MOBILE, Ala – Samuel Tabe set a new season-high of 20 points as the South Alabama men's basketball team outlasted Georgia Southern 78-65 Saturday evening in the Mitchell Center. The Jags snapped their five-game losing streak and improved to 11-13 on the season and 4-8 in the Sun Belt play, while Georgia Southern fell to 5-19 overall and 5-7 in conference play. 

Tabe picked up his 11th double-figure scoring game this year, finishing with a season-high of 20 points on 10-of-11 from the free throw line, with seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Julian Margrave and Marcus Millender put together stellar performances. Margrave finished with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from downtown and four rebounds, while Millender added 15 points, four assists, and three rebounds. 

Isiah Gaiter got back into double figures, scoring 11 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the charity stripe and two steals. 

South Alabama asserted themselves on the boards throughout the night, winning the rebounding battle 31-23, marking the fifth time the Jags had an advantage in the battle on the boards this season. In addition, they made a season-high 31 free throws on 37 attempts. 

The Jags led for 35 of the final 40 minutes of the game and led by as many as 19 points in the final five minutes. 

Game Facts (How it Happened) 

• The two squads matched each other shot for shot to open the game until the Jags took a 12-8 after Margrave hit a triple and Tabe scored seven quick points to give South the advantage at the 14:28 mark in the first half. 
• The Jaguars responded again with an 11-5 run off three-pointers from Margrave and Millender and a flurry of free-throws from Tabe to give South Alabama a 23-13 lead with 10:21 remaining in the first half. 
• Georgia Southern began to show life and bolted out on a 14-4 spurt to tie the game 27-27 with 6:40 on the clock. 
• South Alabama closed the half on a 14-6 spurt highlighted by Margrave's fourth three-pointer of the half, a pair of Howell free throws, and a Tabe fastbreak layup to give the Jags a 41-33 lead into halftime. 
• The Jags exploded out of the half on a 12-4 run as Margrave knocked down two three-pointers and Gaiter and Tabe drilled free throws to put South in front 53-37 with 14:55 left in the game. 
• South took its largest lead of the game after Tyrell Jones drained a three-pointer, and Judah Brown sank a mid-range jumper to help extend the lead to 60-41 at the 11:30 mark on the clock. 
• The Eagles answered with a 14-4 run of their own to trim the Jaguars' advantage down to 64-55 with 8:04 left in the game. 
• South Alabama was too strong on this night as Tabe and Howell rattled in layups, and Tabe, Millender, and Gaiter knocked down free throws to help secure a 78-65 victory. 

Notes

• South Alabama made 31 free throws on 37 attempts. 
• The Jaguars won the rebounding battle for the fifth time this season with a 31-23 advantage. 
• Isiah Gaiter has now scored double figures in 18 out of 25 games. 
• Margrave and Millender both made their first start since December. 
• The Jaguars are now 6-3 in games where Millender has four or more assists. 
• South played with an electric tempo throughout the night and scored 18 fastbreak points compared to four points from Georgia Southern. 
• Tabe set a new career-high in free throws made with 10. 
• The Jags shot 36.8 percent from behind the arc and held Georgia Southern to 20.8 percent. 

Head Coach Richie Riley
On the resiliency of this team
" We were tougher then we've been. We won the rebounding battle by eight. I don't know when was the last time we did that. We finished more plays at the rim and were able to string some stops defensively and build a lead. I'm proud of our guys because its' a long grueling season and when you string together some losses like we did it feels good to get back on track. We have some things that we need to correct before Saturday,  but tonight's win feels good. 

Forward Julian Margrave
On his impressive shooting impressive performance
" I just have to keep shooting because I know my teammates are going to find me and help me succeed.  

Guard Samuel Tabe
On their success in the paint
" We are just being aggressive on the boards. Coach Riley keeps preaching to us that we need to keep attacking and be aggressive, and we are just following his game plan." 
 

Up Next

The Jaguars will now welcome Northern Illinois on Saturday, Feb.10 at 2 p.m. for the second round of the MAC-SBC Challenge.