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JAGUARS HOST TROY IN SUN BELT CONFERENCE OPENER SATURDAY

     
Press Release
      

01/06/06– FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JAGUARS HOST TROY IN SUN BELT CONFERENCE OPENER SATURDAY

CONTACT: Kit Strief

GAME NOTES IN PDF FORMAT

THE SETTING
The South Alabama men’s basketball team (9-3) opens 2006 Sun Belt Conference play at home against conference newcomer Troy (7-5) on Saturday. USA has not won a conference opener since the 2001-02 season when it defeated Middle Tennessee 59-51 on Dec. 28. USA is 0-3 in conference openers under John Pelphrey.

THE SOUTH ALABAMA JAGUARS
The South Alabama Jaguar men’s basketball team looks to open Sun Belt Conference play on a high note as it entertains conference newcomer Troy on Saturday at the Mitchell Center. The Jaguars enter the game after an 87-69 setback at Tennessee on Wednesday. Troy comes in with a 7-5 mark and a three-game winning streak after blowing out Belhaven on Jan. 3, 95-51.

This season, the Jaguars are led by senior Mario Jointer who has posted 160 points in 12 games for a 13.3 points per game average. Senior Richard Law is second on the team with a 10.8 average. Law leads the team with 61 rebounds for a 5.1 average. Jointer leads the team with 19 steals and junior Carlos Smith leads the team with 38 assists.

As a team, the Jaguars are shooting .454 percent (307-676). From beyond the arc, USA is 100-282 (.355) and from the line, the Jags are 185-of-266 for .695 percent.

John Pelphrey, the ninth head coach in South Alabama basketball history, enters his fourth season as leader of the Jaguars. In his inaugural season in 2002-03, Pelphrey led the Jags to a 14-14 record and a 7-8 finish in the Sun Belt Conference, a tie for third in the West Division. Year two saw the Jaguars compile a 12-16 record and a 6-9 mark in league play. The Jags won their final three regular season games to qualify for the eighth and final spot in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

The Jaguars return three starters and five letterwinners from last year’s team that recorded an overall record of 10-18 and finished tied for fourth in the Sun Belt Conference West Division at 6-9. The 2005-06 squad has 14 players on the roster including one freshman and five transfers.
Pelphrey, a former star player at the University of Kentucky, has compiled quite a resume as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State, Marshall and Florida. Pelphrey learned many aspects of coaching under such greats as Eddie Sutton and Billy Donovan during his nine years as an assistant. Pelphrey has a 37-48 overall record at USA. In three seasons of Sun Belt action, Pelphrey is 19-26. He has a 18-22 in non-conference competition.

GAME TIME CHANGE
The Jan. 12 game at New Orleans has been changed from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. It will be at the Human Performance Center on New Orleans’ campus and not at Lakefront Arena.

TROY TROJANS
Troy enters the game with a 7-5 record and completed its third-best non-conference season in 13 years of Division I basketball with a 95-51 victory over Belhaven on Jan. 3. The Trojans have won their past three games.

The Trojans will be playing their first-ever Sun Belt Conference game this weekend. The Sun Belt is the fourth conference home for the Trojans in 13 seasons.

Troy has three players in double figures with Bobby Dixon leading the way at 17.5 points per game. Cedric Jackson is second on the team averaging 13.2 points and Jacob Hazouri is third, averaging 13.1. Sammy Sharp leads the team with 82 rebounds and a 6.8 average.

Head coach Don Maestri is in his 24th year at the helm of the Trojan program. Maestri has a 397-262 record overall. Troy finished the 2004-05 season with a 12-18 mark and a 10-10 record in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

RECAPPING THE LAST TIME OUT - AT TENNESSEE
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Major Wingate scored 17 and C.J. Watson added 16 to help Tennessee to an 87-69 win over South Alabama on Wednesday.

The Volunteers (9-1) have won three in a row since their only loss of the season at Oklahoma State and had their final tune-up before Southeastern Conference play begins Sunday at South Carolina.

Tennessee shot a season-high 56.5 percent from the floor (35-of-62) and had 10 steals.
Chris Lofton scored 14 points and JaJuan Smith had 10 for the Vols. Dane Bradshaw had a career-high eight assists.

Mario Jointer had 17 points and Michael Phillips scored all 16 of his points in the second half for South Alabama (9-3). Leandro Buboltz added 10 points.

The Jaguars led once in the game at 7-6, and Tennessee took off from there and built a 15-point lead midway through the first half.

Tennessee's lead stretched to 20 less than two minutes into the second half as the Vols outscored South Alabama 9-0 after halftime.

CONFERENCE OPENERS
The Jaguars are 3-7 in the past 10 years in conference openers. USA is 2-3 at home in openers and 1-4 on the road.

BUBOLTZ STARTS SECOND GAME
Junior Leandro Buboltz made his second consecutive start at Tennessee on Wednesday and he did not disappoint. Buboltz was a career-best 4-of-5 from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc for 10 points in a career-high 25 minutes of action. Buboltz also started the Western Michigam game on Dec. 30 as USA won 81-59.


EIGHTH STRAIGHT VICTORY AT HOME?
With a victory over Troy on Saturday, the Jaguars will move their home record to a perfect 7-0 this season and eight straight dating back to last year. It is the best home start since USA won 11 straight at home to conclude the 1999-2000 season which was the inaugural season of the Mitchell Center and 16 straight overall.

USA BEATS RANKED TEAM
With a 66-62 victory over No. 25 Houston marked the first time that the Jaguars have defeated a ranked team since a 69-52 victory over Washington on Dec. 22, 1997 in Jag Gym. USA has never defeated a ranked team in the Mitchell Center until Saturday. USA lost to then-No. 8 Mississippi State on Dec. 30, 2002, 85-74 in the Mitchell Center.

USA FIRST SUN BELT TEAM IN THREE YEARS TO DEFEAT RANKED FOE
USA became the first Sun Belt Conference team since Louisiana-Lafayette defeated No. 12 Mississippi State 79-76 on Nov. 23, 2002 to beat a ranked team. USA defeated No. 25 Houston on Saturday, Dec. 17, in the seventh annual Coors Classic, 66-62.

KNOCKING DOWN THE TREY
USA has hit a three-pointer in 188 consecutive games. The last time the Jaguars were held without a trey was Feb. 6, 1999 in a 44-43 win over Arkansas-Little Rock. USA is averaging 7.2 three-pointers a game this season and averaged 7.4 last year. USA hit a season-high 13 treys at Louisiana-Monroe Dec. 14 in an 81-71 victory.

JAGUARS COMPLETE BEST START SINCE 1983-84
With an 83-64 victory over Louisiana-Monroe on Dec. 20, the Jaguars started 8-1 which is the best start since the 1983-84 team that started 12-1 and finished 22-8 and a berth in the NIT.

WINS ON THE ROAD
Winning at Louisiana-Monroe on Dec. 14 gave USA its third road win of the year, matching the road wins from all of last year. With one more road victory this season, USA will have its most road wins since the 2000-01 team went 9-7 on the road.

COORS CLASSIC RECORDS FALL
USA broke a couple of Coors Classic records on Dec. 17 in a 66-62 victory over No. 25 Houston. USA set the record with the most made free throws (24), eclipsing its own record of 22 set in a 72-65 victory over Louisville in 2000. USA tied the record for rebounds with 47 against Houston. Auburn held the previous best in a 78-64 victory over Bradley in 1999.


THE COACHES SHOW
Jaguar play-by-play announcer Lee Shirvanian and coach John Pelphrey host “The Courtroom” each week during the basketball season at Banana Docks Cafe in Mobile. The show airs on WNSP 105.5 FM. The show also can be accessed at www.wnsp.com. The one-hour show is scheduled for Monday’s from noon to 1 p.m.

UP NEXT
USA travels to Louisiana-Lafayette and New Orleans on Jan. 12 and 14, respectively. USA returns home to face Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky on Jan. 19 and 21, respectively.

ON THE RADIO AND INTERNET
All South Alabama basketball games are broadcast on WNSP 105.5 FM out of Mobile. The games also can be accessed via the Internet at ww.wnsp.com. Long-time play-by-play announcer Lee Shirvanian is in his 27th season with the Jaguars. Broadcasts begin airing 30 minutes before tip-off. A post-game show is held following most games. Internet audio can be heard live at www.wnsp.com, and for home games only, live audio is available at www.usajaguars.com.

 

 

 

 
 
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