ESTERO, Fla. – After allowing Miami (Ohio) to tie the game with 8 ½ minutes left, the University of South Alabama men's basketball team responded with a big run to put the game out of reach and advance to the final of the Gulf Coast Showcase with an 82-71 victory Tuesday evening at Hertz Arena.

The Jaguars (5-2) got a double-double from graduate Chad Lott, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and a game-high 21 points from senior Josh Ajayi. Five Jags in total hit double-digits.

Back-to-back buckets from Lott gave South Alabama its biggest lead of the contest – 59-49 – at the 10-minute mark. Miami (4-2) rallied with 10 unanswered points – eight from Isaiah Coleman-Lands – to knot the score with 8:24 remaining.

The Jags scored 17 of the game's next 21 points – six from senior Andre Fox and five from freshman Tyreke Locure – for a 13-point advantage at the 3-minute mark. The Redhawks got no closer than 10 the rest of the way.

GAME FACTS
- Neither team led by more than four points through the first 15 minutes of the contest until jumpers from Ajayi 30 seconds apart put the Jags up 31-25
- The RedHawks came back with six straight points to tie the game and the Jaguars went into intermission on top 36-33
- Ajayi came alive in the second half, scoring 11 of the team's first 19 points of the second half, shooting 4 for 5 from the floor over that span, and his triple from the top of the key at the 12:16 mark gave the Jags a 55-47 lead
- Following Lott's baskets that put USA up 10, it took less than a minute and half for MU to get back in the game; Coleman-Lands started it with a '3,' and after a layup from Mekhi Lairy, Coleman-Lands tacked on the final five, with the run capped off with a triple
- Fox answered with a layup on the Jaguars' next possession, and after a stop on the other end of the floor, Locure nailed a trey
- Two layups from Miami's Bam Bowman bookended four free throws from Lott and Fox to make it a 68-63 contest, but South Alabama reeled off eight in a row and senior Trhae Mitchell finished off the 17-4 rally with a trey
- Dalonte Brown led the RedHawks with 15 points on three 3-pointers and four rebounds
- Mitchell and Fox contributed 14 points each and Locure tallied 10

NOTES
- The Jaguars' 5-2 start is their best since opening the 2016-17 campaign at 6-1
- Today was just the second meeting between the two schools and first since Miami won 64-59 in the 2007-08 season
- Two Jags scored 20 points in the same game for the sixth time under head coach Richie Riley
- Lott's double-double was the second of his career, but first at South Alabama
- Mitchell blocked a game-high three shots; it is his first multi-block game since tying the school record of nine in the season opener
- Mitchell made all three of his 3-point attempts to post the best 3-point percentage by a Jaguar this season (min. 3 made)
- Lott converted 9 of 12 from the floor for his 20 points; he leads the team with a .641 shooting percentage
- The Jaguars shot a season-best 69.6% from the field in the second half
- South Alabama has converted better than 50% from the field in each of its last five halves played
- USA continued its trend of playing better in the second half, putting up 36 points in the first and 46 in the second; the team is averaging 33.7 points before halftime and 45.1 after
- The Jags led for 33:49, their most against a Division I opponent this season, eclipsing the 32:11 Monday vs. Northeastern

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richie Riley
Opening statement: "I say this all the time but I'm extremely proud of our group. The toughness we had down the stretch was unbelievable. We had guys playing high minutes with others out injured, so our bench is really short right now. We just have a resilient crew.

In our early-season games, we were not ourselves. We were not the program we're building here. We were a team that was walking around, thinking we were really good and we hadn't earned anything. But we got back to work and it shows with how we're playing right now. The toughness level was unbelievable across the board."

On the late run: "We got some stops and we spaced them and drove them. We got in the bonus and were able to get some free throws to calm us, which was good. We've got a lot of guys that can attack you off the deck, so it's like dealer's choice – I get to pick the matchup I like the best. Down the stretch in games, when we get a lead, we can put you in space and get fouled or get to the cup. That's what we did and we got stops and rebounds. Trhae Mitchell, Chad Lott and Josh Ajayi on the glass were ridiculous. They were blocking shots, getting rebounds and finishing plays inside. They were all three really, really good."

On Ajayi's performance: "The dunk that he had was a big-time highlight dunk, but what it is for me, is it's revealing who he's becoming. Last year, he probably wouldn't have dunked it; that late in the game after playing that many minutes, he would not have dunked that. He went and elevated and it was a huge play. He's getting to where you need to bring some help; 1-on-1 he's a tough cover and we get it in there to him a lot. He has really grown and he has to keep going. The growth he's had, especially in the last three weeks, has been awesome."
 
UP NEXT
The Jaguars will play for the championship against La Salle Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. CST.

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

—USA—