MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama men's basketball held off Georgia State with a late defensive stand in the last seconds for a 69-67 win over the Panthers, Saturday night in the Mitchell Center. The Jaguars controlled the paint for much of the night and survived on the final possession to improve to 16–6 overall and 7–3 in Sun Belt Conference play.

South Alabama shot 51.9 percent from the floor and scored 50 points in the paint, building a double-digit second-half lead before Georgia State trimmed the margin in the final minute. The Panthers connected on a late three-pointer to cut it to one, but the Jaguars closed it out at the free-throw line and forced a contested look at the buzzer.

Key Moments

• South Alabama scored on its first two possessions of the game to set the tone inside and take an early lead.

• The Jaguars weathered an early three-point barrage from Georgia State, answering with paint touches and second-chance points.

• A Chaze Harris steal and fast-break finish ignited a mini run late in the first half as USA grabbed momentum heading into the break.Adam Olsen's three-pointer midway through the first half sparked a stretch where the Jaguars held the lead through the final minutes of the period.

• South Alabama took control early in the second half, opening the period with a 9–2 run to extend its lead to eight

• The Jaguars pushed the advantage to double digits midway through the second half behind consecutive finishes at the rim.

• Georgia State answered with a late surge, cutting a 12-point deficit to one in the final 20 seconds.

• Randy Brady came up with a late steal and knocked down a crucial free throw in the closing seconds to seal the win.

• The Jaguars forced a difficult, contested three-pointer on the final possession to close out the win at The Mitch.

Key Stats

• South Alabama shot 51.9 percent (28-of-54) from the field.

• The Jaguars outscored Georgia State 50–12 in the paint.

• Chaze Harris led South Alabama with 15 points, six assists, and four steals.

• Jayden Cooper finished with 11 points, while Adam Olsen added 10 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double.

• The Jaguars held Georgia State to 35.0 percent shooting overall despite 15 made three-pointers.

• The Jaguars recorded 15 assists on 28 made field goals.

• South Alabama committed just five turnovers for the game.

• South Alabama outscored Georgia State 36–33 in the first half and never trailed after halftime.

Quotable 

Head Coach Richie Riley 

"We found a way. That's conference play this time of year.  One team goes up, one team goes down. We're moving up in the standings, and we won even though it wasn't our best stuff. I'm proud of our guys. We didn't play the best, but we found a way. On that last shot, AO gave the perfect contest that we teach. He jumped straight up at his peak with two hands, didn't lean or foul, and got up high enough to make it come off short. Without that contest, it probably goes in, but he max-contested it perfectly, and we were able to get out of there."

Up Next

The Jaguars hit the road for a midweek matchup at App State on Wednesday, Feb. 4, with tip-off set for 5:30 p.m. CT in Boone.

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