ATLANTA – Georgia State rallied from an 18-point deficit in the first half and shot 70.8 percent after halftime to defeat the University of South Alabama men's basketball team 90-81 Friday night at the Georgia State Sports Arena.

The Panthers went on a 16-1 run right after halftime to pull within 56-55, then briefly took the lead at the 12:42 mark on back-to-back dunks from Malik Benlevi and Kane Williams. USA took control at the midway point of the second half, scoring seven unanswered on two baskets from junior Josh Ajayi and a 3-pointer from senior Rodrick Sikes to go up 70-63.

The two teams traded runs – Georgia State (18-8, 9-4 Sun Belt) went on a 12-1 burst to go up four, then South Alabama (12-14, 5-8) poured in six straight to regain the lead – down the stretch until the last four minutes where the Panthers outscored the Jaguars 15-4 and held them to 1-for-6 shooting while making all four attempts on the other end.

USA junior Herb McGee tallied a career-best 26 points on five 3-pointers, and dished out a game-high 8 assists.

GAME FACTS
- South Alabama's first 21 points came from 3-point territory – 15 from McGee and 6 from sophomore R.J. Kelly
- Down three with 7:28 left in the first half, graduate Kory Holden nailed back-to-back 3s and sophomore John Pettway dunked home two more points
- After a GSU layup, Holden hit another trey and junior Trhae Mitchell added a dunk for an eight-point advantage
- Georgia State tipped in a bucket at 4:01 but South Alabama reeled off 12 unanswered points – 10 from Sikes – to cap off a 25-4 run and lead 50-32
- Up 14 at halftime, McGee recorded the first points of the second half to go up 16
- GSU responded with 11 straight points and 16 of the next 17 over a 4:45 stretch to make it a 56-55 game at the 13:55 mark; USA went over 6 ½ minutes without a field goal, allowing the Panthers to go on a 21-5 spurt
- Following a free throw from Ajayi, Georgia State recorded 10 consecutive points to go up 75-71, then South Alabama answered with six straight of its own – four free throws from McGee sandwiched around a basket from Mitchell – to go up 77-75 with 4:11 to play
- Mitchell's jumper would be the Jags' last until the final 35 seconds as the Panthers went on a 13-2 run, then tacked on two late free throws for the final margin
- Sikes came off the bench to record 14 points, Holden tallied 12 on four 3-pointers and Kelly scored 11
- Benlevi shared game-high honors with McGee, totaling 26 points, and Jeff Thomas had 21 in a reserve role

NOTES
- South Alabama's 21 assists tie the team's most in Sun Belt play (Appalachian State)
- Eleven of the Jaguars' 13 league games have been decided by single digits
- The Jags hit 14 times from behind the arc – 12 in the first half alone – to tie their season high.
- Ajayi was held under 10 points for the first time since Nov. 17, a span of 20 games
- South Alabama has lost 10 straight games in the Georgia State Sports Arena dating back to 1981
- The Panthers outscored the Jaguars 29-7 off turnovers and 12-2 on fast break points; Georgia State's 10 steals are the most by a Jaguar opponent this season
- GSU shot 17 for 24 from the floor and 8 for 14 from 3-point land in the second half
- USA's 53 points in the first half and the 51 points allowed in the second half are both season highs
- South Alabama is 5-4 this season when scoring 80 points or more, and 0-6 when allowing 80-plus
- Mitchell's 12 rebounds are one shy of his career high
- D'Marcus Simonds scored 10 points for the Panthers, his fewest in five career games vs. South Alabama; he was averaging 21.8 points against the Jags coming into the contest
- McGee averaged 22.0 points this week, shooting 12 for 24 from the floor, 8 for 17 from distance and 12 for 13 from the free-throw line
- Ajayi moved up to a tie for 10th at South Alabama in career rebounds with 577
- Sikes is now in seventh by himself at USA in career 3s (148), five shy of sixth

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richie Riley
Opening statement: "We were tremendous in the first half; we did a lot of really good things. In the second half, they made it a player's game. I thought we had a pretty good plan and we weren't able to continue to do that because they trapped us. It led to 3-on-2s and it became a scramble and we didn't handle it very well. We turned the ball over too much and gave them points off turnovers. That ultimately cost us the game. Obviously we didn't shoot it as well in the second half, but you're not going to make 12 3s every half. You have to take advantage of those halves when you get them, and you have to guard better if you're going to win a game like this on the road."

On South Alabama's second half defense: "We gave up a lot of easy ones and it allowed them to get some energy and rhythm. They made the shots; the same shots we made in the first half, they made in the second. When the ball doesn't go in and you're turning it over, your defensive energy lacks, and good teams don't do that. If the ball's not going in, you have to play even harder defensively. We gave them a lot off turnovers – some pick-sixes – but we didn't do a good enough job guarding in the halfcourt either."

On Herb McGee: "I thought he gave us everything he had. I thought he competed at a high level, shot it really well, especially early, and I'm just proud of him. I thought he gave everything he had on Wednesday too. I just wish we could have found a way to hold them off a little bit more to keep that lead a little longer, but Herb was really good."

UP NEXT
South Alabama completes its three-game road trip next Saturday, Feb. 23 at Troy.

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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