MOBILE, Ala. –  Head Coach Richie Riley picked up the 150th win of his career as the South Alabama Men's Basketball team survived in an overtime thriller with Alcorn State 74-65 Friday morning in the Mitchell Center. With the win, the Jags improved to 5-3 overall, while the Braves dropped to 0-7.

After trailing the majority of the game, the Jags outscored the Braves 14-6 in the final 5:31 seconds to tie the game at 61-61 and force overtime. In overtime, South Alabama rocketed out on a 13-2 spurt led by back-to-back layups from Corey and Elijah Ormiston and a flurry of free throws to claim the victory. 

Myles Corey fueled the Jags' offense for the sixth time this season. The graduate student finished with 25 points on 9-of–16 shooting with two rebounds, and an assist. Barry Dunning Jr. recorded double figures for the third time this year, scoring 14 points with two three-pointers, three rebounds, and three blocks. JJ Wheat had an efficient afternoon, finishing with 10 points, dishing out five assists, and grabbing two rebounds. 

Despite 17 first-half points from Corey, the Braves maintained a 32-29 advantage heading into halftime. 

South started the second half strong, as Fasoyiro and Brady both connected on threes to give the Jags a 37-36 lead with 15:35 left in the game. Both teams traded blows back and forth in the next eight minutes until Alcorn grabbed a 55-47 advantage with 5:37 remaining. 

The Jags found their footing and answered with a 14-6 run and tied the game when Ormiston knocked down a clutch triple and layup in the paint with under a minute remaining to send the game into overtime tied 61-61. 

South Alabama took control in overtime as Ormiston and Corey would bury buckets on back-to-back possessions. After Alcorn knocked down two free throws, Dunning Jr. made a tough layup near the rim before getting a clutch steal on the other end and going straight to the rack for two more free throws. The Jags kept their foot on the gas and closed out the game with a flurry of free throws to secure the 74-65 win. 

Game Notes

• Corey has compiled double figures in scoring in every game this season. 
• Wheat has dished out 20 assists in the past four games. 
• South lost the rebounding battle for only the third time this season (45-34), including a 19-8 ratio on the offensive glass. 
• The Jags controlled the paint throughout the night, scoring 24 points compared to 12 from Alcorn. 
• South Alabama also notched 22 fast break points to Alcorn State's five. 
• The Jaguars held Alcorn State to 34.5 percent shooting, marking the sixth time this year they've held a team to under 40 percent from the field. 
• Dunning knocked down two three-pointers for the first time since the season opener against Central Michigan. 
• Elijah Ormiston set a new season-high with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field. 

Up Next

South Alabama will now have some time off before hosting Jacksonville State on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 3 p.m. CT in the Mitchell Center.

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