TROY, Ala. — South Alabama’s men’s and women’s basketball teams both lost at Troy on Thursday night, with the men falling 79-74 after a late rally and the women losing 78-53.
Men: Williams’ 3-Pointers Sink Jaguars
Troy’s Hunter Williams scored 21 of his game-high 26 points in the second half, making seven 3-pointers, as the Trojans snapped a five-game losing streak with a 79-74 win over South Alabama.
The Jaguars cut into a 12-point deficit with a 9-3 run, helped by Troy’s misses at the free-throw line, and trailed 78-74 with 22.7 seconds left. South Alabama missed a 3-point attempt on its next possession and could not get closer.
Augustine Rubit led South Alabama with 25 points, his highest total since his career-high 35 against Gonzaga on Dec. 14. Barrington Stevens III and Ken Williams added 13 points each. Stevens set a career high with six assists, and Williams made three 3-pointers. Mychal Ammons pulled down eight rebounds.
“We did a great job on Williams in the first half,” head coach Matthew Graves said. “The problem is we have to sustain it for 40 minutes.”
Graves said defensive breakdowns on screens led to open looks for Williams. “Unfortunately a good offensive effort was wasted again tonight because we didn’t dig down and guard,” he said.
The Jaguars are off for a week before hosting Arkansas State at the Mitchell Center on Feb. 13 at 7:05 p.m.
Women: Turnovers Prove Costly
The Lady Jaguars committed 27 turnovers, which Troy converted into 29 points, in a 78-53 loss.
Breanna Hall led South Alabama with 12 points, three assists and three steals. Meghan Dunn scored 11 points, her 14th game in double figures this season. Ronneka Robertson finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.
South Alabama shot 25.8 percent in the second half and 35.6 percent for the game.
Troy’s Joanna Harden, the Sun Belt Conference’s leading scorer, led all players with 30 points on 11-of-27 shooting, including 4-of-11 from 3-point range.
Guard Brittany Webb was injured during the game and did not return. “She’s our primary ball-handler and that changed everything,” head coach Terry Fowler said. “Meghan Dunn had to play the whole game and guard hard. I thought fatigue and frustration set in for us.”
The Lady Jaguars fell to 7-13 overall and 5-5 in the Sun Belt. They return to action Feb. 12 against Arkansas State at the Mitchell Center, with tipoff scheduled for 11:30 a.m.
