JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – A slow first half offensively plagued the South Alabama men's basketball team Thursday night as they fell 70-52 to Jacksonville State. With the loss, the Jaguars fall to 4-5 on the season, while the Gamecocks improved to 4-4. 

The Jaguars were led by 25 points off the bench from Tyrell Jones and Samuel Tabe. Jones led the Jags with 15 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the free throw line, while Tabe finished with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. 

Jacksonville State had three players record double figures in scoring. KyKy Tandy hit seven three-pointers to finish with 29 points on the night, while Quincy Clark and Travis Roberts scored 10 points each.  

South Alabama struggled to find consistency offensively in the first half. They shot 22.2 percent from three point range and 20.0 percent from the field. 

GAME FACTS (How it Happened) 

• The game began with both teams trading buckets in the paint as Maxwell Land scored the first six points for the Jaguars to keep the game tied 6-6 at the 14:21 mark in the first half. 

• Coming out of the first media timeout, Jacksonville State took control and jumped out on an 18-4 run to take a 24-10 lead with 7:07 left in the half. 

• Marcus Millender and Isiah Gaiter splashed three-pointers to make the score 29-18 with under three minutes on the clock. 

• The Gamecocks continued to push forward in the final moments of the first half and grabbed a 37-23 advantage at the break. 

• Jacksonville State kept things going at the start of the second half, hitting triples on the first two possessions and bolting onto a 13-6 run to take a 50-29 lead with 14:45 on the clock. 

• The Jaguars would not give in as Jones rattled in a fastbreak layup and a pair of free throws, and Tabe scored two straight buckets to lead South Alabama on a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 50-38 at the 10:36 mark. 

• That would be as close as the Jags would get as the Gamecocks bolted out on another 19-7 run to take their highest lead of the game 69-45, with under two minutes to play before securing their 70-52 victory. 

Notes

• South Alabama shot a season-low 17.1 percent from three-point range on the night. 

• Tyrell Jones led South Alabama in scoring for the fifth time in his career. 
• Thomas Howell guided the way for the Jags on the boards for the fourth straight game. Howell grabbed seven rebounds in tonight's game. 

• Millender recorded two steals and now leads South Alabama with 11 this season. 

• South Alabama lost the rebounding battle for the fifth time this season. Jacksonville pulled down 41 rebounds compared to South Alabama's 25. 

• The Jags edged the gamecocks in points in the paint, scoring 30 points compared to 25 from Jacksonville State.

• South Alabama struggled to find consistency all night offensively, shooting 35.3 percent to Jacksonville State's 48.9 percent. 

• South gave up six turnovers and forced 11.  

• The Jaguars shot less than 20 percent from behind the arc for the second time this season. 

Up Next

South Alabama will travel to Georgia to close out a three-game road trip in an early morning contest against Mercer on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 11 a.m. CST.

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