Ken Williams made two free throws with seconds remaining Monday night as South Alabama held off a late Arkansas-Little Rock rally for a 66-64 men’s basketball victory.
The win evened the Jaguars’ Sun Belt Conference record at 4-4 and improved them to 6-12 overall. UALR fell to 6-11 and 1-6 in league play.
Williams Extends 20-Point Streak
Williams led South Alabama with 20 points, his fourth consecutive 20-point game. He hit three 3-pointers, tied his career high with seven rebounds and had a team-high four assists.
Dionte Ferguson added 15 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Taishaun Johnson scored 12, and freshman Abdul Lewis had 10.
Trojans Rally From 12 Down
South Alabama led by as many as 14 points early in the second half and was still up by 12 midway through the period. UALR then went on a 15-3 run over nearly seven minutes, during which the Jaguars committed eight turnovers, to tie the game at 61 with 3:31 remaining.
Lewis answered with a basket, and junior Barrington Stevens III made a free throw with under a minute left to put South Alabama up by three. The Trojans tied it at 64 by making three free throws in the final 40.9 seconds, the last two with 15.5 seconds left.
The Final Possession
Williams brought the ball up from South Alabama’s half of the court and drove before UALR could foul him. Following a Trojans timeout, he made both free throws. Josh Hagins’ desperation attempt for UALR fell short at the buzzer.
Up Next
South Alabama, coached by Matthew Graves, will try for its third straight win Thursday when it plays at Appalachian State in Boone, N.C., for the first time. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
