MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's basketball team beat William Carey 96-53 at the Mitchell Center on Monday.
 
Jay Jay Chandler and Charles Manning Jr. combined for 40 points to propel the Jags to a 43-point victory on Monday night. Chandler led South with 22 points, Manning Jr. added 18 points, Diante Smith finished with 15 and Marshall Kearing posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Arturro Bingham led the Crusaders with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
 
Date: 11/22
Place: Mitchell Center
Final Score: South Alabama 96, William Carey 53
Records: South Alabama 3-2, William Carey 3-2 (exhibition)
 
GAME FACTS
- USA opened the first half on a 15-6 run over the first 5:34, sparked by two three-pointers from Manning Jr.
- William Carey answered with five straight points to cut the deficit to four (15-11) with 12:25 left in the half.
- South outscored WCU 22-8 over the next eight minutes by making 9-of-11 field goals to extend the lead, 37-19.
- Both teams traded buckets over the final four minutes and South Alabama took a 47-27 lead into the break.
- The Jaguars stretched the lead to 27 (67-40) after Chandler hit a turnaround jumper with 11:55 remaining.
- Smith hit his third trey of the game to extend the lead, 87-49 with 4:10 left on the clock.
 
NOTES
- The Jags have now won all five meetings in the series with the Crusaders, with the last two coming during Richie Riley's tenure.
- USA made 55.9 percent of its shots on Monday night, a season-high figure.
- South hit a season-best 11 three-pointers and 19 free throws.
- Chandler's 15 first-half points in the were the most scored by a Jag this season as he would go on to set a new career high on 7-of-10 shooting; he also tied a season-high with three assists.
- Manning Jr. has scored in double figures in four straight games, and he tied a career-high with three steals as well.
- Kearing posted his second consecutive game with a double-double, while it was the fourth contest in a row that a Jag has achieved the feat; Javon Franklin had double-doubles at Wichita State and Alabama.
- Smith's point total was one shy of his career-high.
- Adam Sizemore hit his first three-pointer of the season and the second of his Jag career.
 
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richie Riley
- Opening statement:
"I was proud of our guy's maturity from taking the Mobile game to this one, and we finished much better. The start was a little similar, but we were a little more locked in tonight than we were against Mobile. Our energy was better. The thing I love about this group is how unselfish they are. They genuinely care about each other on and off the court, probably better than any team I have ever been a part of. It does not matter who scores the most points, who takes the most shots, or who plays the most minutes. They just care about each other, and I think you can see that when guys come in at the end of the game rooting for each other. It's because they spend a ton of time together. To me, that's important in the making of a team. That is what I took from tonight. There were moments where we played well, and there were moments where we didn't play well and needed to get better, but just watching our guys celebrate each other and play together is really cool as a coach. That is what you strive for. I have coached on a lot of different staff as an assistant or a head coach, and sometimes you just can't ever find that. It's something you look for and you're just trying to get a team to get along, like each other, and play unselfishly. This group does that, and I'd like to take all of the credit for it, but they do some of it on their own. We 've got really good kids who care about each other."

On counting on Marshall Kearing and Alex Anderson
"I am really proud of both of those guys. A few weeks ago, they were much lower on the depth chart, and they didn't really know how much they were going to get to play. They just kept working and kept a great attitude which it paid off for them. Turbo [Jones] getting hurt opened up an opportunity for Alex, and it allowed him to take advantage of it. His plus minus was the highest on the team at 41, which is really good. I feel like he's going to play better every game because he loves ball, and he's extremely competitive. For Marshall, [Javon] Franklin hurt his finger, and Marshall earned it in two days of practice. He started against Mobile and earned some trust. I tell them that every opportunity you get out there in practice and in games, no matter the score or situation, take advantage of it because we grade everything. I watch every single thing we do in shooting workouts and ball handling before practice. Everything we do in our program is a detailed approach. I tell them that when you get an opportunity, make the most of it by having great concentration and focus and playing as hard as you absolutely can. Marshall has done that, and he is growing as a player. He had a double-double again tonight in 19 minutes. He is much more comfortable and has got great touch around the rim. When we get out to Vegas he is going to play, and it is huge for us because we were playing Franklin in the Wichita State and Alabama games for about 38 minutes. Being able to put Marshall in there comfortably and with his confidence where it is now, I think can be really big for us moving forward."
 
On expectations of teams in Vegas:
"It is a good four-team field. San Diego has good team, and I don't like to get too far ahead, but I have peaked at them a little bit. They beat Nevada at Nevada. They played Cal to five at Cal. They have a good and experienced team. Like us, they have some transfers, and they are a little older. It is going to be a battle. If we are fortunate enough to win, we play the winner. Illinois and Hawaii are also good teams. They've won big games, and all are a little bit older so it is going to be a heck of a field. Any time you get a chance to win a trophy at the end of something, you better come ready to compete. You get very few opportunities to win a championship, and this is our first opportunity. Our guys are excited to get out there and play this thing. We play early, and it is weird. We play at 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving, and the next day is early too. Hopefully it is to their advantage, since we are two hours ahead here. It will actually be body time of 1 p.m.  It is going to be a great field, and another opportunity to see where we are at. Before getting two at home, we played tough on the road to NCAA teams that are probably top 25. We get a really good opportunity to play some really good mid-majors."
 
UP NEXT
- South Alabama will travel to Las Vegas, Nev. for the Las Vegas Classic on Thursday and Friday. The Jags will take on San Diego at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.
 
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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