MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's basketball team fell to Georgia State 72-63 Thursday in Sun Belt Conference action at the Mitchell Center.

The loss snapped a three-game Jaguar winning streak. Josh Ajayi turned in his seventh double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

USA (11-8, 4-4 Sun Belt) will return to action Sat., Jan. 18, when it hosts Georgia Southern in a Sun Belt Conference game at 3 p.m. at the Mitchell Center.

 GAME FACTS
- South Alabama jumped out to a 6-0 lead to start the game after three consecutive layups from Chad Lott, John Pettway and Josh Ajayi. But the Panthers responded with a 7-0 scoring run to cut the Jaguar lead to 8-7 at the 16:18 mark of the first half. GSU later tied the score at 10-10 at the 14:36 mark on a three pointer from the left corner from Corey Allen.
- The Jaguars pushed their lead to four points at 17-13 with 11:38 remaining in the first half following a three pointer from the right corner by Tyreke Locure, but the Panthers cut the Jag lead to 17-16 on the next possession down the court on a three by Allen. A free throw from Ajayi gave the Jaguars an 18-16 lead, but Justin Roberts knocked down a three from the top of the key for a 19-18 Panther advantage at the 10:41 mark of the first half.
- A layup by Ajayi with just over nine minutes left in the first half tied the score 21-21, but a three pointer by Roberts gave the Panthers a 24-21 lead with 8:14 left in the half. USA re-took the lead at 26-25 on a second-chance basket by Ajayi, and pushed its lead to 28-25 after a pair of Pettway free throws at the 6:08 mark of the half. The Panthers then used a 5-0 run to take a 30-28 lead with 5:11 left in the half. USA took a 30-28 lead on a layup by Pettway with 4:12 left in the half, but GSU went on a 7-0 run to take a 37-32 lead with 1:55 left in the first half. The Panthers held a 37-33 lead at halftime.
- USA went on a 9-0 run early in the second half, highlighted by a three from McGee, and a pair of free throws and a layup by Pettway, to take a 46-40 lead with 15:34 left in the second half.
- A layup by Ajayi pushed the USA lead to 48-42, but three consecutive Panther threes gave GSU a 51-48 lead with 10:00 remaining in the second half.  A dunk by Trhae Mitchell cut the GSU lead to 56-52 with 5:04 left in the second half, but the Panthers responded with a three by Roberts and dunk by Josh Linder gave Georgia State a 61-52 advantage at the 4:10 mark of the second half. 
- GSU extended its lead to 11 points at 64-53 with 3:31 left in the second half on a three pointer by Allen, and took a 13-point lead with 43 seconds left in the game after a pair of free throws by Roberts.

NOTES
- The Jags shot 43 percent from the field in the first half, while the Panthers finished at 36 percent in the first half.
- Georgia State made eight three pointers in the first half, while South Alabama recorded one three in the first half of play.
- The Jaguars attempted a season-low five three pointers in the game, finishing 2-for-5 from beyond the arc.
- Ajayi posted his seventh double-double of the season, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds, marking his third double-double in his last four games. 
- Pettway finished with a season-high 15 points, along with four rebounds, one assist and two steals. It marked his highest point total since scoring a career-high 16 points against Little Rock on Feb. 9, 2019.
- USA outscored GSU 38-14 in the paint, marking the seventh straight game the Jags have outscored the opposition in the paint.
- GSU's 15 three pointers tied for the second-most by an opponent in Mitchell Center history, and tied for the third-most by a USA opponent since 1990.
- USA outshot GSU 46 percent to 42.9 percent in the game, and outrebounded the Panthers 39-33 in the loss.

QUOTES
Head Coach Richie Riley
- Opening statement:
"Obviously we didn't play well enough to win against a top-shelf team in our league. They have a culture, they expect to win. We were up 48-42, and they made some big shots; I give them credit. As a program, we have to get where we show up for the game, not a game. We just didn't play nearly well enough to win. Twenty-one points off turnovers are a backbreaker."

- On trouble defending the perimeter:
"Some of our close-outs weren't good enough. We have to do a better job closing. But we got beat turning the ball over."

UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Sat., Jan. 18, when it hosts Georgia Southern in a Sun Belt Conference game at 3 p.m. at the Mitchell Center.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with USAJaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at Twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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