TROY, Ala. – The South Alabama men's basketball team fell on the road to its in-state rival Troy 65-55 Saturday evening in Trojan Arena. The Jags dropped to 14-6 on the year and 6-2 in Sun Belt play, while Troy improved to 12-7 overall and 5-3 in conference play. 

South's ball-handling woes continued for the second game in a row. They committed 15 turnovers, trailed in the rebounding battle 41-35, and made 13 fewer shot attempts than the Trojans. 

Jayden Cooper was the only Jaguar to finish with double figures. He played solid throughout the contest, registering a new season-high 17 points on 4-of-8 shooting from behind the arc, with four rebounds, and two steals. Barry Dunning Jr. logged nine points and a team-high nine rebounds, while Judah Brown finished with seven points, seven rebounds, and three steals. 

The Jags struggled to get out of the gates in this one and trailed 16-3 with 11:27 left in the first half. 

South cut the lead to single digits after Cooper knocked in his first three of the contest, and Brown rattled in a tough finish at the rim to trim the deficit to 19-11 at the 8:13 mark. 

Following a Myles Corey showtime dunk, the Trojans extended their advantage as the Jags trailed 32-20 with 4:15 remaining. 

USA stayed in the fight and used a 6-0 spurt to cut the lead to 32-26 at halftime. 

Troy pushed its lead back to 43-33 out of the break, forcing a Jags timeout at 11:26. 

South Alabama kept fighting and pulled the score back to four points, 50-46, at the 5:47 mark as Cooper drilled his third triple of the game before swiping a steal on the next possession that led to a Dunning tip-in layup. 

The Trojans outscored the Jags 15-8 in the final five minutes, giving USA its second conference loss.

Notes 

• Myles Corey struggled in tonight's contest, finishing with four points and an assist. 
• South won the paint battle, scoring 28 points to Troy's 20. 
• Cantia Rahming provided significant minutes off the bench, scoring five points, grabbing seven rebounds, and snatching three steals.
• The Jags got a lot of production from its bench as they outscored the Trojans 36-20. 

Up Next 

USA will look to bounce back as they head to Monroe to take on ULM on Monday, Jan.27 at 6:30 pm CT. 

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