Official Game Statistics
South Alabama vs. San Diego Game Notes
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- South Alabama erased any effects from yesterday’s close loss in the first half Friday, using a pair of 10-0 runs to reverse an early deficit enroute to a 77-55 victory over San Diego in the consolation bracket of the Anaheim Classic. Dominic Tilford, who relegated to the bench after starting Thursday, tallied 14 of his season-high 19 points in the opening period after hitting his first six shots.
Demetric Bennett, held to just eight points against Miami, finished with a season-high-tying 28 points by hitting four three-pointers, plus 12 of 15 free throw attempts.
The Jaguars (3-2) trailed at the first media timeout for the fourth time in five games, 6-4, and was later behind 10-9 when Tilford took over. He scored 10 straight points on two jumpers and two treys, helping USA to a 19-10 advantage with 10:25 to play. After a conventional three-point play by the Tereros, the Jags used another 10-0 to lead by 16, 29-13 with 5:35 remaining.
The halftime score was also 16, 36-20, after Bennett hit a three-pointer as the shot clock expired with 16 seconds remaining and a rebound layup as the half ended. The Jags also held a 24-10 rebounding edge over the first 20 minutes, hitting 53.6 percent from the field during that span. But it was the defense that proved the difference. San Diego converted just five of 23 shot attempts (21.7 percent) from the field, including five misses from three-point range.
Brandon Davis finished with a career-best 15 points, while DeAndre Coleman added nine rebounds. Brandon Johnson led the Toreros for the second straight night, scoring 17 points.
South Alabama scored the first five points of the second half to stretch the lead to 41-20 by the the 17-minute mark. San Diego closed to within 10 points on four occasions, but never got to within single digits. The Jaguars led 55-45 with 8:18 left when they started a 19-10 run that made the margin the largest of the game, 22 points. The Jaguars finished the game shooting a season-high 50 percent and holding a 38-21 advantage on the boards. Another difference from the 64-59 loss to Miami last night was free throw shooting, where US improved from eight of 21 to 23 of 30.
"I thought we played well tonight," Head Coach Ronnie Arrow said. "Tonight was the best execution I've seen on offense in a while, probably the best of the year. Demetric felt bad after last night's shooting, but he kept at it and took good shots. 15 free throws shows he had a productive night getting to the line."
The Jaguars will face Chattanooga at 2:30 p.m. PST (4:30 p.m. CST) Sunday for fourth-place in the tournament. The game will be televised on ESPNU.
