MOBILE, Ala. – The South Alabama men's basketball started fast and never looked back, defeating Texas State 72-55 and securing their third straight home win Thursday Night in the Mitchell Center. The Jags split the season series with Texas State and improved to 13-13 overall and 5-8 in the Sun Belt, while the Bobcats fell to 11-15 on the year and 4-9 in Conference play. 

A stifling first-half defensive performance helped the Jaguars lead wire-to-wire in this matchup. South Alabama held Texas State to 27.7 percent from the floor and a season-low 18 points in the half. The Bobcats didn't break double figures until the 4:27 mark in the first half and struggled to find offensive production in the second half. 

After missing double figures in the last couple of games, Isiah Gaiter turned in a stellar performance, leading the Jags with 18 points, four rebounds, two steals, and a block. Samuel Tabe had a dominant performance in the paint, finishing with 13 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the free throw line, three rebounds, and two steals. Marcus Millender added 11 points, six assists, and two assists of his own. 

South Alabama shot 52.0 percent from the floor and 46.7 percent from behind the arc. The Jags never trailed in this matchup and nine out of their ten active players logged points. 

Game Facts (How it Happened) 

• South got out to a blazing start, rattling out on an 8-0 run after Tabe knocked down two fastbreak layups, and Millender and Ormiston drained tough buckets to give the Jags the lead with 16:18 left in the half. 
• Texas State trimmed the lead to four points at the 9:21 mark, making the score 12-8 in favor of the Jags. 
• The Jaguars launched out on a 14-1 spurt highlighted by three-pointers from Margrave and Gaiter, and two fast-break layups from Gaiter and Howell to take a 26-9 advantage with 4:46 remaining in the half. 
• South Alabama would take a 35-18 lead into the halftime break. 
• The Jags extended their lead out of the half after Tyrell Jones sank a layup and Marshall Kearing connected on a triple to open up a 43-24 advantage with 17:30 on the clock. 
• The Bobcats did not give in and fought back to make the score 47-34 with 12:41 remaining in the game. 
• South Alabama rocketed back out to a 56-37 lead at the 9:54 mark off a flurry of Howell layups and two tough finishes near the rim for Tabe. 
• The Jaguars took a commanding advantage after Gaiter and Tabe rattled off four points apiece, and Judah Brown splashed a three-pointer to stretch their lead to 69-45 with five minutes remaining in regulation. 
• South Alabama pushed forward and walked away with a dominant 72-55 victory. 

Notes

• South Alabama had nine of its ten active players record a point. The Jags dominated the bench battle, scoring 33 points compared to the Bobcats 19. 
• Texas State had a more efficient second-half shooting, but finished with nearly as many free throws (17) as field goals (18). 
• The Jags are 3-0 since Julian Margrave and Marcus Millender have been back in the starting lineup. 
• Isiah Gaiter has now scored double figures in 20 out of 26 games. 
• South Alabama is 8-3 in games where Millender has logged four or more assists. 
• The Jaguars won the rebounding battle for the eighth time this year 27-26. 
• Margrave has shot 11-for-21 from behind the arc in the last three games. 
• Texas State shot 27.7 percent from the floor in the first half. This is the third time this year the Jags have held their opponent to under 30 percent from the field (27.7 percent) and 25.0 from downtown in the first half. 

Head Coach Richie Riley

On the defensive intensity 

"To be honest, at times in the first half, some of the defensive possessions we put together, I was surprised. I hadn't seen that intensity. We blew up some screens, we blew up some handoffs, we challenged some shots at the rim, changed some shots and then finished some physical rebounds. We've got to continue improving in those areas, but it was a big step forward and a confidence boost for us to guard the way we did." 

Up Next

South Alabama will close its homestand against Arkansas State on Saturday, Feb.17 at 3 p.m. 

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