MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's basketball team got a career night from freshman Tyreke Locure who poured in 20 points and five assists in his first start and never trailed in a 98-72 win against Spring Hill Tuesday night at the Mitchell Center.

The Jaguars (3-2) also received a double-double from senior Josh Ajayi who poured in a team-high 21 points and 10 rebounds. Five USA players total reached double-digit points, including seniors Andre Fox (16), Trhae Mitchell (11) and Don Coleman (10).

USA opened up a 20-8 lead in the first six minutes of the game following a 3-pointer from Mitchell, then made it a 20-point contest early in the second half after scoring the period's first eight points.

A 19-7 run, capped with back-to-back triples from Mitchell gave the Jags their largest lead of the contest, 90-59 with 4:48 left.

GAME FACTS
- Six different Jaguars contributed points during the game-opening 20-8 run, with five coming from Fox and four from graduate Chad Lott
- The biggest lead South Alabama was able to get in the first 20 minutes was 17 on two occasions, but Spring Hill hung around and only trailed by 12 at halftime
- Locure started the scoring in the second half with a trey, Ajayi followed with a 3-point play, and Lott hit a jumper at the 16:50 mark for a 57-37 advantage
- Locure started the 19-7 burst with three free throws with 8:36 left in the contest, and Fox added a triple on the Jags' next trip down the floor
- Ajayi recorded USA's next four points, and a few minutes later, Mitchell nailed a pair of 3s less than 30 seconds apart for a 90-59 score
- Spring Hill got 21 points off the bench from Jordan McIlwain

NOTES
- South Alabama has won 16 straight against Spring Hill, its longest active win streak against an opponent
- The 98 points scored tonight are USA's most ever against SHC
- Tonight was Ajayi's ninth career 20-point, 10-rebound game, which is tied for fourth in school history; Terry Catledge holds the record with 33
- Ajayi's performance comes after being held to two points and two rebounds Friday at Chattanooga; he is averaging 19.8 points and 9.8 rebounds in his other four outings
- Spring Hill scored the most points against South Alabama in the series since 1977; the Badgers had tallied no more than 56 since the series resumed in 2004
- Locure is the first freshman since Ajayi in 2016-17 to score 20 points in a game
- Locure is the first USA player to have 20 points, five assists and no more than one turnover since Augustine Rubit on Feb. 22, 2014 against Troy, and the first freshman since Calodeis Canion on Jan. 4, 1984 vs. Virginia Commonwealth
- Locure entered the night with just 11 career points in three appearances
- Tonight marked the third time under head coach Richie Riley that the Jags had an assist/turnover ratio of nine or better
- The last time the Jags had an assist/turnover ratio nine or better with 20 or more assists was against Trinity Baptist on Jan. 9, 2018
- SHC outscored USA 40-38 in the paint
- South Alabama last hit the 98-point mark just over a year ago in a 106-76 victory over Huntingdon

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richie Riley
Opening statement: "It's always great when you get a chance to play somebody from right in your backyard, it's a huge game for them. I was an NAIA coach and a [NCAA] Division II coach, to play in these games is a huge deal. And it's a big deal for our guys, we want to play Spring Hill and Mobile every single year that I am fortunate enough to be the head coach here because it means something to this community. I am rooting for Spring Hill, I like the way that they play; they play the game the right way and they play hard, I hope they have an unbelievable year."

On the game tonight: "Our guys came out and did what they needed to do, we played a lot of guys which was good. I was really, really proud of Tyreke Locure because when you come to the [NCAA] Division I level toughness and being an everyday dude is the hardest thing to do. He is talented and skilled and can really shoot it, but he was struggling with that. After the Chattanooga game we came out and went to work, that's the way it's going to be from here on out. Whoever earns it is going to start and play the minutes, and he earned it. For two days he was the scrappiest kid on our team, he was the first to the floor, took charges and played the game the right way so I let him start and he came out and took advantage of it. Another guy I was proud of was Herb Magee, his leadership for us is tremendous. We didn't play well the other night. Sometimes you get given things, and we were given the preseason pick to win this league; we didn't earn that, and I think in our minds we thought we earned something and were on a pedestal that we are not on. We didn't have enough practice time because the games were so close together to get them right, and it was frustrating. This team has a long way to go, we're not real good right now. Can we get there? Yes, we can have an unbelievable team and be elite, but we are not there yet. This group had never played together, we've got some guys who are talented and capable of doing a lot of things but they haven't won yet so we are trying to figure out how to win against really good teams. I had to refocus our guys to understand what that's about, that's what we did the last two days and that's what we are going to continue to do every single day."
 
UP NEXT
The Jaguars start a four-game road swing Monday at 10 a.m. CST against Northeastern at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla.

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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