South Alabama’s men’s basketball team dropped its first Sun Belt Conference game of the season Saturday night, falling 63-54 to Arkansas State while shooting a season-low 27.4 percent from the field. The Jaguars never led in the South Alabama Arkansas State game.
The loss leaves South Alabama at 6-6 overall and 3-1 in the Sun Belt. Arkansas State improved to 8-5 overall and 2-2 in league play.
Roberson Suspended
Before tipoff, South Alabama announced that starter Xavier Roberson had been suspended indefinitely for violating athletic department and team policies. Antoine Allen started in his place. Roberson is the Jaguars’ second-leading scorer, and the length of the suspension has not been determined.
Cold Start, Costly Turnovers
South Alabama missed its first seven shots and did not score until 15:14 remained in the first half.
Arkansas State entered the game leading the Sun Belt in steals, turnover margin and turnovers forced per game, and the Red Wolves forced 12 first-half turnovers, six of them on steals, converting them into nine points. South Alabama finished with 17 turnovers.
Mychal Ammons picked up two early fouls, sending him to the bench for much of the first half, and a third foul later in the half kept him out until halftime.
Second-Half Push Falls Short
A 10-2 run near the midpoint of the second half put Arkansas State ahead 50-37. South Alabama answered with an 11-2 run, scoring its first six points of the spurt at the free-throw line before Ammons hit a jumper and Freddie Goldstein made a 3-pointer, his only one of the game. That cut the deficit to 52-48 with 5:22 to play.
Arkansas State hit a 3-pointer on its next possession, and South Alabama made only two more field goals, both by Augustine Rubit, the rest of the way. The Red Wolves went 5 of 7 from the free-throw line in the final 44 seconds.
By the Numbers
- South Alabama made 4 of 27 3-point attempts (14.8 percent) and 16 of 23 free throws.
- The Jaguars shot 30 percent in the second half; Arkansas State shot 42.9 percent after halftime.
- Arkansas State shot 38.2 percent for the game, tied for the second-lowest percentage by a South Alabama opponent this season.
- Rubit led all scorers with 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season and the 33rd of his South Alabama career.
- Allen was the only other Jaguar in double figures. Ammons and Goldstein each scored five points.
- Arkansas State had two players score 15 points, its only double-figure scorers.
Price: ‘One of Those Nights’
Interim head coach Jeff Price pointed to the shooting numbers.
“You don’t have to look too hard to see what the main problem was,” Price said. “We shot 27 percent from the field. Defensively I thought we were okay. Anytime you hold a team to 38 percent you’re doing pretty darn good.”
“We weren’t just not making shots outside,” Price said. “Think about how many inside just rolled around in the rim and could have been three-point plays and they went out of the basket. It just seemed like there was a lid on it all night. It was just one of those nights.”
He also cited the first-half turnovers. “Twelve turnovers in the first half cost us,” Price said. “We just have to get better and that’s on me. I have to make us better and get us to understand better.”
Up Next
South Alabama travels to Louisiana-Monroe for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff on Thursday, Jan. 3.
