DeAndre Coleman made two free throws in the final seconds as South Alabama basketball beat New Orleans 56-53, ending a three-game losing streak in which each loss was decided on the final possession.
The game was the fourth straight for the Jaguars to come down to the closing seconds.
Lead Slips, Then Returns
South Alabama led for the entire first half and took a nine-point advantage into halftime. New Orleans erased that margin in the opening minutes of the second half and took its first lead on a 3-pointer with 11:38 remaining.
The rest of the half stayed close, with the lead changing hands once more, to South Alabama, and the teams tied five times.
Final Possession
South Alabama led 54-53 with 33 seconds left when T.J. Worley missed a 3-point attempt for New Orleans. Coleman grabbed the rebound, and the Privateers were forced to foul. Coleman made both free throws for the final margin.
Free Throws and Second Chances
South Alabama shot 30 percent from the field, compared with 43 percent for New Orleans. The Privateers made 50 percent of their 3-point attempts, while the Jaguars made 44 percent.
The difference came at the free-throw line and on the offensive glass. South Alabama made 16 of 24 free throws, while New Orleans was 7-of-13. The Jaguars held a 21-7 edge in second-chance points, a 13-9 advantage in points off turnovers and a 16-0 edge in bench scoring. Points in the paint were even at 18, and New Orleans outscored South Alabama 11-2 on fast breaks.
Coleman, Davis Lead Jaguars
Coleman led South Alabama with 16 points. He made 3 of 8 field goal attempts, including his only 3-point try, and went 9-of-14 at the line.
Brandon Davis recorded a double-double with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting and a career-high 16 rebounds, 13 of them defensive. He was 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.
Ronald Douglas played for the first time since Jan. 17 after sitting out with a shoulder injury suffered in practice. He did not score but pulled down four rebounds.
Worley led all scorers with 25 points for New Orleans, shooting 10-of-19 from the field, 4-of-8 from 3-point range and 1-of-1 at the line. Kyndall Dykes added 11 points, the only other Privateer in double figures.
Arrow on the Finish
“I think we kept our poise, but the difference in this one was we ran our plays better, we got a couple of easy buckets and when they fouled we made our free-throws,” head coach Ronnie Arrow said.
Arrow added that Coleman’s second free throw “was supposed to be a miss, but we were positioned in the right spots.”
Up Next
South Alabama hosts North Texas at 7:05 p.m. Thursday at the Mitchell Center in a Sun Belt Conference game.
