Game 16 • South Alabama Jaguars (8-7, 1-3) at UT Arlington Mavericks (5-10, 1-3)
January 6, 2020 • 7 p.m. • College Park Center (7,000) • Arlington, Texas

THE COACHES
South Alabama
Richie Riley (Eastern Kentucky, 2005)
Record at USA: 25-24 (2nd year)
Overall Record: 60-52 (4th year)
Record vs. UTA: 0-1

UT Arlington
Chris Ogden (Texas, 2004)
Record at UTA: 22-26 (2nd year)
Overall Record: Same

LAST GAME
South Alabama gave up 15 3-pointers in a 69-49 loss at ULM Saturday. UT Arlington fell 92-89 at Little Rock.

NEXT GAME
The Jaguars return home Thursday to take on Arkansas State. The Mavericks host Appalachian State.

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

RANKINGS (ratings through Jan. 4)
USA: #228 NET, #211 Sagarin
UTA: #115 NET, #128 Sagarin

THE SERIES
USA leads 8-7.

Current winning streak: UT Arlington, 5 wins
USA's last win in series: 88-85 OT (1/16/16)
Last meeting: UT Arlington 75, South Alabama 57 (2/28/19)
USA's last win at the College Park Center: N/A
USA's last win in Arlington: 87-79 (12/17/77)
UTA's last win in Arlington: 91-67 (1/6/18)
USA's record in Arlington: 1-5
USA's road streak: Lost 5
USA's longest winning / losing streak in series: 5 / 5

Notes: Before UT Arlington entered the Sun Belt in 2013-14, the last game between the two schools was in 2003 and the one prior to that was in 1981… Eight of the first 10 meetings decided by eight points or fewer, but four of the last five have been decided by double digits… The Mavericks' last visit to Mobile prior to the 2013-14 season was for the 1981 NIT, a 74-71 Jaguar victory… USA and UTA have met twice on neutral floors: in 1972 in Statesboro, Ga., and in 2003 in Tampa, Fla.

OPENING TIP
South Alabama's five-game losing streak to UT Arlington is its longest active against a current Sun Belt school. The Jaguars have also lost four straight in Arlington; the program's only win on the road came in 1977.

USA has lost 14 straight games in the state of Texas since a win at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in 2011-12.

The last 20-point loss by South Alabama (March 7 at Coastal Carolina) was followed by a road win at Appalachian State.

USA's free-throw percentage of .749 leads the Sun Belt and is third-best in a season in school history. It currently ranks 56th in Division I.

The Jaguars are 7-0 when outshooting their opponent but 1-7 when being outshot, and 7-1 when winning or tying the rebounding battle and 1-6 when losing it.

South Alabama had 12 turnovers Saturday, extending its run to five straight games with 12 turnovers or fewer. That streak is the program's longest since the last five games of the 2013-14 campaign. The Jags lead the conference and rank 34th in the nation with 11.8 turnovers per game.

Josh Ajayi grabbed seven rebounds Saturday to give him 731 in his career, six away from a tie with Rory White for third in school history.

Ajayi enters Monday's contest with 533 field goals and 365 free throws. He is one field goal from Andy Denny for eighth in school history, and one free throw from Ken Williams in sixth.

Ajayi is averaging 13.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in his career against UT Arlington. He had 18 points and 10 rebounds last year in Mobile.

Chad Lott led the Jaguars with 13 points at ULM, his 10th double-digit scoring game of the season. He trails Ajayi and Fox in that category, who have hit double-figures 11 times each.

Trhae Mitchell came off the bench Saturday to post 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting. He has alternated double-digit scoring performances in his last six outings. He is averaging 10.7 points in his last three games, all off the bench.

Mitchell scored 17 points in the only meeting between the two schools last year. He had scored 18 points total against the Mavericks in the three games prior.

The last time USA gave up 15 3-pointers in a game was last season against UTA. Brian Warren had four for a game-high 18 points, and Jabari Narcis went 3 for 3 from distance.

This season, the Mavericks rank third in the Sun Belt in 3-pointers per game (8.4) but ninth in 3-point percentage (.324).

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
 
—USA—