MOBILE, Ala. | South Alabama men's basketball came away with a one-point victory over visiting James Madison Thursday night at the Mitchell Center, 63-62.
Kevin Samuel blocked a last-second layup attempt by Takal Molson to secure the Jaguar victory. Samuel ended the game with five blocks to go along with his eight points and nine rebounds.
The Jaguars (8-9, 2-3 Sun Belt) were led by
Isaiah Moore's 16 points. Terrence Edwards paced the Dukes (11-7, 2-3) with 20 points.
GAME FACTS (HOW IT HAPPENED)
- JMU got out to a 6-0 start with four quick points from Justin Amadi.
- South took the lead, 9-8, after a three-pointer from Greg Parham II at the 14:44 mark.
- The Jags kept the lead, and were leading by 10, 26-16, after a 3-pointer from Jamar Franklin with 5:26 to go.
- A layup from Elijah Ormiston with 47 seconds left gave the Jags a nine-point lead going into halftime.
- The Jags extended their lead to 13, 39-26, after a second-chance three-pointer by Tyrell Jones at the 17:10 of the second half.
- The Dukes cut it to five, 47-42, with 11:21 to go.
- Two free throws from Tyree Ihenacho cut the lead to three, 55-52, with 5:39 to play.
- Another three-pointer from Franklin put South up by six at the 1:37 mark, 63-57.
- A South turnover led to an and-1 layup from Edwards to cut the lead to one with 45 seconds to play.
- Samuel blocked Molson's layup attempt with less than three seconds left, and Owen White secured the rebound to run out the clock.
NOTES
- Samuel recorded five blocks, his third-straight game of 3+.
- He is three blocks away from tying the 10th most individual blocks in a single season by a South Alabama player.
- Franklin made three 3-pointers, tied for his second-highest output this season.
- Owen White grabbed a season-high seven rebounds.
- Moore continued his streak of double-digit point totals in every game he has played this season.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach
Richie Riley
On the legacy of Hal Williams:
"On that last possession, I felt that we had six defenders. That sixth defender was Hal Williams. That ball got knocked around everywhere, and I felt that Hal was there. I felt that throughout the game, when we made a three off a loose ball, I felt that Hal was the guy that knocked it to him. Hal Williams, in my five years here, was the ultimate Jag. I absolutely love him. He was so good to me, from my opening press conference, to the last time that I saw him. It felt weird tonight [to not have him here]."
On the performance of the team:
"Our guys dug deep. It wasn't easy or pretty. But they dug deep and found a way to beat a really good team. James Madison is good. I'm proud of our guys and I'm glad we could find a way to win."
UP NEXT
The Jaguars will have their fourth-straight home game on Saturday when they host Louisiana. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m. at the Mitchell Center.
FOLLOW THE JAGS
For complete coverage of South Alabama men's basketball, follow the Jags on social media @SouthAlabamaMBB (Twitter), /SouthAlabamaMBB (Facebook), @southalabamambb (Instagram) or visit the official home of South Alabama athletics at usajaguars.com.
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