MOBILE, Ala. – Michael Flowers posted a game-high 26 points on Tuesday to help lead the University of South Alabama to an 80-67 non-conference men's basketball victory William Carey at the Mitchell Center.
The senior — who shot 8-of-12 from the floor and 7-of-8 at the foul line — also contributed four rebounds, three assists and three steals for the Jaguars, who improved to 4-2 this season. Sam Iorio finished with 19 points, David Walker scored 14, and Tyreke Locure contributed 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
The Crusaders were led by Maxwell Starwood, who scored 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, with Emile Kazeneza recording 14 points, and Dajon Whitworth supplying nine points and a game-high eight rebounds.
GAME FACTS
-With the contest tied 11-11 after the first media time-out, the Jags went on an 8-0 run that featured five points from Flowers.
-South's lead grew to as many as 16 points with just under three minutes left in the opening half following a Flowers three-point play, with the Jaguars up 42-29 at the break.
-Eight unanswered points for the Crusaders made it a five-point game, 54-49, with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game.
-That would be as close as WCU would get as the Jags converted their final 10 free-throw attempts over the last two-and-a-half minutes of the contest.
-The Jaguars were 23-of-28 (82.1 percent) overall at the foul line on the night while the Crusaders attempted just six free throws.
-South turned 17 WCU turnovers into 22 points at the other end of the floor.
NOTES
-The Jags have won all four match-ups in the all-time series, although this was the first meeting between the two programs since Nov. 18, 2013.
-It marked the second time this season that Flowers has scored 20-plus points in consecutive outings, which he also did in the first two games of the year.
-It's the first occasion that Iorio has scored in double figures since posting 16 points in his South debut against Florida Atlantic on Nov. 25.
-Walker, junior-college transfer, added a season-best five rebounds his first start of the year for the Jags.
-In addition to posting a career-high assist total, Locure recorded his fifth outing with at least five rebounds and fourth contest with multiple steals.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Richie Riley
Opening statement: "It doesn't take a basketball genius to realize we didn't play very well. Our energy was low, our execution was bad offensively and defensively. This season for us is going to be a work in progress. I feel good about us getting better, but it's not an overnight thing. We have work to do, we have to play more as a group and understand what goes into winning. Tonight was not reflective of whp we want to be as a program."
On prestige of opponents affecting team energy: "Sometimes it has something to do with it. What I've told everybody is there are no easy nights, I don't care who we're playing. We prepared for them just like we prepare for every single game. In the shootaround we had pretty good energy, our preparation was good."
On David Walker: "David is moving around a lot better. He still has some moments where you can see he's still getting used to playing at this level. He's obviously extremely talented and he's going to be a really good player here. I think by the start of league play and as we go through league, I think you'll see a drastic improvement in what he's doing, especially his efficiency."
Up next: The Jaguars will visit Southern Mississippi on Saturday, with opening tip in Hattiesburg scheduled for 2 p.m. (CST).
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—
