HATTIESBURG, Miss. — DeAndre Coleman’s layup with 31 seconds remaining put South Alabama ahead for good, and the Jaguars rallied from a halftime deficit to beat Southern Miss in overtime Tuesday night.
The road victory over the Conference USA opponent lifted the record of coach Ronnie Arrow’s Sun Belt Conference squad to 5-3 on the season.
Second-Half Rally
The Jaguars trailed by six points at halftime but opened the second half with a series of quick baskets that cut the margin to one. South Alabama moved in front shortly afterward.
USA built a 57-52 lead with 6:15 left in regulation, but Southern Miss hit three 3-pointers in the final three and a half minutes to force overtime.
Coleman, Defense Close It Out
In the extra period, Coleman’s layup in the final minute gave the Jaguars the lead. On Southern Miss’ next trip, Ronald Douglas blocked a follow-up attempt by Craig Craft. Domonic Tilford grabbed the rebound, was fouled and made both free throws to seal the win.
Coleman came off the bench to post 12 points and 12 rebounds, his second consecutive double-double.
Scoring Leaders
Tilford led South Alabama with 15 points. DeAndrae Ross and Douglas scored 13 apiece, and Coleman added his 12.
Southern Miss’ Jeremy Wise led all scorers with 28 points. Wise made 7 of 20 shots from the field, including 4 of 11 from 3-point range, and went 10 of 13 at the free-throw line.
Up Next
South Alabama returns home Sunday to face Houston Baptist at the Mitchell Center. Tip-off is set for 2:05 p.m.
