Game 9 • South Alabama (6-3) at Georgia Southern (6-3)
January 1-2, 2021 • 6,3 p.m. (local) • Hanner Fieldhouse (3,897) • Statesboro, Ga.

THE COACHES
South Alabama
Richie Riley (Eastern Kentucky, 2005)
Record at USA: 43-31 (3rd year)
Overall Record: 78-59 (5th year)
Record vs. Georgia Southern: 2-2

Georgia Southern
Brian Burg (Mt. Mercy, 2003)
Record at Georgia Southern: 6-3 (1st year)
Overall Record: Same

LAST GAME
South Alabama fell to Alabama A&M at Huntsville, Ala., forcing overtime after trailing by 19 in the second half but ultimately falling short in the second OT period. Georgia Southern was defeated by Florida Gulf Coast in Fort Myers, Fla. Both teams are coming off over a full week of rest with USA having a 13-day gap while Southern has been off since Dec. 22.

NEXT GAME
USA will travel to Conway, S.C., to face Coastal Carolina next Friday and Saturday with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m. and 3 p.m., local times each day. Georgia Southern will travel to Boone, N.C., to play against Appalachian State.

ON THE AIR
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5: J.T. Crabtree (pxp)
Web: http://sportstalk995.iheart.com/listen (audio)
ESPN+ (Internet Streaming):

RANKINGS
USA: #273 Sagarin
Georgia Southern: #189 Sagarin

THE SERIES
The Jaguars hold a 13-7 advantage in the series with Georgia Southern. South has won the two most recent meetings, but the Eagles picked up victories in the three contests prior to that.

NOTES
The Jaguars begin conference play with four games on the road, starting with the first pair in Statesboro, Ga., against the Eagles of Georgia Southern. Both teams stumbled to close out the non-conference schedule ending 2020 with road losses. GS fell to Florida Gulf Coast in Ft. Myers, Fla., while USA fell in double-overtime to Alabama, A&M in Huntsville, Ala.

After shooting a season-low field goal percentage in the first half (.250) against the Bulldogs, South mounted a comeback in the final 15 minutes on Dec. 22. The Jaguars dropped a season-high 52 second-half points to force overtime. South erased a 19-point deficit in that span, but were unable to pull out a victory.

Georgia Southern has put together two three-game win streaks in the non-conference schedule and mirrors USA in a few ways. Both teams are 3-2 in the last five games. Both teams played their last respective home games a day apart with South welcoming Flagler to the Mitchell Center on Dec. 16 and Southern hosting Carver on Dec. 15 at the Hanner Fieldhouse.

USA is 1-1 in conference-opening games under Richie Riley.

The teams also both rank in the top 40 of scoring offense with Georgia Southern (34) scoring 83.8 and USA (38) dropping 83.6 per game.

South Alabama matches its NCAA rank (38) with 79 made threes, and ranks 30 in three-point field goal percentage with 39.5.

Five Jaguars have an average of ten points or more per game with Michael Flowers, Tyreke Locure, Kayo Goncalves, David Walker and John Pettway all averaging double figures. Sam Iorio is just outside the range with 9.7 points-per-game.

USA also completed its non-conference slate without any changes. The nine games without changes is the most in the nation, but in a four-way tie with Louisiana Tech, Toledo and UNC Wilmington. No other Sun Belt team has more than six, and one opponent, Auburn, also made the list with eight games.

KK Curry set new career highs against the Bulldogs in the final out of conference contest scoring 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds. It is the third consecutive game that the sophomore has hit double digit points, which is also a career first.

Flowers scored above 20 for the fifth time in a Jaguars jersey with 26 against AAMU. South is 1-2 when Flowers scores 26 or more, and 2-0 when scoring 20 to 25 points. The transfer from Western Michigan also set two career highs in Huntsville, Ala., with 49 minutes on the court in the double-overtime contest while registering six steals.

USA has not had a double-double performance but two players came within two rebounds with Flowers setting a season high with eight rebounds to go with 26 points, and Curry grabbing nine boards with 20 points.

Pettway continues to be one of the most accurate shooters in the country with a shooting percentage of .661 on 41-of-62 from the field. The redshirt senior is on the verge of qualifying as the NCAA requires five made field goals per game, Pettway is four short, but would be ranked in a tie for 19.

Both Goncalves (24) and Flowers (41) rank in the top 50 in the nation for three-pointers made as well as the number two and three spots within the Sun Belt Conference.

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).

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