MOBILE, Ala. –- Following a wire-to-wire victory over Marshall on the road, the South Alabama men's basketball team returns to the Mitchell Center this week to face off against in-state rival Troy on Thursday, Jan.18 at 7 p.m. before hosting Louisiana on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 3 p.m.

GAME INFORMATION

South Alabama vs. Troy

Date: Thursday, Jan.18

Tip-off: 7 p.m. CST

Site: Mitchell Center | Mobile, Ala. 

Watch Live  Live Stats  Listen    

South Alabama vs. Louisiana

Date: Saturday, Jan.20 

Tip-off: 3 p.m. CST 

Site: Mitchell Center| Mobile, Ala.  

Watch Live  Live Stats  Listen    

Last Time Out

South Alabama led from start to finish in a 91-85 victory over Marshall in Huntington last Saturday. Five players finished with double figures in scoring for the fourth time this year as Isiah Gaiter led with 25 points, Tyrell Jones set a new season-high with 23 points, Samuel Tabe scored 18 points, Thomas Howell totaled 11 points, and Judah Brown logged 10 points in his second game back from injury. 

South Alabama Notes

• Isiah Gaiter has continued to show his dominance this season, totaling 16.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per contest. He has scored double figures in 15 out of 17 games and is tied for second amongst Sun Belt players with five 20-point games this year. He is also ranked first in the Sun Belt in minutes per game (35.5), fourth in field goal percentage (48.0), fifth in points per game (16.9), and sixth in free throw percentage (82.5). 
• The Jaguars have been automatic from the free-throw line this season. Through 17 games, South ranks second in the Sun Belt from the charity stripe, shooting 73.6 percent. The last time South shot 73 percent from the free throw line was the 2019-20 season. 
• Tyrell Jones has been on fire since the beginning of conference play. Jones set a new season-high for the third time in the last four games against Marshall, scoring 23 points and grabbing four rebounds. He has averaged 16.8 points, three rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 steals in the past six games. 
• Head Coach Richie Riley has an 8-2 record in the all-time series against Troy and a 4-7 record against Louisiana. 
• Graduate transfer Samuel Tabe has emerged as a prominent scorer this season for South. After scoring 18 points against Marshall, Tabe surpassed 1,000 career points at the Division l and Division ll level. 
• Howell is eighth in the Sun Belt Conference in rebounds per game (6.9). He pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds against Georgia State and is approaching the 600 career rebounds mark with 572 total. 
• South picked up their first Sun Belt conference win of the season in a 22-point second-half comeback over Old Dominion. The Jags outscored the Monarchs 34 to 10 in the final 14 minutes of the game to secure the 61-59 win. 
• South Alabama has returned 20.6 points per game for the 2023-24 season. 

About Troy (11-6; 5-0) 

• Troy has had an electric start to conference play, picking up six straight wins, including victories over Southern Miss (82-56), Louisiana (79-73), and App State (66-62). 
• Christyon Euguene fuels the Trojans offense, contributing 15.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per contest.  
• The Trojans rank second in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring offense, scoring 81.4 points per game, and third in rebounding, grabbing 40.6 boards per game. 
• Thomas Dowd is Troys' leading rebounder, pulling down 5.5 rebounds per game. 

Troy All-Time Series 

• South Alabama leads the series with a 29-13 overall record. The Jags are 15-5 at home and a 12-6 record on the road in the series. 
• The Jags have won eight of the last ten matchups in the series. 

First Matchup: 12/14/93: W 109-95

Last Matchup:  2/9/23: L 61-57

About Louisiana (9-8; 2-3)

• The Ragin Cajuns enter this game with wins in two of their last three games. Defeating Coastal Carolina (85-77) and Arkansas State (84-77) after losing to Troy (79-73). 
• Louisiana leads the Sun Belt in three-point percentage per game, shooting 36.7 percent from downtown. 
• Kobe Julian leads four Cajuns in double figures in scoring, averaging a conference-leading 17.9 points per game. 
• Themus Fulks is third in the Sun Belt in assists per game, contributing 4.6 per contest. 

Louisiana All-Time Series 

• The Jags and Cajuns are even in the all-time series with a 31-31 record. Louisiana has won four out of the last five matchups, knocking off South Alabama in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship game last season. 

First Matchup: 1/22/76: L 81-82 OT

Last Matchup: 3/6/23: L 71-66 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship game

FOLLOW THE JAGS

For complete coverage of South Alabama Men's basketball, follow the Jags on social media @SouthAlabamaMBB (Twitter), /SouthAlabamaJaguars (Facebook), @southalabamambb (Instagram), or visit the official home of South Alabama athletics at usajaguars.com.