for 1 from the line.

Arkansas State is averaging 83.3 points in its last four games and has eclipsed the 90-point mark twice in that time, but is giving up 85.8 points on the other end of the floor, including 88 or more three times.

The Red Wolves' leading scorer, Deven Simms, is seventh in the league at 17.1 ppg. He recorded a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) and had four steals his last time out at Troy. Simms averaged 18.0 points against the Jags last season, but was held to 13 in Mobile.

A-State's second leading scorer is Ty Cockfield. He posted a career-high 31 points on Thursday.

PREVIEWING SATURDAY
Head coach Matthew Graves on Arkansas State
On building off of Thursday's win: "Certainly, we have to protect our home court. We've focused on that this year and we've done a great job of playing well in the Mitchell Center. On a quick turnaround, we've got to bounce back and be ready to execute at a really high level on Saturday because Arkansas State is playing good basketball as of late."

On Trhae Mitchell's improved play: "Trhae has been much more assertive, especially on the offensive end. He's always been a very reliable defender for us; I think he's one of the top defenders in the Sun Belt Conference. Offensively, sometimes he takes too much of a backseat. In the last couple of games, he's done a great job of being very smart about attacking and is willing to take shots. I think that's a really good thing for our team."

On Arkansas State: "They play extremely hard and do a great job of flying around in their matchup zone defense. We'll have to do a good job of making the extra pass, cutting through the zone and finishing around the rim to have success. I think they do one of the best jobs in the league of going to the offensive glass."

On defending Deven Simms: "I think Simms is one of the most improved players in the Sun Belt. He's expanded his game where he's a reliable 3-point shooter now, and it's just added to the difficulty in trying to stay in front of him because he does a great job of putting the ball on the floor, getting to the rim, drawing contact and getting to the free-throw line. With his added 3-point shot, he's just that much harder to guard now."

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—