MOBILE, Ala. – The South Alabama men's basketball team used a balanced scoring attack as six players finished in double figures to defeat the Spring Hill Badgers 91-74 Saturday evening at the Mitchell Center. The Jags improve to 6-5 on the season and Head Coach Richie Riley earned his 100th win as Head Coach at South Alabama.

Riley is the third head coach in program history to reach 100 wins at South, joining storied coaches Ronnie Arrow and Cliff Ellis. 

South Alabama led the game from start to finish as they jumped out on an 8-0 run to open the game and never looked back.

 The Jaguars had six players finish with double figures in scoring and dished out a season-high 20 assists. 

Isiah Gaiter fueled the Jaguars offense for the fifth game this season, scoring 20 points with eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Samuel Tabe set a new season-high for the second game in a row, totaling 19 points and grabbing eight rebounds. 

Julian Margrave continued to rain down three-pointers, hitting a game-high four triples to finish with 12 points. Marcus Millender had an efficient night on both ends of the court, scoring 12 points, pulling down eight rebounds, and six assists. Ethan Kizer splashed three three-pointers to set a new career high of 11 points. 

Thomas Howell dominated in the paint, finishing with 10 points and six rebounds. 

The Jags had a red-hot first half, shooting 55.6 percent from the field and scoring a season-high 54 first half points. 

Game Facts (How It Happened)

• South Alabama opened the game on an 8-0 run as Margrave and Kizer splashed three-pointers, and Howell bullied his way to a tough finish at the rim to give the Jags the lead in the opening minutes. 
• After Spring Hill hit a three-pointer, Howell hit an And-One layup, and Gaiter rattled in a jumper and And-One layup of his own to extend the Jags lead out to 16-3 with 15:28 on the clock. 
• The Badgers would find a response and blister out on a 13-2 spurt to pull Spring Hill back within two points, 18-16, with 12:23 left in the half. 
• The Jags caught fire and blasted out on a 19-7 run as Gaiter sunk three triples and Margrave and Millender drained two three-pointers of their own to help push the Jags back out to a 37-25 lead with five minutes left in the first half. 
• Both teams battled back and forth to close the half as the Jags would outscore the Badgers 17-12, highlighted by a flurry of Tabe layups and a bank shot three-pointer from Marshall Kearing to hold a 54-39 lead at the end of the first half. 
• South started the second half with back-to-back layups from Howell before Spring Hill pulled the game back within 10 points, 60-50 with 13:37 left in regulation. 
• Kizer provided a spark out of the media timeout, hitting a three-pointer and hammering home a dunk to push South's advantage back to 67-50 at the 12:23 mark. 
• Spring Hill continued to fight and battled back on a 14-6 run to pull within nine points, 73-64, with 7:31 left in the game. 
• South Alabama was too strong on the night and burst out onto a 9-2 spurt off a Margrave three-pointer and a cluster of layups near the rim from Millender, Gaiter, and Tabe to take an 82-66 advantage with 5:17 on the clock. 
• The Badgers kept fighting, but the Jags would walk away with a 91-74 victory. 

Notes

• South Alabama had six players score in double-figures for the first time since December 2020 against Flager. 
• Gaiter led the Jags in scoring for the fifth time this season and recorded his ninth double-figure scoring game this year. Gaiter also totaled a season-high in rebounds (8), assists(6), and steals (3). 
• The Jaguars recorded a season-high of 20 assists, marking the first time the Jags dished out 20 assists since the Sun Belt Conference Semifinals against James Madison last season. 
• Samuel Tabe topped his season-high in scoring for the second time in the past two games. 
• South Alabama is now 5-1 in games when Marcus Millender has logged more than six assists. Millender is still ranked first in the Sun Belt in total assists with 45. 
• The Jags set a new season-high with 11 steals in the contest. 
• South tied its season-high in three-pointers made with 12 on the night. 
• Ethan Kizer had a breakout performance, earning a new career-high with 11 points, two rebounds, and one block. 
• The Jaguars had a season-best 0.45 assist-to-turnover ratio. 

Head Coach Richie Riley 

On his 100th win at South Alabama

" When there is a milestone like this, it makes you reflect on everything that you've been through. When I became the head coach here, I wasn't sure I would ever win 100 games. It's a testament to the great coaches and players that we've had here. We've been able to do it in under five years, and it means a lot to me. The opportunity to be the head coach of South Alabama means more to me than I could have ever put into words. I love South Alabama, and hopefully everyone knows how I feel about this place. To be in the winner circle 100 times in my career is amazing. Every single one of them means a lot because it's for the University of South Alabama. This place is awesome, and I thank the lord every single day that I get to coach here. I'm proud of everything that we've been able to accomplish, and there's a lot more to accomplish this season. 

Guard Samuel Tabe 

On tonight's dominating performance

" It was a great team win. Everyone played hard, and we shared the ball like we never had before. It was a great team effort all around. 

Up Next

• The Jags will now have a week off until they host Alabama A&M in the final non-conference contest of 2023 on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. 

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