Game 8 • Flagler (Fla.) (1-1) at South Alabama (5-2)
December 16, 2020 • 6 p.m. • Mitchell Center (10,000) • Mobile, Ala.

THE COACHES
South Alabama
Richie Riley (Eastern Kentucky, 2005)
Record at USA: 42-30 (3rd year)
Overall Record: 77-58 (5th year)
Record vs. Flagler (Fla.): 0-0

Flagler (Fla.)  
Chad Warner (Georgia, 1998)
Record at Flagler (Fla.): 32-53 (4th year)
Overall Record: 188-144 (12th year)

LAST GAME
South Alabama won in dramatic fashion with a buzzer-beater three-pointer, 76-75, Saturday afternoon over Southern Miss at the Reed Green Coliseum. Flagler defeated Central Michigan, 92-73, in Miami on Dec. 2, and but fell Furman in an exhibition, 86-61, Saturday.

NEXT GAME
The Jags will go on the road for their final out of conference game against Alabama A&M Saturday with a 2 p.m. tipoff in Huntsville, Ala. Flagler (Fla.) will travel to Jacksonville, Fla., to play North Florida Saturday with tipoff scheduled for 5 p.m.

ON THE AIR
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5: J.T. Crabtree (pxp) Joe McNulty (color)
Web: http://sportstalk995.iheart.com/listen (audio)
ESPN+ (Internet Streaming): J.D. Byars (pxp) Pat Greenwood (color)

RANKINGS
USA: #169 NET*, #222 Sagarin
Flag:  No rankings
*NET reflects the end of last season

THE SERIES
This is the second team this year that USA will be facing for the first time in team history.

NOTES
South trailed for over 33 minutes in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Saturday but locked down on the defensive end down the stretch, not allowing a field goal from the Golden Eagles during the final 2:31 of the contest. On the offensive end, USA was 3-for-3 from the field to close out the game, which led to a 76-75 victory after Kayo Goncalves made a contested three-pointer as time expired.

Flagler struggled early losing an exhibition to Florida International then its first out of conference game to the same opponent. The Saints have bounced back winning against Central Michigan, 92-73, in their only other official game, but fell against Furman Saturday in an exhibition, 86-61 in Greenville, S.C.

Against one of USA's oldest regional rivalries, the Jaguars struggled against the Golden Eagles but found the answers late in the contest. One of the early answers, K.K. Curry had his best performance of the season while putting up a new career high in scoring with 16 points.

The other half of South's answer against Southern Miss was locking up the defensive end. In addition to not allowing a field goal in the final 2:31, the Jaguars forced two turnovers and did not allow an offensive rebound. The only points scored by the home team during that stretch were free throws, in which South intentionally fouled for two of the four attempts.

As a team, the Jaguars have connected on 41.3 percent (64-of-155) of three-point shots which ranks 22nd nationally and second in the Sun Belt. South has also excelled inside the arc, ranking 42nd nationally and second in the Sun Belt in field goal percentage with .497.

Locure has distributed 13 assists along with 31 points in the past two games becoming a focal point of South's offense. As a force on the boards, Locure leads the club in rebounds with 42 for an average of 6 per game. Defensively, the sophomore leads the team in steals with 18.

John Pettway converted 4-of-4 field goals against the Golden Eagles and continues to be the sharpest shooter on the team with a .674 (31-46) shooting percentage. With his experience, agility and six foot three frame, the redshirt-senior frequently puts up most of his shots with layups and dunks. That percentage would rank 25th in the NCAA rankings, but falls short of the required five field goal makes per game by four.

Goncalves was 6-of-12 from the field with every shot attempt taken coming from behind the arc. The graduate-transfer has nailed 46.8 percent of his threes, which is the highest percentage on the team with his 22 made also being a team high. Goncalves has also not missed a start or a free throw this season with the second highest total of rebounds trailing Locure by one.

Despite only scoring seven versus Southern Miss, Michael Flowers still leads the team in scoring as the only player on the club in triple digits for the season with 143 points for an average of 20.4 per game. The Western Michigan transfer is second on the squad with 23 assists and 14 steals.

Both Flowers (18) and Goncalves (10) rank in the top 20 in the nation for three-pointers made and the number one and two spots within the Sun Belt Conference.

Sam Iorio has averaged 12 points-per-game in his last two starts shooting 47 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the arc with five rebounds and a pair of blocks.

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