Game 24 • Little Rock Trojans (8-15, 3-7) at South Alabama Jaguars (12-11, 5-5)
February 9, 2019 • 3 p.m. • Mitchell Center (5,520) • Mobile, Ala.

THE COACHES
South Alabama
Richie Riley (Eastern Kentucky, 2005)
Record at USA: 12-11 (1st year)
Overall Record: 47-39 (3rd year)
Record vs. Little Rock: 0-1

Little Rock
Darrell Walker (Arkansas, 2012)
Record at LR: 8-15 (1st year)
Overall Record: 53-33 (3rd year)

LAST GAME
South Alabama held off Arkansas State's late rally, winning 70-62. Little Rock shot 78.6 percent in the second half to defeat Troy 84-70.

NEXT GAME
The Jaguars start a three-game road trip Wednesday at Georgia Southern. The Trojans host UT Arlington on Thursday.

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

RANKINGS (through Feb. 7)
USA: #246 NET, #209 Sagarin
LR: #222 NET, #203 Sagarin

THE SERIES
USA leads 29-21.

Current winning streak: Little Rock, 1 win
USA's last win in series: 73-56 (2/8/18)
Last meeting: Little Rock 91, South Alabama 62 (1/10/19)
USA's last win in the Mitchell Center: 73-56 (2/8/18)
UALR's last win in the Mitchell Center: 62-57 (3/2/17)
USA's record in the Mitchell Center: 8-5
USA's record in Mobile: 15-7
USA's home streak: Won 1
USA's longest winning / losing streak in series: 6 / 4

Notes: Little Rock's four-game win streak that ended last season was its longest in the series… South Alabama swept all three games in 2015-16, defeating the Trojans in the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament… The Jaguars' victory in Little Rock in 2012-13 was the program's first since 2007-08… The Trojans' 75-50 win in 2011-12 was the second-biggest win by LR in the series until Little Rock won 74-43 in 2015-16… LR swept the season series in 2013-14 for the first time since 1995-96… LR's win in Mobile on 1/22/09 ended a four-game USA winning streak in the series… USA won 10 of 11 from 3/2/97 to 3/3/01… The Jags are 7-1 vs. the Trojans in the SBC Tournament, including 4-1 at neutral sites… The lone loss came in 2010-11 (82-68) in the first round; Little Rock eventually won the tournament.

OPENING TIP
A win Saturday would give South Alabama a 12-4 home record, its most wins at the Mitchell Center in one season since 2007-08 (17).

A win would also mean a four-game win streak, the longest this season and would give the Jaguars four straight victories in Sun Belt play for the first time since 2012-13. That season was also the last time USA was over .500 after 11 league games.

South Alabama has had a player score 20 or more 19 times in 23 games this season. Herb McGee, who tallied a career-best 24 points Thursday, is the sixth Jaguar to hit that mark this season, the most since 1996-97.

McGee shot 7 for 11 from the floor and tied his career high with four 3-pointers. He has reached double-digit points four times in his last five outings, averaging 14.4 points in that span.

Since shooting 1 for 9 (11.1%) from 3-point land in a three-game stretch vs. Coastal Carolina, Arkansas State and Little Rock, McGee is 16 for 36 (44.4%) from long distance in the five games since, with multiple treys in each contest. He has also been lethal at the free-throw line in that time, going 14 for 17 (82.4%).

Josh Ajayi extended his double-digit scoring streak to 18 games with 20 points. He scored 16 points in the second half alone and shot 8 for 12 from the field. In his 18-game streak, he has tallied 20 points or more six times.

Ajayi leads the Sun Belt and is 39th in the nation in field-goal percentage (.570). He is also second in the conference and 31st nationally with nine double-doubles.

Trhae Mitchell was held to 7 points vs. Arkansas State, his lowest output since Dec. 8 vs. Tulane. He did lead the team with 10 rebounds and 7 assists, and he blocked two shots. Mitchell recorded double-figure rebounds for the sixth time this season.

Mitchell ranks second in the league and 23rd in Division with 2.2 blocks per game.

R.J. Kelly surpassed Mitchell Thursday with three blocks, his second-most of the season.

John Pettway, who had tallied 14 points or more in four straight games, had 8 points Thursday in his fourth straight start. In his last five games, Pettway is averaging 13.2 points and 2.4 steals and is shooting 66.7 percent from the floor. He has multiple steals in each of those five games.

Little Rock's leading scorer, Rayjon Tucker, was held to a season-low 6 points in the first meeting between the two teams in Little Rock but is averaging 21.0 points in the six games since, including 29 vs. Coastal Carolina and 24 on Thursday at Troy.

Tucker ranks fifth in the Sun Belt in scoring (20.4 ppg) and sixth in 3-pointers (2.3 pg) and field-goal percentage (.507).

QUOTES
Head coach Richie Riley on Little Rock
On the rematch with Little Rock: "It's going to be another tough game. The thing about our league is there's so much parity. There aren't a lot of games separating last from first and there are a lot of teams bunched up in the middle. Little Rock is coming off a big win against Troy Thursday night so they have some momentum. They got us really good up there; it's the worst we've been beaten all year. Our guys have a little extra motivation. They'll be playing with a chip on their shoulder and that's the way I'm approaching the game. We're excited about another one at home. We've been playing well at home recently; we've won three in a row and hopefully we'll make it four."

On the difference in the team from the first meeting: "We've drastically improved. I'm sure they have too; any well-coached team does, but I feel like we've made a lot of strides in playing with more confidence and urgency. We've found a rhythm with a lineup and rotation that has us playing our best basketball of the season. We've have to continue to realize what goes into winning. The thing about Thursday night is we didn't play our best basketball but we made enough winning plays to find a way to come away a winner at the end. We talk about it all the time – it's about doing whatever you have to do to be in the locker room celebrating instead of being disappointed. We're not always going to do the right things out there, but the goal is to win that 40 minutes and we were able to do that last night. We have to realize our mistakes and build off that because Little Rock is a really good team."

On defending Little Rock: "We were very poor defensively up there; it was our worst defensive effort of the season in my opinion. (Rayjon) Tucker was aggressive early then they got a big lead and kept it. He's one of the best players in our league. He's super-talented, athletic and can score on all three levels. We have to find a way to limit him. The scary part about their team is they're so big and physical. That was the thing that stuck out to me. Their physicality really bothered us. We've grown a lot in those areas – how to handle it and play against it – but tomorrow will be a test. It'll be a battle in the paint because they're big and strong. Even Tucker is a big, strong, athletic wing. We have to be ready for that physicality and handle it a lot better than we did in Little Rock."

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).

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