MOBILE, Ala. – Chad Lott scored a game-high 22 points and added a team-best six rebounds on Saturday to help lead the University of South Alabama to a 78-63 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball win over Troy at the Mitchell Center.

Lott finished 9-of-10 from the field and made all four free throws as well as the Jaguars (19-11, 12-7 Sun Belt) picked up their seventh win in a row.  Herb McGee chipped in with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists, Andre Fox scored 14 points and Tyreke Locure added 11 along with four assists without a turnover.

Charles Norman led the Trojans (9-21, 5-14 SBC) with 17 points, while Khalyl Waters just missed a double-double after finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds.

GAME FACTS
-The Jags scored the first eight points in the opening two minutes of play and never trailed.
-Troy did cut the advantage down to four different occasions prior to the midway point of the half, but a layup from John Pettway put South up 31-22 with six-and-a-half minutes left.
-USA ended the opening period on an 11-3 run over the last three-plus minutes to take a 46-30 lead to the locker room.
-The Jaguars also scored 12 of the first 13 points after the intermission and would lead by as many as 28 — the score was 61-33 with just over 15 minutes to go — after a McGee layup.
-South shot 68.4 percent from the floor while allowing the Trojans to connect on only 37.9 percent of their attempts.

NOTES
-The Jags' seven-game winning streak is its longest since claiming 13 straight victories from Dec. 2, 2007-Jan. 27, 2008.
-South has swept the regular-season series from Troy in each of the last two years.
-The Jaguars improved to 12-5 at home against the Trojans and now hold a 25-11 advantage all-time in the series.
-It was the first occasion this season that Lott has scored 20 or more points in back-to-back contests, and his four outing scoring at least that many this year.
-Magee recorded a double-digit scoring total for the first time since USA's matchup Jan. 25 against Little Rock — he had 17 points to share game-high honors that night — while he set a new career high for three-pointers made after sinking 5-of-7 attempts from beyond the arc.
-It was the first game that Locure has scored in double figures since posting 12 points in the first meeting with the Trojans in Troy on Feb. 7.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Richie Riley
Opening statement: "If you would have told me before the game we would beat our rival in a game seven situation by 15 points, I would have taken it and ran to the hills.  Am I extremely pleased with how we finished the game when we were up by 28 and win by 15?  No, I am not pleased with that, but that we have not been in this situation in a long time.  We have played so many single-possession games and found a way to win.  This time of the year is about learning from your mistakes while trying not to repeat them and continuing to win.  We will correct some of these mistakes and be better on Tuesday.  These are game sevens and we are fighting for a double bye, we have won seven in a row and it's going to be like a title game on Tuesday night." 
On Herb McGee and Tyreke Locure's early shooting: "The confidence it gave us was big.  When we hit that many triples it is hard to beat us because of how we normally score in the paint.  Those are two guys that I've seen every day shooting before and after practice."
On the team's recent level of play: "I don't think we are playing our absolute best yet.  There have been segments of games where we are really good, but I don't think we have seen what this team is capable of producing.  That is why you saw a lot of displeasure from me throughout the year when we were struggling, because I know what capabilities this team has.  We are improving and growing in a lot of areas.  We have won our last two games and [Josh] Ajayi has not scored.  I think we have a little more in the tank."

Up next: The Jaguars will play host to Texas State on Senior night, with opening tip at the Mitchell Center scheduled for 7 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).

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