South Alabama put it all together on Thursday night. Southern Miss, the first place team in the Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball standings, didn’t stand a chance.
The Jaguars never trailed in the 85-54 win over a Southern Miss team that hadn’t lost since January 12. The Golden Eagles' nine-game win streak was snapped in decisive fashion. South Alabama has won six of the past seven games.
“It was a great win,” said South Alabama head coach Richie Riley. “They have a really good team. It's obvious with their record, what they've accomplished in the league so far and what they did in their non-conference. So, for us to be able to come in and play as well as we did tonight and win against a team like that, I think it says a lot about our growth as a team and how much we have improved.”
South Alabama (14-4 overall, 7-8 SBC ) had five players in double-digit scoring and nearly added another. Isaiah Moore had 16 points and six assists, and Jamar Franklin had 15 points, four rebounds and three assists. Owen White added 14 points, five rebounds and four 3-pointers, and Kevin Samuel chipped in with 12 points and six rebounds.
Southern Miss fell to 23-5 overall and 12-3 in conference play.
Troy 67, Arkansas State 62: A gutsy Troy team found a way to come from behind for a Sun Belt Conference road win. The Trojans (17-11 overall, 9-6 SBC) trailed by 10 points midway through the second half but closed on 33-16 run to win for the fourth consecutive game.
Each team was called for 21 fouls, and each team was 19 of 25 from the free throw line. Troy’s Nelson Phillips, Aamer Muhammad, and Zay Williams were a combined 16 of 21 from the free throw line. Phillips had 22 points, Muhammad and Christyon Eugene each had 16 points, and Zay Williams had seven points and nine rebounds. “
Troy is in sole possession of fifth place, trailing fourth place James Madison by a game.
Jacksonville State 76, Queens University 69: Seniors Demaree King and Skyelar Potter combined for 46 points to lead the Gamecocks (11-17 overall, 4-11 ASUN) over Queens (16-12 overall, 6-9 conference) in an ASUN game. King had 27 points, five 3-pointers, six assists and three rebounds. Potter had 19 points, five rebounds, three 3-pointers, three assists and two steals.
UNA 70, Bellarmine 57: The Lions, the hottest team in the ASUN, won for the eighth time in the past nine games. The Lions beat Bellarmine (12-16 overall, 7-8 conference) for the first time in six meetings. UNA (17-11, 9-6) remains a game behind fourth place Stetson in the ASUN standings.
The Lions made six 3-pointers in each half and clamped down on defense. Bellarmine shot 33% from the field and was 4 of 20 on 3-pointers. UNA was led by KJ Johnson and Jacari Lane, who each had 15 points. Johnson added six assists and three 3-pointers. Will Soucie had 12 points and nine rebounds.
UNA stays on the road to play third place Eastern Kentucky on Saturday.
West Alabama 63, Christian Brothers 49: The Tigers remained in sole possession of first place in the Gulf South Conference and clinched a quarterfinal home game in the conference tournament with the road win. Justin Allison and Thaddeus Williams each had 15 points for West Alabama. Allison added six assists and four rebounds. Kuran Garner chipped in with 12 points and eight rebounds.
UAH 78, Union 62: The Chargers (23-11 overall, 12-8 GSC) won for the sixth consecutive game and remained in second place in the GSC. Union fell to 13-12 overall and 12-9 in the conference.
Chaney Johnson had 18 points and five rebounds for UAH. Luke Burnett had 17 points and five 3-pointers and Max Shulman added 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email steve.irvine@1819news.com.
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