ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – South Alabama looks to remain unbeaten Saturday morning and continue its best start in nine years as the Jaguars take on Coppin State in the final game of the Showdown in St. Pete. Tipoff is set for 10 a.m. CT with streaming available on YouTube.
Last Time Out
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Adam Olsen and Chaze Harris combined for 41 points as South Alabama outlasted Central Michigan, 66–64, in the opening game of the inaugural event Thursday morning at Eckerd College.
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South Alabama once again controlled the interior, outscoring CMU 36–16 in the paint while holding the Chippewas to 34.4 percent shooting from the field. Despite shooting below 50 percent for the first time this season (41.7%), the Jags limited Central Michigan to 31.8 percent from three while forcing 44 attempts from deep.
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Olsen led all scorers with 21 points, knocking down four threes and going a perfect 5-for-5 at the line while adding three rebounds. Harris finished one board shy of a double-double with 20 points, nine rebounds and two assists.
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Olsen provided a key spark late in the first half, drilling back-to-back threes in under a minute to push USA's lead to 35–27 — its largest advantage of the period. CMU connected on 14 threes for the game, including eight after halftime, to keep the margin within one possession multiple times, but the Jaguars responded with timely defensive stops throughout.
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Down the stretch, Harris powered the offense with repeated trips to the free-throw line and produced a crucial steal with just over four minutes remaining to halt a CMU possession that could have tied the game. The Jags closed it out with strong defensive execution, holding the Chippewas to just three field goals over the final five minutes and forcing five second-half turnovers.
Scouting the Eagles
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Coppin State enters Saturday still searching for its first win of the season and will be playing its third game in four days. The Eagles fell to South Florida on Thursday, 100–50, and dropped their second Showdown in a St. Pete matchup to Central Michigan, 82–59.
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Offensively, CSU has struggled to find rhythm, averaging just 59.8 points per game while committing more than 17 turnovers per contest. Tyler Koenig and Demariontay Hall lead the team with nine points per game apiece.
Notes You Need to Know
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Head Coach Richie Riley has guided the Jaguars to their best opening stretch in nine years, improving to 4–0 after Thursday's wire-to-wire win over Central Michigan. The last time USA opened a season this successfully was in 2016–17, when the Jags began 5–0 under Matthew Graves.
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Peyton Law has been dominant through his first four outings, averaging 16.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He ranks third nationally in field goals made (30-of-38) and eighth in field goal percentage (83.3%).
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South Alabama has dictated the paint in all four contests this season, outscoring opponents 266–118 inside. The Jags also rank top three in the Sun Belt in rebounding margin (+7.8) and fewest opponent rebounds allowed (32.0).
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USA ranks fourth in the Sun Belt at 50.0 percent shooting from the field. For the first time in the Riley era, the Jaguars have shot 50 percent or better in three of their first four games. A staggering 266 of the team's 317 total points this season have come in the paint.
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Chaze Harris has showcased elite playmaking early on, dishing out 19 assists across the first four contests. He ranks fifth in the Sun Belt in assists per game and 50th nationally in total assists.
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South Alabama has a strong history in multi team event tournaments, holding a 14–5 all-time record. The Jags have participated in an MTE in each of the past 17 seasons. Under Riley, USA has hosted three MTEs at the Mitchell Center, posting a 6–3 record during that stretch.
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Seventy-nine percent of South Alabama's scoring this season has come from its starting unit of Cooper, Harris, Olsen, Law and Brady. That group has combined for 249 of the team's 317 points, with the bench contributing 68 points — 46 of which came against Spring Hill.
FOLLOW THE JAGS
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USAJaguars.com.