MOBILE, Ala. — Augustine Rubit rebounded his own miss and put it back with 35 seconds remaining Saturday night, as South Alabama’s men’s basketball team edged Florida Atlantic 72-71 at the Mitchell Center before the largest home crowd in two seasons.
The win lifted the Jaguars to 14-9 overall and 11-4 in the Sun Belt Conference. It is South Alabama’s first 11-win conference season since 2007-08. Florida Atlantic fell to 11-15 overall and 6-9 in league play.
Rubit Plays Through Ankle Injury
Rubit finished with a team-high 18 points and five rebounds and scored South Alabama’s final seven points. The junior forward missed several minutes of the second half with an ankle injury but returned for the closing stretch.
“He (Rubit) really wasn’t anywhere near 100 percent, but if he’s in the game, we’re going to go to him, hurt or not hurt,” interim head coach Jeff Price said. “He had a late basket, and the last one he missed, he tipped it back in.”
Price also credited Rubit for his work on Florida Atlantic’s final defensive possession before a timeout.
With the performance, Rubit moved into South Alabama’s top 10 in career scoring and into 14th place on the Sun Belt’s career rebounding list.
A Tight Finish
The game featured 12 ties and 12 lead changes, and neither team led by more than two points over the final 6:16.
Florida Atlantic’s Jordan McCoy tied the game 63-63 with a three-point play at the 6:16 mark. The teams traded baskets on the next six possessions, ending with two free throws by Stefan Moody that tied the score 69-69 with 4:04 remaining.
Both defenses tightened from there, allowing a combined five points in the final four minutes. Rubit broke the tie with a field goal before McCoy made two free throws to put the Owls ahead with 1:02 left. Rubit missed a shot with 35.2 seconds remaining but grabbed the rebound and scored on the putback for the final margin.
Free Throws Carry First Half
South Alabama shot 34.6 percent from the floor in the first half but made 11 of 12 free throws. For the game, the Jaguars went 18 of 20 from the line.
“I think we were very dysfunctional in the first half,” Price said. “They crushed us on the offensive glass in the first half. We gave up 13 points in the paint and nine offensive rebounds, which can’t happen with our team.”
Florida Atlantic’s Greg Gantt, the nation’s eighth-leading scorer, had a game-high 23 points and made 4 of 8 attempts from 3-point range.
“Gantt’s just a great player, and you have to know where he is at all times,” Price said. “He cut loose a couple times, but I thought our effort was pretty good on him for the most part.”
Close Games the Norm
Price said narrow margins have become typical for his team.
“I keep telling people our games are going to be battles,” he said. “With our depth and the way we’re limited, we just have to grind out games. … Our guys know how to play in close games.”
South Alabama closes a three-game homestand Thursday when it hosts Louisiana-Lafayette at the Mitchell Center. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m.
