MOBILE, Ala. — Sophomore Ken Williams scored 19 points, 13 of them in the first half, as South Alabama basketball pulled away in the second half to beat the University of Mobile 69-52 in an exhibition game Thursday night at the Mitchell Center.
The exhibition against the crosstown NAIA program served as South Alabama’s first game action of the 2014-15 season.
South Alabama started slowly but led 32-23 at halftime and used a 7-0 run midway through the second half to pull away from the Rams.
Early Slump, Then a Run
The Jaguars opened with 3-pointers from Williams and junior John Brown in the first two-plus minutes. A shooting slump followed, as South Alabama made just one field goal in nearly 11 minutes, and the Rams took a 15-13 lead.
Sophomore Georgi Boyanov ended the drought with a 3-pointer at the 6:53 mark, starting a 19-6 run that sent South Alabama to the locker room with a nine-point lead.
Bench and Newcomers Contribute
Freshman Taishaun Johnson scored 14 points off the bench, including seven on free throws. Brown added 13 points in his South Alabama debut.
Regular Season Opener Next
South Alabama opens the regular season Nov. 14 against Carroll (Mont.) at the Mitchell Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
The Jaguars compete in the Sun Belt Conference and are in their second season under head coach Matt Graves.
