MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama men's basketball fell just short in a wire-to-wire, tightly contested defensive battle Sunday afternoon, dropping a 58–57 decision to North Texas at the Mitchell Center. The Jaguars moved to 8–3 on the season, while the Mean Green also improved to 8–3.

Key Stats

• Chaze Harris led the offensive effort for the Jaguars with 20 points, adding seven rebounds, three assists and two steals while going 8-for-13 at the free throw line.

• Jayden Cooper followed with 12 points, scoring eight in the second half and adding two steals as South Alabama repeatedly pushed the pace in transition.

• Adam Olsen finished with eight points and five rebounds while playing nearly 40 minutes, while Hantz Louis-Jeune provided seven points off the bench.

• South Alabama shot 40.8 percent from the field and held North Texas to 33.9 percent shooting overall, including just 22.5 percent from three-point range (9-of-40).

• The Jaguars outscored the Mean Green 34–18 in the paint and held a 19–9 advantage in fast-break points, but North Texas edged USA at the free throw line late.

• USA forced 14 North Texas turnovers, converting those into 34 points off turnovers, while committing just 11 turnovers of its own.

Key Moments

• North Texas opened the game with a quick surge, building an 11-point lead midway through the first half behind second-chance opportunities.

• South Alabama responded with defensive pressure and transition baskets to close the gap, trimming the deficit to 30–26 at halftime after Harris knocked down a pair of free throws in the final seconds.

• The Jaguars carried that momentum into the second half, tying the game at 30–30 early and eventually taking their first lead at 33–32 following an and-one three-point play by Stephen Williams.

• South Alabama delivered its strongest stretch of the game midway through the second half, using a 12–0 run to grab a 46–44 advantage with 8:32 remaining. Harris and Cooper led the charge, combining for five finishes at the rim during the run.

• The final minutes featured multiple lead changes and ties. Cooper's fast-break layup tied the game at 57–57 with 55 seconds remaining, but North Texas converted one of two free throws with 32 seconds left.

• South Alabama secured two offensive rebounds on the final possession, and both Louis-Jeune and Harris took shots with10 seconds of the game, but their attempts narrowly missed.

Quotable

Head Coach Richie Riley

"For most of the year we've been on the right side of these tight ones. We've had so many one-possession games where we found a way to win, and today we weren't able to. We had opportunities, but we weren't able to finish. I'm proud of the fight our guys showed.When we went down 44–34, we could have mailed it in, but we battled back and gave ourselves a chance at the end."

Up Next

South Alabama heads back out on the road to open Sun Belt play at ULM on Wednesday, Dec. 17, with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. CT.

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