TROY, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's basketball team used three late free throws and a defensive stand to seal a 70-66 win over Troy Friday at Trojan Arena.

Troy's Darian Adams cut the Jaguar lead to 67-66 with a pair of free throws at the 1:01 mark of the second half. Chad Lott pulled down an offensive rebound with 28 seconds left following a three-point attempt from Herb McGee, and Andre Fox later made a pair of free throws for a 69-66 USA lead with 18 seconds remaining. Troy missed a potential game-tying three pointer with five seconds left, and Chad Lott sank a free throw to secure the 70-66 win.

South Alabama (14-11, 7-7 Sun Belt) will return to action Thu., Feb. 13, when it hosts Louisiana at 7 p.m. at the Mitchell Center.

 GAME FACTS
- Tyreke Locure drained a three from the left corner, and sank the ensuing free throw to complete a four-point play to double the Jaguar lead to 14-7 at the 16:29 mark of the first half.
-  USA used a 7-0 scoring run, highlighted by a three from Andre Fox and fast-break dunk from Trhae Mitchell, for a 29-21 lead with 9:54 left in the first half.
- The Jags held a 42-34 lead at the half following consecutive layups by Fox, and layup at the buzzer by Troy's Nick Stampley.
- USA held a 46-37 lead after a free throw from Mitchell, but the Trojans got consecutive threes from Desmond Williams and Darian Adams to cut the Jag lead to 46-43 with 14:20 remaining in the second half.
- Troy cut the Jag lead to 61-60 on a three by Williams with 4:33 left in regulation, but three straight field goals from Fox, Mitchell and Chad Lott pushed the USA lead to 67-60 with 2:38 to play.

NOTES
- Ajayi recorded his eighth double-double of the season, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds along with one assist. It also marked his 10th straight game to score in double figures.
- Lott added 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal, while Locure finished with 12 points, going 3-for-3 from three-point range, two rebounds and one assist. Fox added 12 points, one rebound, three assists and two steals, marking his third straight game to score in double figures.
- USA finished with 17 fast break points, its most since posting a season-high 21 at Chattanooga on Nov. 15.
- The win marked South Alabama's third straight over Troy, and improved its lead in the all-time series to 24-11. USA improved to 3-0 against Troy under head coach Richie Riley. 

QUOTES
Head Coach Richie Riley
- On the win:
"It's a rivalry game, and they're always tough and hard fought. It shows a lot of growth and maturity from us, because we didn't play our best game. We didn't play well in a lot of areas, and we found a way to win; that's something we weren't doing earlier in the year. We missed a lot of layups and a bunch of wide open shots, and we still found a way, even when they (Troy) made their flurry of shots down the stretch, to hold on to win. We're growing, and we need to be playing our best basketball at the right time. We're figuring some things out, and we're learning what goes into winning. It's an everyday process, but I am proud of us tonight. This was a good crowd, it's obviously a big-time rivalry game – to come in here in a game that means so much in the state and find a way to win on the road, I'm really proud of our guys."

UP NEXT
South Alabama (14-11, 7-7 Sun Belt) will return to action Thu., Feb. 13, when it hosts Louisiana at 7 p.m. at the Mitchell Center.

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