MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama erased a 16-point second-half deficit and rallied from 10 points down in the final 90 seconds of regulation to defeat Jacksonville State 83-80 in double overtime Thursday night at the Mitchell Center. With the win, the Jags improve to 1-1 while the Gamecocks suffered their first loss of the season.
Stephen Williams led the Jaguars with 27 points and 13 rebounds, while
Jalen Langsy added 25 points and four steals.
Aaron Goldstein finished with 17 points, including a three-pointer with 1:24 remaining in the second overtime that helped South Alabama secure its first win of the season.
Key Moments
- Jacksonville State knocked down eight first-half three-pointers to take a 32-23 halftime lead. The Gamecocks extended their advantage to 43-27 with 17:07 remaining.
- South Alabama began chipping away behind Williams, who scored 17 second-half points on 8-of-9 shooting. Goldstein added 11 points after halftime as the Jaguars worked back into the game.
- The Jags trailed 64-54 with 1:26 remaining before mounting a late rally. Williams finished an alley-oop from Goldstein, Langsy buried a three-pointer and Williams added a putback to pull South Alabama within 64-61 with 24 seconds left.
- After two Jacksonville State free throws, Langsy converted a three-point play with 12 seconds remaining. Desmond Williams drew an offensive foul on the ensuing possession, and Stephen Williams scored with eight seconds left to tie the game at 66 and force overtime.
- Stephen Williams scored four points in the first overtime, while Langsy added two free throws. The teams remained tied at 72 after neither scored over the final 1:56.
- Jacksonville State scored the first three points of the second overtime before South Alabama answered with a 9-0 run. Langsy turned a steal into a layup, Diego Roman put the Jags ahead with a layup, and Goldstein connected from deep. Two Langsy free throws stretched the lead to 81-75 with 1:03 remaining.
- The Gamecocks cut the margin to one with 25 seconds left, but Stephen Williams grabbed an offensive rebound and scored with nine seconds remaining. Jacksonville State missed a potential tying three-pointer on its final possession.
Key Stats
- Williams finished with 27 points on 13-of-16 shooting and a game-high 13 rebounds for a double-double. He scored 23 of his points after halftime.
- Langsy recorded his second consecutive 25-point performance, shooting 7-of-15 from the field and a perfect 9-of-9 at the free-throw line. He added four rebounds, four steals and two assists.
- Goldstein totaled 17 points, three assists and two rebounds, connecting on three three-pointers.
- Roman finished with six points, five rebounds and a team-high seven assists.
- Roderick Williams Jr. scored four points on 2-of-2 shooting, while Lenni Kunzewitsch contributed four rebounds, an assist and a steal.
- South Alabama outscored Jacksonville State 52-22 in the paint.
- The Jaguars shot 46.5 percent from the field, finishing 33-of-71, including a 56.7 percent mark in the second half.
- South Alabama went 5-of-27 from three-point range and 12-of-17 at the free-throw line, making all four of its free throws in overtime.
- The Jags forced 14 turnovers and committed nine, including just two in the second half.
- South Alabama improved to 1-1, while Jacksonville State fell to 1-1.
Head Coach Richie Riley
Opening statement:
"I'm super proud of them. We answered the call defensively, to be honest with you. They wore down from three, and we didn't give up anything in the paint. We didn't shoot it well, and we didn't play well in the first half, but we responded. I pulled some guys, and the way they stepped up and responded was outstanding. This team is a work in progress. For everyone except Stephen and Peyton Law, this is their second Division I game. I'm really happy with a lot of the things I saw and the fight we had."
On Stephen Williams' performance:
"He was a monster. After the other game, I challenged him to be the most dominant big and impose his will. He did that tonight. He was bodying guys and finishing through contact. He had three big offensive rebounds down the stretch."
Forward Stephen Williams
On getting the first win with this group:
"It feels great to get our first win with this group. If you watched games last year, then you know this isn't my first time in a close game. I told the guys we've got to come out and keep playing hard no matter what. It felt great in the locker room, man. This is our first real win with this group, and we want plenty more moving forward."
On scoring a career-high 27 points and adding 13 rebounds:
"Oh, man, it was just not wanting to lose. That was my will and my motivation throughout the whole game. I didn't want to lose. I kept telling myself that in my head. I've got to give thanks to God, man. I felt like something special was going to happen today, and it did. I appreciate the Lord for it."
Up Next
South Alabama travels to UCF Tuesday, Nov. 10, for its first road game of the season.
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