MOBILE, Ala. - The South Alabama men's basketball team travels to Jonesboro to face Arkansas State on Wednesday, Feb.22 at 7 p.m. CT in a battle of two of the four teams tied for first place in the Sun Belt conference.

Game Information

South Alabama (18-9, 10-4) at Arkansas State (19-8, 10-4)

Tip-off: Wednesday, Feb. 19, 7 p.m. CT 

Site: Jonesboro, Ark. | First National Bank Arena

ESPN+ Live Stats

Last Time Out 

Barry Dunning Jr. posted a monstrous double-double with 34 points and 11 rebounds to help elevate South Alabama over Texas State 70-65 in their second overtime game in three days. Despite being out rebounded 50-35 in the game, the Jags locked down defensively, limiting the Bobcats to five points in the extra frame, and put the game away with an And-one Dunning layup with 43 seconds remaining. 

Notes

• Dunning has been the go-to guy for the Jaguars this season. The Mobile native is averaging 13.6 points per contest, seven rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 44.1 percent from the field. Dunning has recorded four double-doubles this season (3 in the last 5 games), contributing 107 points (21.4 PPG) and 51 rebounds (10.2 RPG) in that five-game stretch. He has tallied 20 double-figure games, including 12 games in conference play, and is ranked eighth in the SBC in rebounding, ninth in field goal percentage, and 17th in scoring. 
• The Jags have committed to their zone defense this season and have eliminated any chance of driving in the lane for open shots. They have forced 59.8 percent of their opponents' shots to come from three-point range this year. The all-time NCAA record is 52 percent (per Kenpom).
• Elijah Ormiston has been on fire in the last five games, averaging 16.2 points on 62.5 percent (30-48) shooting from the floor and 95 percent from the charity stripe (19-20) with 3.8 rebounds per game.  Ormiston took it to Marshall, finishing with a D1 career-high 26 points on 11-15 shooting from the floor with five rebounds.
• Despite coming into the year ranked No.11 in the Sun Belt preseason poll, the Jags have exceeded expectations and surpassed both their overall and Sun Belt win totals from the 2023-24 season (16-16, 8-10). 
• The Jaguars are 4-1 in overtime games this season. Three of those wins have come in the last five games. In those extra quarters,  the Jaguars have outscored their opponents 28 to 12 and have limited their opponents to 17.3 percent (4-for-25) shooting from the field. On the flip side, the Jags have come up clutch from the charity stripe in those games, shooting 66.7 percent (18-for-27) from the line in extra time. 
• Dunning Jr. averaged 26 points, nine rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 50.8 percent (18-36) from the field and 73.3 percent (11-15) in two thrilling overtime home victories over Marshall and Texas State last week for the Jaguars. The Mobile, Alabama native finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, and two assists while shooting 53.8 percent (7-13) from the floor in a wire-to-wire battle with Marshall that ended as a 91-82 win for South Alabama on Feb.13. Dunning followed up that performance by scoring the most points by any player in the Sun Belt this season and tallying his third double-double in the last five games, against Texas State, finishing with 34 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists all while shooting 11-of-23 from the floor, 7-of-8 from the charity stripe, and knocking down a career-high five triples to elevate the Jaguars over the Bobcats 70-65 in overtime.
• The Jags have gone 48-for-61 (78 percent) from the free throw line in the past two games.
• A transfer from NAIA William Jessup (Ontario, Calif.), Corey scored 1626 points during his time with Jessup.  Corey has tallied 392 points this season, putting him over the 2000-point mark. 

Series History

• Arkansas State leads the all-time series 29-27.  The Jags have struggled in Jonesboro, owning a 6-19 overall record on the road with a 2-8 spurt in the last 10 in Jonesboro. 

About Arkansas State

• The Red Wolves have dropped three of their last four games and most recently fell to Troy 70-71 on the national stage last saturday night on ESPN. 
• Arkansas State is the only team in the Sun Belt Conference this season with a Quad-1 victory (12/8 at Memphis) and holds the top KenPom rating in the Sun Belt at a program-best 83 as of Feb. 14. 
• Senior guard Taryn Todd is third in the league in field goals made (143) and fifth in points scored (403). He is one of five players nationally as of Feb. 14 to have 400+ points, 120+ rebounds, 85+ assists, 30+ steals, and 15+ blocks this season.
• Preseason Player of the Year Kobe Julien is averaging 12.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for the Red Wolves.

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