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MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's basketball team fell to Little Rock 73-71 Saturday in Sun Belt Conference action at the Mitchell Center.

Four Jaguars finished in double figures in scoring in the game, led by Josh Ajayi, Herb McGee and Trhae Mitchell, who each finished with 17 points. 

USA (12-10, 5-6 Sun Belt) will return to action Thu., Jan. 30, when it travels to Atlanta for a 6 p.m. contest at Georgia State to kick off a three-game road swing.

 GAME FACTS
- South Alabama jumped out to a 7-0 lead after a three pointer by Herb McGee, pair of free throws from Chad Lott and fast-break layup by John Pettway. Little Rock took a 10-7 lead at the 13:45 mark of the first half after a 10-0 run that was capped with consecutive three pointers by Jovan Stulic and Marko Lukic.
- A three by Andre Fox gave the Jags a 15-12 lead with 7:27 left in the first half, but Little Rock answered with a three from Markquis Nowell to tie the score at 15-15. 
- The Jags took a 26-25 lead with 15 seconds remaining in the first half on a layup by Josh Ajayi, but Nowell knocked down a three at the buzzer for a 28-26 Trojan lead at the half.
- Little Rock held a 34-30 lead before consecutive threes from McGee and Trhae Mitchell gave the Jaguars a 36-34 lead with 16:52 remaining in regulation.
- The score was tied 37-37 with just over 14 minutes remaining after a free throw by Lott, but Little Rock went on an 11-2 run, aided by a trio of three pointers, to take a 48-39 lead with 10:38 left in the second half. 
- The Trojans built a 52-41 lead on a free throw by Nowell, but the Jags used a 7-0 scoring run, highlighted by a three from McGee, to cut the Little Rock lead to 52-48 with 8:26 left in the second half.
- A driving layup by Mitchell cut the Trojan lead to 59-55 with 4:41 left in the second half, but Little Rock increased its lead to 64-55 on a three by Stulic with 3:30 remaining.
- USA cut the LR lead to 66-63 with 1:36 left on a three by Ajayi, and a pair of free throws by Fox cut the Jaguar deficit to 68-66 with 41.4 seconds left in regulation.
- Trojan guard Ben Coupet Jr. hit a three with 19 seconds left for a 71-66 Trojan lead before a jumper by McGee cut the LR lead to 71-68 with eight seconds left. A three by McGee with two seconds left in the game closed out the scoring.

NOTES
- Ajayi recorded his seventh straight games with double figures in scoring, finishing with 17 points, along with five rebounds, three assists and one block.
- Four Jaguars finished with double figures in scoring, led by Ajayi, McGee and Mitchell with 17 points apiece. Lott added 11 points. Both McGee and Mitchell set season highs in points in the game.
- Little Rock finished with 12 three pointers, which marked the fourth consecutive game Jaguar opponents have made 10 or more threes.
- USA finished with nine three pointers, which marked the most since it posted 12 threes against Appalachian State on Dec. 19 this season in Mobile.
- Little Rock's Nowell led all scorers with 22 points, aided by five three pointers.
- South Alabama shot 89 percent (9-for-16) from the free throw line, while Little Rock shot 79 percent (12-for-28) from the charity stripe.
- The Jaguars fell to 30-23 all-time against the Trojans after the school's split the two regular-season meetings this season.
- USA outscored Little Rock in the paint 26-22 in the contest, which marked the 10th consecutive game the Jags have outscored the opposition in the paint. 

QUOTES
Head Coach Richie Riley
- On the loss:
"It's another tough loss. We just didn't get some of the loose balls that were really critical down the stretch. We kind of took (Markquis) Nowell away there at the end, but a couple of their (Little Rock) kids stepped up and made plays. I told the guys bad things happen when you don't put time in, and unfortunately, right now our culture is not where it needs to be as far as putting in extra time. Ultimately it's the head coach's responsibility to get it to that."

UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Thu., Jan. 30, when it travels to Atlanta for a 6 p.m. contest at Georgia State.

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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