Box Score

    
STATESBORO, Ga. – The University of South Alabama men's basketball team defeated Georgia Southern 79-69 Saturday in Sun Belt Conference action at Hanner Fieldhouse.

The win completed a Jag sweep of the regular-season series between the two programs, and marked the first USA win in Statesboro since Jan. 16, 2017. Trhae Mitchell finished with a season-high 22 points, and was one of four Jaguars to post double figures in scoring. 

South Alabama (13-11, 6-7 Sun Belt) will return to action Fri., Feb. 8, when it faces Troy at 8 p.m. in Troy, Ala.

 GAME FACTS
- The Jaguars opened the game with a 5-0 lead after a three-point play from Josh Ajayi, followed by a steal and lay-in by Tyreke Locure. USA held a 12-6 lead at the first media timeout following a three pointer from Locure at the 16:16 mark of the first half. 
- USA took a 14-7 lead on second-chance layup from Chad Lott at the 14:13 mark, but the Eagles responded with an 8-0 scoring run, aided by consecutive three from David-Lee Jones Jr. and Quan Jackson, to take a 15-14 lead with 11:07 remaining in the first half. 
- The Eagles cut the Jaguar lead to 35-29 with 2:55 left in the first half with a 7-0 scoring run. A three from Smith off the right wing later cut the Jag lead to 39-38 with just over a minute remaining in the opening half. 
- A pair of free throws by Herb McGee with 52 seconds left in the half gave USA a 41-38 lead, but Smith answered with a three to tie the score 41-41 with 43 seconds on the clock, where it remained at the half.
- The Eagles took a 50-48 lead at the 16:20 mark of the second half on a three by Calvin Wishart, which capped a 6-0 scoring run.
- The Eagles tied the score 60-60 on a dunk by Elijah McCadden with 7:35 remaining, but USA answered with a 10-0 run that opened with a dunk by Ajayi, and was capped by a three-point play from Lott, to build a 70-60 advantage at the 5:00 minute mark of the second half. South Alabama outscored Georgia Southern 19-9 over the final 7:35 of the game.

NOTES
- Mitchell scored a season-high 22 points, including going 3-for-3 from behind the arc, and added eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.
- Ajayi finished with 13 points, marking his ninth straight game in double figures, along with four rebounds and a pair of steals.
- Andre Fox finished with 14 points, his second straight game in double figures, eight rebounds and two assists.
- KK Curry finished with 10 points, his first game in double figures since Dec. 17 against Alabama A&M, and also added four rebounds.
- Lott added 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal.
- The Eagles outrebounded the Jaguars 39-36, marking just the third time this season the Jags have won when being outrebounded. 
- USA outscored the Eagles 40-12 in the paint. 

QUOTES
Head Coach Richie Riley
- On the win:
"It was a great win. We've been close a few times here the last few and came out on the wrong end of them. We've been talking about learning how to win, especially against really good teams, and we did that. All of the things that have been hurting us in the close losses lately – we took care of those things. We got key rebounds and a ton of loose balls, and made clutch shots and free throws when we needed to. They (Georgia Southern) are one of the best offensive teams in our league, and we held them to 35 percent from the field and 34 from three. We had a lot of production from a lot of guys, and I am proud of them; they are fighting. We've had our injuries and heartbreak in a few of these, but we're fighting. We are getting better, and we just need to be playing our best basketball in the end. I am so proud of our team."

UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Fri., Feb. 8, when it faces Troy at 8 p.m. in Troy, Ala.

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).

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.