MOBILE, Ala. — Augustine Rubit recorded the 50th double-double of his career Saturday night, but Louisiana-Monroe rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to beat South Alabama 64-58 at the Mitchell Center. Earlier in the day, Rachel Cumbo’s late free throws sealed a 72-70 South Alabama women’s win over the Warhawks.
Warhawks Rally Past Men
South Alabama led 34-27 at halftime, but Louisiana-Monroe scored the first seven points of the second half to tie the game. An 11-3 run midway through the half gave the Warhawks their largest lead, 47-43.
The Jaguars answered with a 6-0 run, the last four points coming at the foul line, to pull within 52-51. Louisiana-Monroe responded with an 8-2 run for a 60-53 lead with 2:18 left. Antoine Allen hit a 3-pointer in the final minute, but South Alabama missed its last three shots.
The Warhawks held South Alabama to 22.2 percent shooting in the second half and 9.1 percent from 3-point range. The Jaguars shot 32.2 percent for the game, while Louisiana-Monroe shot 48 percent after halftime.
Tylor Ongwae scored a career-high 19 points for the Warhawks, 14 of them in the second half.
Rubit Reaches 50 Double-Doubles
Rubit had team highs of 18 points and 12 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. His 50 career double-doubles rank second in school history behind Terry Catledge’s 52 and lead all active Division I players.
Aakim Saintil scored 11 points, his third straight game in double figures, and Mychal Ammons had eight points and 12 rebounds.
“Unfortunately, offensively, we didn’t do a good job of attacking,” head coach Matthew Graves said. “We settled for a lot of 3-point shots when we had an advantage on getting the ball inside to Augustine and Mychal. Our guards continued to shoot shots and you try to sub guys in and out and they keep doing the same thing. It’s very frustrating that we’re not learning from some of the mistakes that we’ve made in previous games.”
South Alabama fell to 7-12 overall and 1-5 in the Sun Belt Conference. Louisiana-Monroe improved to 6-7 and 3-2. The Jaguars play at UT Arlington on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 7:30 p.m.
Cumbo Seals Women’s Win
Rachel Cumbo made all four of her free throws in the final 18.3 seconds as the South Alabama women beat Louisiana-Monroe 72-70 Saturday afternoon for their third conference win.
Cumbo led all scorers with 19 points, making all eight of her free throws, 4 of 6 shots from the field and 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
Ronneka Robertson recorded her first double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds and was 6 of 6 at the line. Meghan Dunn scored 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, and Breanna Hall added 10 points off the bench.
The Jaguars improved to 5-11 overall and 3-3 in the Sun Belt. They play at UT Arlington on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 5 p.m.
Jones: “I’m Staying at South Alabama”
Football coach Joey Jones said he is not leaving South Alabama after media reports mentioned him as a possible candidate for the head coaching job at UAB.
“I’m staying at South Alabama. I’m not going anywhere,” Jones told AL.com.
The UAB position opened when Garrick McGee left after two seasons to become offensive coordinator under Bobby Petrino at Louisville. Former South Alabama defensive coordinator Bill Clark, who left Mobile after the 2012 season to become head coach at Jacksonville State, has interviewed for the job. Former Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe and former Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden have also been linked to the opening in reports.
Jones coached high school and college football in Birmingham and played at Alabama and for the Birmingham Stallions. He was hired at South Alabama to start the football program.
The Jaguars’ staff has been on the road recruiting and is preparing to host a large group of recruits this weekend, coinciding with the Senior Bowl in Mobile.
