Box Score
    
ATLANTA – The University of South Alabama men's basketball team fell at Georgia State 76-73 Thursday in Sun Belt Conference action at GSU Sports Arena.

The Jaguars led by three with a minute-and-a-half left in regulation, but GSU (14-7, 7-3 Sun Belt) outscored USA 6-0 in the game's final minute to secure the win.

South Alabama (12-10, 5-6 Sun Belt) will return to action Sat., Feb. 1, when it faces Georgia Southern at 3 p.m. (CT) in Statesboro, Ga.

 GAME FACTS
- The Jaguars jumped out to a 6-0 lead after three straight field goals from Chad Lott. 
- The Panthers tied the game 22-22 at the 5:37 mark of the first half on a pair of free throws from Corey Allen.
- GSU took its first lead of the game with 5:03 left in the first half after a four-point play by Justin Roberts gave the Panthers a 26-24 advantage.
- Georgia State held a 38-35 lead at halftime.
- South Alabama went on a 9-0 run early in the second half, highlighted by a three pointer from Trhae Mitchell, to take a 44-40 lead. Allen answered with a three to cut the GSU deficit to one point, but a three from Andre Fox and field goal by Mitchell pushed the USA lead to 49-43 at the 15:15 mark of the second half.
- The Jags held a nine-point lead at 61-52 with 10:53 left in the game following a second-chance layup by Kevin Morris. But the Panthers answered with a 6-0 run, which featured five points from Allen, to cut the USA lead to three at 61-58.
- A pair of free throws from Herb McGee pushed the South Alabama advantage to 64-61 at the 5:51 mark of the second half, but Roberts converted a three-point play on the other end to tie the score 64-64 with 5:31 left.
- GSU held a 70-66 lead with 3:28 left in the second half before a 7-0 Jaguar run, which featured a pair of free throws and a layup by Josh Ajayi and a three from Fox, extended the USA lead to 73-70 with 1:35 remaining. But consecutive field goals by Kane Williams, and pair of free throws from Nelson Phillips capped a 6-0 Panther run in the final minute of the game.

NOTES
- Ajayi became the third player at USA to eclipse 800 career rebounds, joining Augustine Rubit (1,183) and Terry Catledge (932).
- Fox led all scorers with 20 points, his highest total since scoring 24 against Appalachian State on Dec. 19, and also added two rebounds and one assist.
- Tyreke Locure added 13 points, the most he has recorded since a career-high 20 points against Spring Hill on Nov. 19, in addition to five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
- Ajayi finished with 15 points – his eighth straight game with double-figures in scoring – six rebounds and two assists.
- USA and GSU each finished with 22 points in the paint. It marks the first time the Jags have not held the advantage in points in the paint since Coastal Carolina on Dec. 21, which snapped a 10-game streak of owning points in the paint.
- The Jaguars got 26 points off the bench for the second consecutive game.
- GSU extended its win streak to five games over USA with the victory, which marked its ninth straight win over the Jags in Atlanta. 

QUOTES
Head Coach Richie Riley
- On the loss:
"I thought the call on Trhae (Mitchell) was a crucial play. We were up three (points) and had a chance to go up five if that doesn't happen. We missed a layup in transition on a 2-on-1, and that obviously hurt us; that would have extended the lead to five. We missed a lot of opportunities. It's hard to learn to win; we're trying to learn to win. We played an opponent tonight who knows how to win, and they made a few more plays than we did."

UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Sat., Feb. 1, when it faces Georgia Southern at 3 p.m. (CT) in Statesboro, Ga.

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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