Box Score

NEW ORLEANS – The University of South Alabama men's basketball team converted just 20 percent from the floor and was outscored by 13 in the second half in a 69-62 loss to Troy Wednesday in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at Lakefront Arena.

Troy (16-16) outscored South Alabama (14-18) 12-4 in the first five minutes after halftime, and stretched that to 27-12 at the midway point for a nine-point advantage.

The Jaguars stayed in the game at the free-throw line, but went over six minutes without a field goal, allowing the Trojans to lead by as many as 11. USA got within six in the final minute but missed its next four shots and would get no closer.

Junior Rodrick Sikes paced the Jags with 18 points, and sophomore Josh Ajayi added 17. Troy's Jordon Varnado led all scorers with 22.

GAME FACTS
- South Alabama didn't trail in the first 17 ½ minutes and was up as many as eight with 12:28 left before halftime
- Troy answered with a 10-2 run and took its first lead with 3:24 left in the half on a jumper from Varnado
- USA scored eight of the game's last nine points before the break, and a 3-pointer from Sikes with four seconds left gave the Jags a six-point lead
- The Trojans scored the first six points after intermission and held the Jags without a basket for almost five minutes
- Three free throws from Sikes made it a 46-45 Troy lead, but the Trojans scored the next seven points in less than a minute for an eight-point advantage
- A bucket from Ajayi cut USA's deficit to 56-51 with 7:55 left, but that would be the team's last field goal until the 1:41 mark, when sophomore Trhae Mitchell hit a layup but couldn't convert the and-1 opportunity; the Jags got the offensive rebound but the second-chance shot rimmed out, then missed their next two chances
- Sikes set a new career high with seven rebounds, and sophomore Kevin Morris tied his personal best with nine
- Troy's Wesley Person scored 17 points and Alex Hicks added 13 and 12 rebounds

NOTES
- Sikes finishes the season with 597 points, which ties Terry Catledge for sixth most in a season in South Alabama history, and Sikes' 88 3-pointers are fifth in school history
- South Alabama has lost three in a row to Troy for the first time in school history
- The Jags shot 50 percent from the field in the first half for the third time this season but recorded their first loss when doing so
- USA started the year 13-0 when holding its opponent to fewer than 70 points, but lost its last two
- Ajayi's 17 points are his most since scoring 26 at Appalachian State on Feb. 15

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Matthew Graves
Opening statement: "I thought it was a very well-played game. I've got to tip my hat to Troy. They played well. They took a really good shot from us. (Jordon) Varnado and (Wesley) Person really stepped up; you have to give them a lot of credit. I told our team I was really proud of them. I thought we fought, we did a lot of good things, but we obviously came up short. But I'm really proud. We started the game with four sophomores and a junior and those kids absolutely competed their butts off. They worked extremely hard and we just fell short. We got beat by a better team today. So a lot of credit to Troy."

On the second-half shooting slump: "The first time we played Troy we were 2-for-18 from 3, the second time we were 4-for-16, so if I see Phil (Cunningham) out in the next few weeks, I've got to ask him what his secret is.  They did a great job of contesting our 3-point shots in all of our games.  I felt like in the first half though, we got out in transition.  When it's a broken floor and we can create spacing, we get better looks. I thought as the game slowed down, the pace favored Troy.  Ultimately, you can't shoot 1 for 12 from 3 in the second half and expect to come out on the right side."

On the slow start to the second half: "I think they got some good shots and made plays and we didn't.  I don't think it was anything different than what we had seen before.  They had some guys that stepped up and made plays and we struggled out of the gate.  Overall, the pace of play – we needed this game to be a little bit faster, and Troy did a good job of throwing it inside to (Jordon) Varnado and (Alex) Hicks, and I think our bigs got a little bit tired.  Again, you've got to give them a lot of credit, they played well."

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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