Game 9 • South Alabama Jaguars (5-3) at Richmond Spiders (7-1)
December 8, 2019 • 2 p.m. • Robins Center (7,201) • Richmond, Va.

THE COACHES
South Alabama
Richie Riley (Eastern Kentucky, 2005)
Record at USA: 22-20 (2nd year)
Overall Record: 57-48 (4th year)
Record vs. Richmond: 0-1

Richmond
Chris Mooney (Princeton, 1994)
Record at UR: 256-216 (15th year)
Overall Record: 274-228 (16th year)

LAST GAME
South Alabama fell 81-76 in overtime to La Salle in the final of the Gulf Coast Showcase on Nov. 27. Richmond ran past Hampton on the road 80-63.

NEXT GAME
The Jaguars will return home to start a four-game homestand on Dec. 17 against Alabama A&M. The Spiders host the College of Charleston on Saturday.

ON THE AIR
Radio: 99.5 FM The Jag; J.T. Crabtree (pxp)
Web: 995thejag.com/listen (audio); ESPN+ (video)

RANKINGS (RPI ratings through Dec. 5)
USA: #167 RPI, #119 Sagarin
UR: RV AP, #80 RPI, #90 Sagarin

THE SERIES
Richmond leads 2-0.

Current streak: UR, 2 wins
Last meeting: Richmond 91, South Alabama 82 (12/29/19)
USA's last win at the Robins Center: N/A
UR's last win at the Robins Center: 65-54 (12/18/14)
USA's record at the Robins Center: 0-1
USA's record on the road: 0-1
USA's road streak: Lost 1
USA's longest winning / losing streak in series: 0 / 2

Notes: Both meetings in the series have taken place since 2014.

OPENING TIP
South Alabama has scored 69 points or more in each of its first eight games of a season for the first time since 1991-92.

In the Jaguars' last time out against La Salle, their comeback from an early 18-point deficit was sparked by an 18-0 run in the second half. The 18 unanswered points are a new season high and the most since a 21-0 run on March 2 against Texas State. The Jags have put together an unanswered rally of at least double-digits five times this season.

Against La Salle, USA shot 34.8% and scored 25 points in the first half, but converted 54.2% for 45 points in the second. The Jags have scored 45 points or more in the second half six times this season and five times in a row.

On the season, South Alabama is averaging 32.6 points in the first half and 45.1 in the second.

The Jaguars rank second in the conference and 23rd in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (11.3), and third in the Sun Belt in turnover margin (+3.38).

The La Salle game ended a streak of three straight games shooting 50% or better from the floor. The Jags shot 42.9%, one game after converting a season-high 59.6% against Miami (Ohio). The team has hit the 50% mark four times in the first eight games, the most since the 2008-09 squad had five.

South Alabama leads the Sun Belt and is 25th in Division in field-goal percentage on the year (.490).

Chad Lott and Josh Ajayi rank first and second, respectively, in the Sun Belt in field-goal percentage at .635 and .625.

In three games at the Gulf Coast Showcase, Lott shot 71.0% from the floor and averaged 18.0 points per contest. He also recorded his second career double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds against Miami.

Ajayi is 11 points away from Demetric Bennett for eighth in South Alabama history, and 11 rebounds away from Henry Williams for fifth in the school record books. Ajayi also needs one field goal for 500 in his career.

Last season against Richmond, Ajayi led the Jags with 25 points on 11-for-16 shooting.

Andre Fox enjoyed a career night against La Salle, scoring 26 of his career-high 28 points after halftime. He shot 10 for 22 from the floor, 4 for 9 from 3-point land and hit the game-tying shot with 0.8 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime.

Fox's 10 field goals and 22 attempts were also new career highs. The Jags fell to 0-3 when he hits the 20-point plateau, and he is the fifth player in school history to score at least 28 points without recording a rebound in school history, and first since Chris Young on Dec. 22, 2002.

Trhae Mitchell recorded a team-best three steals vs. La Salle to move him into the top 20 all-time at South Alabama with 92.

Mitchell blocked five shots against the Explorers, his second-highest total of the season, giving him eight in his last two outings. He leads the Sun Belt and is 22nd in the nation with 2.63 blocks per contest, and his 21 blocks are tied for fourth-most through the first eight games in school history.

Richmond ranks seventh in the nation in 3-pointers per game (10.6) and 10th in 3-point percentage (.419). Nick Sherod (19th, 3.38) and Blake Francis (30th, 3.13) both rank in the top 30 nationally in 3s per game. They will test a Jaguar defense that is last in the conference in 3-point defense (.361).

Head coach Richie Riley on Richmond
On the upcoming game: "After watching Richmond on film, I feel like they're a top-25 team. They have three Power 5 wins against Vanderbilt, Wisconsin and Boston College, and their only loss was to Auburn, where they were up one at halftime. They're a very dangerous offensive team; they're probably the best offensive team we've played. They have guys that can really shoot it around the perimeter and a good post player in (Grant) Golden. They're difficult to defend. We're going to have to be locked in defensively, execute offensively and keep them out of transition."

On the break between games: "We wanted to get healthy. I think we've gotten a little bit healthier. We played the Florida tournament with six guys, pretty much, and we wanted to fine tune some things. The non-conference schedule is all about getting better every single day and preparing yourself for the conference season while trying to win every game. I feel like we're doing that. We're growing in a lot of ways, but we're nowhere near a finished product; we've got a lot of work to do. This game against Richmond is another strong test against one of the best mid-major teams in the country on the road. It'll be a crazy environment and we want to use this opportunity to continue to grow."

On Richmond: "We played against a lot of those same guys (last year). Two of their major contributors, though, were not with them last year. (Nick) Sherod got hurt last year and didn't play against us. He's shooting an unbelievable percentage from 3 and averaging over 15 points. And they had a transfer sitting out from Wagner, Blake Francis, who has been tremendous for them. He's another guard to go with (Jacob) Gilyard. Gilyard plays the '1' primarily and Francis is a true combo guard – he can play the '1' or the '2' – and can really score. So they added those guys and returned everybody else that were key contributors.

We're going to have to show up and play. It'll be a test because the last time we were on the road, we didn't play very well. It's our second true road game. We just finished three neutral-site games, which was good for us to be away from home and simulate that road environment. We're playing a veteran team that really knows how to play – their IQ is off the charts – and they really shoot it. We have to do a great job of continuing to take care of the ball – we're top 30 in the country right now in fewest turnovers – and continue to shoot a good percentage – we're top 30 in field-goal percentage too. We have to keep doing those things and keep them out of transition, and be disciplined enough in the half court to slow them down."

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—