DENVER — Denver made 14 of 28 shots from 3-point range and committed only four turnovers on Saturday, beating South Alabama 71-48 in a Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball game.
The loss was the Jaguars’ fifth in their last six games. South Alabama fell to 12-9 overall and 4-5 in Sun Belt play.
Strength Against Strength
The matchup pitted one of the league’s top perimeter defenses against one of its best shooting teams. South Alabama came in ranked second in the Sun Belt and 32nd nationally in 3-point defense. Denver ranked second in the conference in both 3-point percentage and 3-pointers made per game.
The Pioneers prevailed in that matchup. In a low-scoring first half, Denver built a 29-20 halftime lead, and it pulled away after the break.
South Alabama shot 37.5 percent from the field. The Jaguars set season lows in field goals made (15), field goal attempts (40) and assists (5).
Arrow: “We Didn’t Show Up”
Head coach Ronnie Arrow was critical of his team’s effort.
“We didn’t show up tonight,” Arrow said. “We don’t have the manpower to do the things we were doing early in the year, but they have a really good bunch and they’ll pick you apart. If you don’t come ready to play, they’ll pick you apart and shoot the heck out of it from the 3’s.”
Arrow said defending the perimeter had been the top item in the pregame plan. “The number one thing we put on the board (in the locker room) was ‘Guard the 3-point line.’ Fourteen out of 28 is not what I’d call guarding the 3-point line.”
He said injuries have disrupted the rotation. “Our continuity is just really bad right now. We have kids playing out of position because of injury. Our continuity isn’t anywhere close to what it was. We just have to get back home and start doing the things we were doing earlier in the year.”
Sims Ruled Ineligible
It was also confirmed that the NCAA has ruled Raymond Sims ineligible for the rest of the season.
Next Up: Florida Atlantic
South Alabama returns to the Mitchell Center in Mobile to host Sun Belt opponent Florida Atlantic on Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m.
