MOBILE, Ala. – In front of a 3,000-plus Mitchell Center crowd, the South Alabama men's basketball team held off a late surge from in-state rival Troy to win 74-71 Thursday night. This victory gave the Jags their second win over a first-place team in the Sun Belt Conference in a row. The Jags improved to 10-8 on the season and 3-3 in conference play, while Troy dropped to 11-7 on the year and 5-1 in conference play. 

South Alabama was powered  by a dominant defensive effort, holding Troy to 25 first-half points and limiting the Trojans to 36.5 percent from the field and 30 percent from behind the arc. 

Samuel Tabe had a breakout performance, leading the Jag with 19 points, a team-leading seven rebounds, and a career-high tying five assists. Tyrell Jones opened the game on fire, hitting four first-half three-pointers and finishing with 17 points, five rebounds, and a game-high four steals. 

After being held scoreless in the first half for the first time this season, Isiah Gaiter came up big when it mattered the most and scored 13 points and grabbed four rebounds. Thomas Howell had a gritty performance, scoring 10 points, pulling down four rebounds, and logging two blocks. 

South Alabama had a 13-point advantage with under six minutes to play until the Trojans came storming back to bring the game within four points with under two minutes to play. After Howell hammered home a two-handed slam at the 2:24 mark, neither team could create any separation, and the Jags iced the game with a pair of free throws. 

Game Facts (How it Happened)

• The Jags wasted no time getting started in this matchup as Jones hit two three-pointers and Tabe knocked down a contested layup at the rim to give South an 8-3 lead after the under 16-minute media timeout. 
• After the Trojans made two buckets to pull back within one point, Jones would splash his third triple to stretch the Jags out to a 13-9 advantage with 12:50 remaining in the half. 
• Troy quickly responded and took their first lead with nine minutes remaining in the half, 19-16. 
• The Jags immediately answered as Marcus Millender drained a three-ball, and Elijah Ormiston weaved his way through the lane for a driving layup to give South Alabama a 21-19 advantage with 6:35 left in the half. 
• Both sides would go two minutes without scoring a bucket until Ormiston connected on a jumper, and Judah Brown scored a fast break layup to extend the Jags lead to a 25-21. 
• Following Jones' fourth triple of the half and two Tabe free-throws, South would take a 30-25 lead into the break. 
• South would expand its lead to open the second half as Ormiston went to the rim with force and sank a layup, Howell hit a set of free throws, and Tabe drained an And-one bucket to extend the lead to double digits 39-29 with 17:33 on the clock. 
• The Trojans found a response and leaped out on an 11-4 spurt to pull back within three points, 43-40 with 13:50 remaining. 
• After Troy regained the lead with 10:55 left in the game, the Jags exploded out on an 18-4 run off three buckets inside from Tabe, a Gaiter triple and a jumper, and a tough Thomas Howell fastbreak finish to give the Jags a 66-53 advantage with 6:04 left in the game. 
• Troy would not go away as they bolted out on a 12-4 run to pull the score back to 70-66 at the three-minute mark, but the Jags were too powerful as Howell hammered home a two-handed slam, and Brown and Jones knocked down free-throws to give the Jags a 74-71 win. 

Notes

• South Alabama has defeated Troy in nine of the last 11 matchups in the rivalry and holds a 16-5 record at home against the Trojans. 
• Tabe has been electric in the last four games, averaging 17.25 points, 3.75 rebounds, and three assists per contest. 
• Jones is a deadeye from downtown, hitting four three-pointers in three of the last four games. He also tied his season-high in steals with four. 
• The Jags shot 47.2 percent from the field and 45.0 percent from three-point range. 
• Gaiter has now scored double figures in 16 out of 18 games this season. 
• Head Coach Richie Riley has a 9-2 record over the Trojans in his six seasons of coaching. 

Head Coach Richie Riley
On the rivalry victory

" This rivalry means a lot to me. I have so much respect for Troy, and that's the reason it means so much. I tell people all the time this rivalry is fierce. The passion from our fanbase and their fanbase is what makes it so special. Scott [Cross] runs their program the right way and is a heck of a coach, so anytime we square up with those guys you know it will be a battle. I'm so proud of our guys for showing some toughness and grit because it wasn't easy, and anytime you play those guys. Our first half wasn't very good offensively. Defensively we did a pretty good job at guarding them– we gave them too many offensive rebounds in the first half. Offensively, we missed a lot of close shots that we've usually been making. Their physicality bothered us, but we adjusted in the second half and shot an elite percentage. I thought our guys showed toughness and grit on the glass in that second half. They made some tough plays and finished through contact. They showed real maturity, and I'm so happy to see their development.

Guard Tyrell Jones 

On his personal success in the last couple of games

" I've just tried to keep putting work in every day and stay consistent. I've been trying to find a way to continue to step up and fulfill my role." 

Guard Samuel Tabe

On the team's defensive success 

" Our energy and mental focus, knowing that we will grind out every possession has been solid. Sometimes, you have possessions that take up the whole shot clock, but those are the possessions you have to grind out. We've been doing a good job of that and have continued to develop as a team. 

Up Next

South Alabama will have a short turnaround as they host Louisiana on Saturday, Jan.20 at 3 p.m. CST. 

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.