MOBILE, Ala. – Javon Franklin recorded his seventh double-double of the season, posting 17 points and 14 rebounds as the University of South Alabama men's basketball team defeated Southeastern Louisiana 70-68 in the first round of The Basketball Classic on Wednesday.
 
Tyrell Jones scored a career-best 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, Charles Manning Jr. added 10 points and Kayo Goncalves finished with nine points to lead the Jaguar attack.
 
Southeastern Louisiana's Joe Kasperzyk had a team-high 17 points, while Jalyn Hinton chipped in 13 and Ryan Burkhardt scored 12.
 
Place: Mitchell Center
Final Score: South Alabama 70, Southeastern Louisiana 68
Records: South Alabama (20-11) (9-7), Southeastern Louisiana (19-15) (10-4)
 
GAME FACTS
- USA forced six turnovers over the first seven minutes to grab an early 12-4 lead.
- Southeastern Louisiana responded with an 11-2 run to go in front, 15-14, with 9:34 remaining.
- Jones knocked down a triple and Alex Anderson hit a runner to put South up two, 27-25, with just over two minutes left in the half.
- The Jags closed the half on a 9-2 run to take a 36-27 lead into the break.
- Jones connected on back-to-back three-pointers and Goncalves followed with another trey to stretch the lead to 17, 47-30, with just under 16 minutes to go.
- Marshall Kearing's layup with 11:05 to go in the game put South up 19, 56-37.
- The Lions answered with 13 straight points to cut the lead to six, 56-50.
- SLU's Burkhardt hit a three-pointer to pull the Lions within four, 63-59, with 3:50 remaining in the game.
- Southeastern Louisiana tied the game at 66-66 after Hinton connected on a layup with 1:45 left.
- Franklin answered with a layup and Jones hit a pair of free throws to push the lead to 70-66, with 22 seconds to go.
- Burkhardt scored on a layup to pull within two with 2.0 seconds left in regulation and fouled Goncalves with 1.5 seconds to go.
- Goncalves missed the second free throw attempt and Southeastern Louisiana's full-court shot was off the mark as South held on for the 70-68 victory.
 
NOTES
- South Alabama was awarded the Travis Grant trophy following the win and advanced to the second round of The Basketball Classic.
- This was South's first postseason appearance since the 2012-13 team played in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
- South Alabama won a postseason game for the first time since 1989. The Jaguars came back from down 19 points to knock off Alabama 86-84 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament during the 1988-89 season.
- The Jags have won at least 20 games in two out of four seasons under Richie Riley.
- USA improved to 14-2 at home this season. The 14 wins are the second-most in Mitchell Center history, only trailing the 2007-08 team's 17 wins.
 - The Jaguars are now 2-0 all-time against Southeastern Louisiana.
- Franklin was named the Travis Grant Game MVP for his performance.
- After knocking down three triples, Goncalves has now hit 148 three-pointers in two years. He now ranks eighth all-time at USA for most three-pointers made in a career.
- Franklin dished out a career-best four assists and tied a career-high with four blocks.
- Jones hit a career-high three triples.
- Manning Jr. tied a career-best with six assists.
 
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richie Riley
- Opening statement:
"It certainly wasn't pretty, the last 10 minutes of the game. But, I'm really excited about winning the game and the guys that got to contribute. They were able to gain valuable experience playing in the postseason. Tyler Shirley got 13 minutes, Turbo [Jones] was able to have a confidence-building game like he did tonight and a guy like Franklin can continue to grow and get better. I think he has a chance to be one of the best players in our league next year and games like today can only help him. Alex Anderson got some great minutes in a postseason environment. And for Chuck [Manning Jr.] and Kayo [Goncalves] to be able to play as many games as we can get them as long as we keep winning. It wasn't pretty but I'm glad that we found a way to win and were able to finish."
 
- On if the long layoff showed:
"It definitely showed. We were rusty, really rusty. We hadn't pressed the guys a ton in practice because there was so much time in between. What I told the guys in practice was I want them to be able to enjoy this postseason in a tournament that is designed for us to build and carry momentum into next season. I wanted them to be able to get better every single day in practice, while also enjoying it. Southeastern Louisiana has a lot of fight and they have a good team. They were close to making the NCAA Tournament. It was just a really good win and a great opportunity for our guys to get out there and improve."
 
- On what comes next:
"We've been told that we should get another home game. Now, how that shakes out, we will hopefully find out tonight or in the morning. We should have a chance to play on Monday, I think. There are 22 teams versus the original 32 that they had planned. So, there may be some shifting going around. We are just excited to play. I would love for our guys to get another chance to play at the Mitchell Center."
 
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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