Game 28 • Appalachian State Mountaineers (15-12, 9-7) vs. South Alabama Jaguars (16-11, 9-7)
February 20, 2020 • 6 p.m. • Holmes Center (8,375) • Boone, N.C.

THE COACHES
South Alabama
Richie Riley (Eastern Kentucky, 2005)
    Record at USA: 33-28 (2nd year)
    Overall Record: 68-56 (4th year)
    Record vs. APP: 2-1

Appalachian State
Dustin Kerns (Clemson, 2002)
    Record at APP: 15-12 (1st year)
    Overall Record: 46-49 (3rd year)

LAST GAME
South Alabama defeated ULM at home 50-49 on Saturday.  Appalachian State earned a 62-57 victory Saturday at Georgia Southern.

NEXT GAME
The Jaguars remain on the road to face Coastal Carolina Saturday. The Mountaineers will play host to Troy on Saturday.

ON THE AIR
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5; J.T. Crabtree (pxp)
Web: http://sportstalk995.iheart.com/listen (audio); ESPN+ (video); Kendall Lewis (pxp), John Reisterer (color)

RANKINGS (ratings through Feb. 18)
USA: #182 NET, #144 Sagarin
APP: #161 NET, #148 Sagarin

THE SERIES
USA leads 8-2.

Current winning streak: APP, 1 win
Last meeting: Appalachian State 81, South Alabama 71 (12/19/19)
USA's last win in series: 78-71 (3/9/19 in Boone)
APP's last win at the Holmes Center: 64-53 (1/22/15)
USA's record at the Holmes Center: Series tied 3-1
USA's road streak: Win 3
USA's longest winning / losing streak in series: 7 / 1

Notes: The two schools split a pair of games in 2014-15, the first two in the series, with each team winning at home, before the Jaguars swept the 2015-16 season series to start a seven-game win streak the Mountaineers ended in the last meeting... After scoring 53 points in their first trip to Boone the Jags have posted 75-plus in each of their last three contests at the Holmes Center... Two of USA's three wins at App State have been decided by a double-digit margin.

OPENING TIP
The Jaguars enter this week's road trip with a season-high four-game winning streak.

The Mountaineers have won three of their last four outings as well.

Trhae Mitchell has now scored in double figures in four of the Jags' last six contests, posting averages of 14.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game during that stretch.

The senior has also paced South in assists in four of those six outings, handing out a total of 18 over that span.

Andre Fox was the only other Jaguar in double digits against the Warhawks, scoring 11 of his 12 points prior to the half.

Fox is recording 15.6 points and making 2.8 three-point field goals per outing the last four games, scoring in double figures on each of those occasions.

In the ULM victory, Kevin Morris grabbed eight rebounds in just under 10 minutes of action after entering play with eight boards in his previous six appearances combined.

John Pettway is the only player on South's roster to record five or more steals in a game this season, a feat he has now accomplished three times after posting five thefts in 25 minutes against ULM.

He also contributed 15 points in last week's two victories after missing the previous three contests due to injury.

With 20 points each in last Thursday's win over Louisiana, Mitchell and Fox became the first Jaguars to score 20 or more points in the same game since Josh Ajayi and Chad Lott accomplished the feat in a defeat of Miami (Ohio) at the Gulf Coast Showcase on Nov. 26.

Ajayi — one of four players to finish in double figures in USA's Feb. 7 win at Troy, posting 20 points and 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season — has not dressed the last two games due to injury.

The 20-point outing for Ajayi was his ninth of the season, and he has finished in double figures in 10-straight appearances. Since being held to two points at Chattanooga on Nov. 15, he has finished in double figures 17 times.

Ajayi's eight double-doubles this year are twice as many as the rest of the team has combined to produce, although a Jag turned the trick in each game he missed last week — Chad Lott finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the defeat of the Ragin' Cajuns in addition to Mitchell's performance last time out.

Six of the Jags' last seven contests have been decided by five points or less.

Saturday's win over ULM marked the first time in eight outings that USA has failed to score at least 70 points.

The Jaguars led for just one minute and 41 seconds against the Warhawks, the first time this season that they have pulled out a victory without holding the lead for at least 10 minutes.

South has outscored the opposition by a 140-76 margin in the point during its current winning streak.

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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—USA—