MOBILE, Ala. – KK Curry grabbed the rebound of a missed free throw and floated in a short jump shot in the final seconds to help lift the University of South Alabama to a 50-49 come-from-behind Sun Belt Conference men's bas-ketball win Saturday over ULM at the Mitchell Center.
It was the only basket of the game for the freshman, but it gave the Jaguars (16-11, 9-7 Sun Belt) their fourth con-secutive victory. Trhae Mitchell added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Andre Fox scored 12 points as well for South.
Michael Ertel and Langston Powell recorded 13 and 10 points, respectively, for the Warhawks (7-18, 3-13 SBC), who attempted 31 shots from three-point range but connected on just over 25 percent of those tries (8-of-31).
GAME FACTS
-Leading by two points, the Warhawks put together a 12-2 spurt to extend that advantage to 19-7 just before the 10-minute mark of the first half.
-However, after Ertel's jumper the Jaguars held ULM scoreless for over eight minutes as they would go ahead for the first time following back-to-back three-pointers from Fox with just over a minute to go before the break.
-South led 25-24 at the intermission after Mitchell sank a pair of free throws with 12 seconds left in the half.
-ULM scored the first 11 points of the second half for a 35-25 advantage with a little over 16 minutes to go in the contest.
-The Jags recorded nine of the next 12 points but were still down 41-34 midway through the period when Ertel connected on a three.
-Ertel made another three-pointer with 2:54 remaining, but that would be the Warhawks' last field goal of the day as South closed with a 7-1 run over the final two-and-a-half minutes.
NOTES
-The Jaguars avenged a 69-49 loss to the Warhawks in Monroe on Jan. 4, a game in which Ertel hit 11 three-pointers and scored 39 points; those are still both the highest totals by a USA opponent this season.
-The win for South tied the all-time series between the two programs at 13-13.
-USA overcame its biggest deficit to win a game this season; the previous largest comeback came in a Jan. 18 victory over Georgia Southern, a contest in which the Jags trailed by 10 late in the first half.
-It was Mitchell's first double-double since posting 13 points and 13 rebounds in a win over Arkansas State on March 12 last year in the opening round of the Sun Belt Tournament.
-Fox's streak of scoring in double figures in five straight outings is his longest since opening the campaign with nine straight contests with 10 or more points.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Richie Riley
Opening statement: "I am unbelievably proud of our group. We played about as bad offensively as I can remember us ever playing or have imagined we could play; we missed a bunch of easy shots, fumbled a lot of balls, missed free throws. However, I talk to our team all the time about putting in the energy and effort every day and respecting the game. Early on, first semester, we struggled with that and even parts of the beginning of second semester, but for the last month we have put in the time; putting in the extra time in the gym, working extremely hard in practice every day. I told them in the locker room just now we deserved to win that game. Although the way we played didn't correlate to deserving to win the game, all the things behind the scenes that we've been doing and the growth this team is showing every day allowed us to win a game that we hadn't won in the past."
On matching up with ULM: "They do a good job of defending. Their big man [Chris Efretuei] inside gives them a 7-foot-1 [inch] guy inside when we like to get into the paint. I like to shoot the three ball, but with this team we don't shoot the three ball great so we play in the paint a lot. Having him in there with his size, playing 30 minutes, he al-ters shots; even though he only had three blocks, he probably altered 12-15 shots and changed the game inside. Also, our shots just weren't going in. I have said this all year, we are going to make shots at the right time. We have good shooters and I believe in our kids to make shots three whether it's Trhae, Herb [McGee], Tyreke [Locure], Fox, [Josh] Ajayi. I believe in those guys to make shots and I think we are going to at the right time."
On Mitchell and Curry: "Looking at these guys beside me, Trhae stepped up huge; with Ajayi out he had 14 [points] and 11 [rebounds]. He made tough play after tough play, and had three assists and zero turnovers in 40 minutes. He put us on his back as far as getting into the paint and making some plays. Then KK, as a true freshman to have the courage and the guts to do what he did those final 20 seconds was incredible. Not only did he hit the game winner, but he tipped the one to Trhae when he was fouled. I told him in the time out, if we miss and the big kid [Efretuei] gets the rebound we have to foul. He looked at me and said 'Coach, if he misses I'm going to get the rebound' and he did. He got the rebound and put it back in. He deserves this moment. Being a freshman is really tough some-times — especially with how hard I coach these guys — but I am really proud of him."
Up next: USA visits Appalachian State on Thursday, with opening tip set for 3 p.m. (CST) in Boone.
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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