ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. | Isaiah Moore led four players in double figures for South Alabama on the road Friday night, falling to New Mexico in a hard-fought battle at The Pit, 80-74.

Moore scored a season-high 19 points and 13 assists, his first double-double in a South Alabama (1-1) uniform, while Greg Parham II and Owen White each added 11 points in the loss. Kevin Samuel finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and three blocked shots.

The Jags were able to pull within a pair of points at 76-74 with 33 seconds remaining in the contest before a three-pointer from the Lobos extended the lead to 79-74 with just three seconds left. The Lobos added a free throw at the buzzer to seal the win.

Jaelen House and Morris Udeze each scored 21 points in the win for New Mexico (2-0) leading four players in double figures for the Lobos who shot 43.9 (29-of-66) percent from the floor and 31.6 (6-of-19) percent from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Jags finished the night shooting 50.8 (31-for-61) percent from the floor and 35.0 (7-for-20) from beyond the arc.

GAME FACTS (HOW IT HAPPENED)

• New Mexico opened the game on a 12-2 run over the first 3:58 before South Alabama went on an 8-2 run over the next 2:28 to trim the deficit to 14-10 with 13:34 remaining in the first half. Moore helped lead the run with a pair of baskets to trim the lead to four.
• The game of runs continued through the second media timeout of the first half with the Lobos outscoring South Alabama 7-3 over the two-minute stretch, shooting 50 (8-for-16) percent from the floor. The Jags shot 46.2 (6-for-13) percent from the floor over the first six-plus minutes, missing their first three three-point opportunities. South Alabama answered the run by New Mexico out of the media timeout, going on a 6-0 run to trim the lead to 21-19 with 9:06 to play in the first half.
• The Jags continued to battle throughout the first half with Moore trimming the deficit to just two at 29-27 on a Moore jumper before New Mexico extended the lead to 32-29. However, the Jags tied the game for the first time with 3:49 to play in the opening half on a three-pointer off the bench by Marshall Kearing.
• The Jags were able to pull to within a single point (36-35) at the half on a Jamar Franklin three-pointer at the buzzer.
• After taking their first lead of the game to start the second half, the Jags grabbed their biggest lead of the game at 48-43 with 15:46 to play following a jumper by Tyrell Jones (16:31) and a three-pointer from White (15:49). However, New Mexico answered with a 7-0 run to take the lead and force a Jag timeout.
• Trailing 57-54 with 12:06 to play, South Alabama scored the next four points to take a 58-57 lead heading into the under-12 media timeout with a basket each from Kearing and Moore. The Lobos would not go away, going on a 7-0 run over 60 seconds to take the lead back at 65-60 with 8:56 to play. The Jags used a pair of free throws and a putback to pull to within a point at 65-64 with 6:53 to play in the game.
• The two teams continued to trade baskets before New Mexico was able to open a five-point lead with 3:27 to play, 75-70.

GAME NOTES

• The Jags started the same lineup for the second consecutive game – Moore, Jones, Parham, White, and Samuel.
• South Alabama shot 48.5 (16-of-33) percent from the floor in the opening half, hitting just two three-pointers in the process. The Jags shot as high as 56 percent late in the half, while holding New Mexico to just 39.4 (13-for-33) percent shooting from the floor.
• Samuel was in early foul trouble for the Jags, playing just 12 minutes. He scored four points and grabbed five rebounds, while Kearing came off the bench to play eight minutes to score seven points.
• The Jags took their first lead of the game with 19:36 to play in the game on a Parham layup to take a 37-36 lead.

UP NEXT
South Alabama returns home, hosting No. 19/20 Alabama at the Mitchell Center on Tuesday, November 15. Tip-off is set for 9 pm and the game will be carried on ESPNU. Tickets are still available by calling the USA Ticket Office at (251) 461-1USA or by purchasing online at USAJaguars.com.

Follow the Jags
For complete coverage of University South Alabama football, follow the Jaguars on social media @SouthAlabamaMBB (Twitter), /SouthAlabamaMBB (Facebook), @southalabamambb (Instagram) or visit the official home of South Alabama athletics at USAJaguars.com.



  Read Full Article