MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama beat Florida International (FIU) 62-57 on Saturday to even its Sun Belt Conference record at 1-1 and snap a two-game losing streak, capping a four-game stretch in which guard Domonic Tilford scored 83 points.
The win over FIU followed a rout of Houston Baptist and losses to Mississippi State and Western Kentucky.
Dec. 7: South Alabama 93, Houston Baptist 63
South Alabama extended its winning streak to four games with a 93-63 victory over Houston Baptist at the Mitchell Center. The streak began after the Jaguars’ loss at Arkansas shortly before Thanksgiving.
Tilford led South Alabama with 19 points, and Charles Tabet added 17. DeAndre Coleman grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds, nine on the defensive end.
The Jaguars outrebounded Houston Baptist 49-27 and outshot the Huskies 51 percent to 37 percent from the field, 47 percent to 41 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent to 50 percent at the free-throw line.
Dec. 13: Mississippi State Pulls Away in Starkville
South Alabama trailed for the entire first half at Mississippi State before Ronald Douglas and Brandon Davis put the Jaguars ahead in the first minute of the second half. The lead changed hands several times, and South Alabama held its last lead at 38-37 before the Bulldogs used a 15-0 run over the next 3 minutes, 30 seconds to take control.
Davis led South Alabama with 19 points on 7-of-19 shooting and finished one rebound shy of a double-double. Tilford scored 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Mississippi State’s Jarvis Varnado scored 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting in 26 minutes.
Mississippi State shot 54 percent from the field to South Alabama’s 36 percent and 71 percent from the free-throw line to the Jaguars’ 62 percent. South Alabama shot better from 3-point range, 36 percent to 29 percent, and won the rebounding battle 39-33.
Sun Belt Opener: Western Kentucky 69, South Alabama 66
South Alabama opened Sun Belt play at the Mitchell Center with a 69-66 loss to Western Kentucky despite 30 points from Tilford. He made 9 of 16 shots, including 7 of 11 from 3-point range, and went 5-for-5 at the free-throw line. LaShun Watson and Coleman scored 10 points each, and Davis grabbed 13 rebounds, nine of them defensive.
Western Kentucky’s A.J. Slaughter scored 21 points on 8-of-19 shooting, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range. Orlando Mendez-Valdez added 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 4-of-8 from long range, and Sergio Kerusch had a double-double with 10 points and 16 rebounds, 13 of them defensive.
The lead changed hands 12 times, the last coming with just over seven minutes remaining. The Hilltoppers built their largest lead, 67-61, with just over two minutes to play. Tilford hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 19 seconds left to pull South Alabama within one, but Slaughter made two free throws two seconds later for the final margin.
Western Kentucky shot 48 percent from the field to South Alabama’s 44 percent, 44 percent to 40 percent from 3-point range and 89 percent to 57 percent at the free-throw line. South Alabama outrebounded the Hilltoppers 35-31.
Dec. 20: South Alabama 62, FIU 57
Tilford followed his 30-point game with 23 points against FIU, shooting 7-of-13 from the field and 2-of-4 from 3-point range. No other Jaguar reached double figures.
South Alabama shot 42 percent from the field to FIU’s 36 percent and 70 percent from the free-throw line to FIU’s 58 percent. FIU shot 53 percent from 3-point range to the Jaguars’ 50 percent and outrebounded South Alabama 37-34.
Up Next
South Alabama, coached by Ronnie Arrow, takes an eight-day break for the Christmas holiday before hosting Spring Hill at the Mitchell Center on Sunday, Dec. 28. Tipoff is set for 2:05 p.m.
