MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama men's basketball used a late second-half rally to fend off Alcorn State 76–70 Monday night in the Jaguars' home opener. With the win, South Alabama improves to 2–0 on the season, while the Braves drop to 0–2.

Key Stats

• Senior forward Peyton Law commanded the Jaguars' offense all night, scoring 29 points on an incredible 13-of-15 shooting from the field while adding nine rebounds and two steals. Jayden Cooper was the only other Jaguar in double figures, finishing with a D1 career-high 22 points and a team-high three triples.

• Chaze Harris continued his strong start, tallying nine points and seven assists — his second consecutive game with seven dimes.

• Alcorn State had an impressive night from three-point range, knocking down 13 three-pointers, while South Alabama attempted just 12 the entire night. The Braves' bench provided a significant spark, outscoring the Jaguars 34–5.

• The Jags shot over 50 percent from the field for the second time this year, hitting 52.8 percent overall and outscoring the Braves 48–24 in the paint.

• After committing 13 first-half turnovers and falling behind by as many as 13 points (34–21), South Alabama responded by outscoring Alcorn State by 12 points in the second half, closing the game on a 7–0 run to seal the victory.

Key Moments

• Alcorn State controlled the tempo early, building a 34–21 lead while forcing 13 Jaguar turnovers.

• South Alabama closed the half with a 13–6 run to cut the deficit to 40–34 at intermission.

• The Jaguars trimmed the margin to two several times early in the second half but trailed by eight with under 12 minutes remaining.

• A pivotal 11–0 Jaguar run gave South Alabama its first lead of the half, 57–54, following a three-point play from Harris with 8:21 left.

• The Braves continued to connect from long range and led 66–63 with just over four minutes to play.

• Law took over down the stretch, scoring on back-to-back possessions before Alcorn regained a 70–69 lead with just over a minute left.

• On the ensuing possession, Law crashed the boards for an and-one putback to put the Jaguars ahead 72–70.

• South Alabama locked in defensively in the final minute, as Adam Olsen sank two sets of free throws and the Jags shut out Alcorn to secure the win.

Quotable

Head Coach Richie Riley

"We didn't have our best stuff tonight. I was very concerned coming into this game about controlling the emotional moments from the start of our season with us getting a big road win at Toledo and unveiling our banner tonight. We came out and didn't play very well. I give them a lot of credit because they played really hard and muddied the game up. They had a great game plan and their guards were physical and incredible. We adjusted well in the second half and only had two turnovers. I'm proud of our resiliency in the second half and we found a way to win. I'm not happy with the full 40 minutes, but I'm happy to be 2–0. I've been doing this long enough to appreciate how special it is to be in the winner's circle, but also realize we have to get better."

Forward Peyton Law
On the three-point play that gave the Jags the lead in the final minute:

"I just knew I had to do whatever I could to find the winning play. I knew Chaze [Harris] was going to attack, and I'm going to follow him every time. I'm going to keep crashing and do anything I can to help us get the lead."

Up Next

South Alabama returns to the Mitchell Center on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 3 p.m. CT to face crosstown rival Spring Hill.