MOBILE, Ala. — Augustine Rubit scored a game-high 23 points and South Alabama opened the second half with a 13-2 run on the way to a 71-56 win over Louisiana-Monroe at the Mitchell Center.
The victory moved the Jaguars into sole possession of second place in the Sun Belt Conference’s Eastern Division at 6-3 and improved them to 9-8 overall. South Alabama also evened its home conference record at 2-2. Louisiana-Monroe fell to 3-11 and 2-6 in league play.
Second-Half Surge
Freddie Goldstein hit a 3-pointer just before halftime to tie the game 27-27.
South Alabama made its first four shots of the second half and shot 62.5 percent from the field after the break. Goldstein and Antoine Allen combined for 11 points, including two 3-pointers, during the 13-2 opening run.
Louisiana-Monroe pulled within five points four times in the second half, the last at the 7:27 mark. The Jaguars answered with a 9-1 run to put the game away.
Mychal Ammons scored the final four points of the game on a slam dunk and a windmill dunk, and Louisiana-Monroe let the clock run out after inbounding the ball.
“Obviously (it was a) much better effort in the second half,” interim head coach Jeff Price said. “It was a glaring difference in the second half with our defensive intensity. We’re capable of doing that every night if we just get our mind to it.”
Rubit Climbs Career Lists
Rubit scored 15 of his 23 points after halftime and finished one rebound short of a double-double. He moved into 11th place on South Alabama’s career scoring list and 17th on the career rebounding list.
“He’s just a warrior,” Price said. “Aug battles and battles. He gets slapped and hammered and grabbed and just keeps going after it. He had a huge three-point play in the second half where he just builds his way to the basket.”
Conner Dishes Nine Assists
Dre Conner led all players with a career-high nine assists, the most by a South Alabama player since Daon Merritt against FIU on March 1, 2008.
“Dre’s a tough kid and he is playing well for us right now,” Price said. “He had nine assists tonight and I thought he controlled the game well. … I think he is starting to come into his own.”
Other Leaders
Goldstein finished with 16 points, making 5 of 10 3-point attempts. Ammons scored 10 points, and Javier Carter tied his career high with 10 rebounds.
Up Next
South Alabama has a week off before hosting Western Kentucky on Thursday, Jan. 24, in a Sun Belt Eastern Division matchup. The game will be shown on ESPN3.com and the ESPN Full Court package.
Update: Before the Rematch
The game opened a three-game homestand for South Alabama. The Jaguars came in after splitting two road games, a 91-89 double-overtime win at Louisiana-Lafayette and a 66-56 loss at North Texas, their first road loss in conference play. South Alabama was 4-1 on the road and 1-2 at home in Sun Belt games, with the home losses coming to Middle Tennessee and Arkansas State.
The teams had met on Jan. 3, when South Alabama won 77-72 behind a career-high 32 points from Augustine Rubit. It was the Jaguars’ first rematch with a conference opponent this season. Louisiana-Monroe’s Amos Olatayo scored 18 points off the bench in that first meeting, starting a run of four consecutive double-figure games in which he averaged 19 points.
“I think we’ve been extremely focused on the road,” interim head coach Jeff Price said before the game. “Our focus has been really good and we have to find a way to get that same focus at home.”
