Game Notes
Game 16 • South Alabama Jaguars (8-7, 1-1) at Georgia Southern Eagles (9-6, 2-0)
January 9, 2017 • 6 p.m. CST • Hanner Fieldhouse (3,897) • Statesboro, Ga.
THE COACHES
South Alabama
Matthew Graves (Butler, 1998)
Record at USA: 45-67 (4th year)
Overall Record: Same
Record vs. Georgia Southern: 3-2
Ga. Southern
Mark Byington (UNC Wilmington, 1998)
Record at GS: 60-51 (4th year)
Overall Record: 68-54 (5th year)
LAST GAME
South Alabama let a late lead slip away in a 78-77 loss at Georgia State. Georgia Southern outlasted Troy 86-82 in Statesboro.
NEXT GAME
The Jaguars return home to host Texas State Saturday. The Eagles travel to Louisiana-Lafayette.
ON THE AIR
Radio: 99.5 FM The Jag; J.D. Byars (pxp)
On the web: www.iheart.com/live/995-the-jag-mobile-7117/ (audio); GS All-Access (video)
RANKINGS (Through Jan. 5)
USA: #218 RPI, #235 Sagarin
GS: #118 RPI, #152 Sagarin
THE SERIES
South Alabama leads 9-3.
Current streak: USA, 3 wins
Last meeting: South Alabama 67, Georgia Southern 61 (3/10/16)
GS's last win in series: 80-74 (2/21/15)
USA's last win in Hanner Fieldhouse: 64-58 (1/7/16)
GSU's last win in Hanner Fieldhouse: 80-74 (2/21/15)
USA's record in Hanner Fieldhouse: 4-1
USA's road streak: Won 1
USA's longest winning / losing streak in series: 4 / 2
Notes: The two school's met in a home-and-home series in 2010-11 and 2011-12, both Jaguar victories… The 2010-11 game was the first between the two schools since 1980… Three of the six games in Mobile have taken place in Jag Gym… USA won the first three games in Statesboro, taking all three games by an average of 13.3 points, putting up 81.0 points per game… The first five games in the series took place between Jan. 12, 1978 and Feb. 12, 1980… The Eagles swept the season series in 2014-15, earning their first-ever victory in Statesboro, then the Jags took all three in 2015-16, including a 67-61 win in the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament.
OPENING TIP
The last time South Alabama played back-to-back one-point games was in 1985-86.
USA had 18 turnovers Saturday at Georgia State, its second-most of the season, and fell to 0-2 on the year when having more turnovers than its opponent.
The Jaguars went 11 for 23 from 3-point land, setting a new season high in 3-point percentage (.478) and tying its season high in long-range conversions.
South Alabama lost a halftime lead for just the second time all season Saturday, and dropped to 8-2 when leading or tied at the break. The team also lost for the first time this year when leading with one minute left in regulation (6-1).
Winning the shooting percentage battle usually means victory for the Jags, who have won 73.5 percent of the time when doing so, but are only 6-3 in 2016-17 after Saturday's loss at Georgia State. USA shot 48.2 percent against the Panthers, including 54.2 percent in the second half alone, and held GSU to 45.8 percent.
The Jaguars have hit 50 percent or better from the floor after halftime nine times this season, and are 6-3 in those games.
Shaq Calhoun led all scorers Saturday with 20 points, shooting 6 for 12 from the floor and 5 for 9 from 3-point land. He scored eight of the team's final 12 points of the game. The five triples and nine attempts tie his career high set earlier this season.
Calhoun has recorded 20 points or more a team-high three times this season.
Calhoun also recorded three steals, sharing game-high honors with Dederick Lee, who set a new personal best. Calhoun has multiple thefts seven times this season, and has posted three steals three times in his last four games. He ranks fifth in the Sun Belt with 1.5 per game.
Don MuepoKelly has a team-best four double-digit rebounding games this year, and his 12 rebounds at GSU tied his and the team's season high.
Josh Ajayi has tallied double-digit points in five of his last six games after his 17-point, 8-for-12 shooting performance Saturday. He is averaging 11.3 points with a 54.0 field-goal percentage in his last six games.
Herb McGee has six assists and one turnover in the last three games. He had two Saturday, and went 2 for 2 from the floor for five points.
Ken Williams is averaging 18.2 points in his career against Georgia Southern. His two worst games — 15 points and 13 points — came in the two most recent meetings; he was averaging 21.0 points in the first three games.
Georgia Southern's Ike Smith is the Sun Belt's leading scorer at 19.5 points per game. He was held to 13 points on 0-for-6 shooting from 3-point land vs. Troy Saturday. He averaged 17.5 ppg vs. USA last year.
The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are scheduled for a week of March Madness in the Big Easy. New Orleans will once again be home to the two championships that will take place at Lakefront Arena from March 7-12 and ticket books can now be purchased from your school's ticket office. For more information, visit the Sun Belt Conference's championship central websites - Men's Championship – Women's Championship – and be sure to follow the #FunBelt on social media - @SunBelt.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
—USA—
