ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Adam Olsen and Chaze Harris combined for 41 points as South Alabama men's basketball outlasted Central Michigan, 66–64, in the opening game of the inaugural Showdown in St. Pete Thursday morning at Eckerd College. The Jaguars improved to 4–0, marking their best start since the 2016–17 season.

KEY STATS

• South Alabama once again controlled the paint, outscoring CMU 36–16 around the rim while holding the Chippewas to 34.4 percent shooting from the field.

• Despite shooting under 50 percent for the first time this season (41.7%), the Jags limited Central Michigan to 31.8 percent from three despite allowing 44 attempts from deep.

• Olsen led all scorers with 21 points, knocking down four threes and going a perfect 5-for-5 at the free-throw line, adding three rebounds.

• Harris finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 20 points, nine boards, and two assists.

• USA generated an 11–5 fastbreak advantage in the first half and posted a season-best 15-for-23 mark at the free-throw line compared to CMU's 6-for-10.

• Central Michigan hit 14 three-pointers to stay within striking distance throughout the second half and won the rebounding battle 43–38.

KEY MOMENTS

• South Alabama opened the morning by pushing the tempo and scoring in transition, creating early separation behind multiple finishes from Harris in the lane. The Jags tallied 11 fastbreak points in the opening half to build the lead.

• Olsen delivered a crucial spark late in the first half, drilling back-to-back threes in under a minute to give USA its largest lead of the period at 35–27.

• CMU connected on 14 total threes — including eight after halftime — to keep the margin within one possession multiple times, but the Jaguars responded with timely stops throughout the half.

• Twice in the second half the Chippewas cut the lead to a single possession, and twice Olsen came up with key plays on both ends to preserve the advantage.

• Down the stretch, Harris powered the USA offense with repeated trips to the free-throw line and came up with a crucial steal with just over four minutes remaining to disrupt a CMU possession that could have tied the game.

• South Alabama closed it out with strong defensive execution, holding CMU to just three field goals over the final five minutes and forcing five second-half turnovers.

UP NEXT

South Alabama returns to action Saturday morning for its second game of the Showdown in St. Pete, taking on Coppin State on Nov. 15 at 10 a.m. CT.