NORFOLK, VA– After falling behind by 22 points in the second half, the South Alabama men's basketball team rallied back and outscored Old Dominion 34 to 10 in the final 14 minutes to secure the dramatic 61-59 come-from-behind victory in Chartway Arena Saturday night. With the win, the Jags improve to 8-5 on the year and 1-0 in Sun Belt play, while Old Dominion falls to 4-9 on the season and 0-1 in conference play. 

Isiah Gaiter led the way for the Jags, scoring 16 points, including hitting a game-winning shot with 9.6 seconds remaining. He also racked up a season-high seven assists and six rebounds. Tyrell Jones joined Gaiter in double figures, finishing with 12 points, three assists, and three rebounds. 

Marcus Millender scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds. Marshall Kearing provided a spark off the bench, draining two three-pointers in the final four minutes, grabbing six boards, rejecting a team-high three blocks, and swiping three steals. 

With the score tied at 59-59 with under a minute to play, Marshall Kearing pick pocketed the ball away from ODU and called a timeout, giving the Jags the ball with 33 seconds to play. With the ball back in play,  Kearing would find a wide-open Gaiter for an easy bucket with 9.6 seconds left on the clock. The Monarchs came barreling down the court, looking for an equalizer, but their shot rimmed wide. 

Game Facts (How it Happened) 

• The Jags got started fast as Julian Margrave knocked down two three-pointers, and Thomas Howell hammered home a dunk to give the South an 8-2 lead out of the gates with 15:38 left in the half. 
• Old Dominion found its footing quickly and pulled back within one point 10-9 with 13:25 on the clock. 
• Gaiter answered with a bucket at the rim, and Ormiston followed with a top-of-the-key three-ball to allow the Jags to retake the lead 15-11 with 10 minutes to play. 
• The Monarchs fired back and took control of the game, rifling out a 17-2 run to give the ODU a 27-17 at the under-five-minute timeout. 
• ODU stayed hot and closed the half on a 9-5 spurt to capture a 36-22 lead at halftime. 
• Things got worse for the Jaguars coming out of the half as ODU launched onto a 12-5 run to extend its lead to the largest of the game, 49-27, with 14:08 remaining in regulation. 
• South Alabama grabbed control from that point on as they darted out onto a 16-0 run off an Ethan Kizer triple and 13 combined points between Gaiter and Jones to cut the deficit to 49-43 with 9:39 left in the game. 
• Following two ODU buckets, the Jags would string together three straight possessions of made three-pointers from Kearing, Gaiter, and Jones helped the Jags come all the way back to regain the lead 56-55 with 4:07 on the clock. 
• Old Dominion found an immediate answer with a quick jumper at the 3:47 mark to give them a 57-56 advantage. 
• The Jags immediately responded as Jones hit a corner pocket three-ball to snatch the lead right back, 59-57, with 2:26 remaining. 
• After ODU hit a jumper to tie the game, Marshall Kearing pickpocketed the ball away from ODU and called a timeout, giving the Jags the ball with 33 seconds to play. With the ball back in play, Kearing would find a wide-open Gaiter for an easy layup with 9.6 seconds left on the clock. The Monarchs came barreling down the court, looking for an equalizer, but their shot rimmed out, securing victory for the Jags. 

Notes

• Gaiter recorded his 11th double-figure scoring game of the season. The Jaguars are now 7-3 when Gaiter scores ten or more points. 
• The Jags out-rebounded their opponent for the third time in the last four games. 
• Kearing earned a new career-high in steals with three. He also logged a season-high in blocks (3) and rebounds (6). 
• South Alabama played lights out in the second half offensively, shooting 51.8 percent from the field and 60.0 percent from behind the arc. 
• The Jaguars led for only nine minutes in this game. 
• This is the largest come-from-behind victory in the Richie Riley era. 
• South held ODU to only two three-point field goals, totaling 13.1 percent from behind the arc. 

Up Next

South Alabama will now head back to the Mitchell Center to face off against Appalachian State in its first contest of 2024 on Thursday, Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. CT. The Jags then have a quick turnaround as they host Georgia State on Saturday, Jan.6, 3 p.m. CT. 

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