LAFAYETTE, La. — South Alabama basketball was eliminated from contention for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament on Sunday, as Louisiana-Lafayette built a 25-point halftime lead behind a fast start and beat the Jaguars 102-76 at the Cajundome.
Cajuns Start Fast
Louisiana-Lafayette used a 25-6 run over an 11-minute span of the first half and finished the half with the most first-half points any opponent has scored against South Alabama this season.
Bryant Mbamalu led all scorers with 32 points. He had 17 in the first half, including 11 in the opening 4 minutes, 7 seconds.
The Cajuns became the first opponent to score more than 100 points against South Alabama since New Orleans did so on Feb. 5, 1995.
Williams, Stevens Set Career Highs
Freshman Ken Williams scored a career-high 22 points and made five 3-pointers. Sophomore Barrington Stevens III added a career-high 20 points and was 4-for-4 from 3-point range. The two combined for 31 of South Alabama’s 49 second-half points.
Senior Augustine Rubit just missed a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds. He also blocked four shots, moving into the top 25 in the conference in that category.
Season Down to Final Two Games
The loss dropped South Alabama to 9-20 overall and 3-13 in Sun Belt play, one game behind the eighth and final conference tournament spot in the win column, but the Jaguars were eliminated from tournament contention with the defeat.
That means Rubit’s South Alabama career will end Saturday against UT Arlington. The Jaguars, coached by first-year head coach Matthew Graves, face Texas State on Thursday before closing the regular season against UT Arlington.
