MOBILE, Ala. — Shane Edwards scored on a layup with 15 seconds left, and Arkansas-Little Rock beat South Alabama 61-59 at the Mitchell Center in a Sun Belt Conference game that featured eight lead changes in the second half.
Trojans Close First Half Strong
The first half was close for most of the way, with UALR’s largest lead six points on two occasions. The Trojans then scored six straight points in the final 70 seconds to take a 34-25 lead into halftime. The teams combined for 25 fouls and 29 free throw attempts in the first half.
Back-and-Forth Second Half
South Alabama went on an 8-2 run over a two-minute stretch early in the second half, but UALR pushed its lead back to seven with two baskets in 25 seconds. The Jaguars answered with a 7-0 run to take a 44-43 lead.
The lead changed hands five times over the next four minutes, with neither team leading by more than one point, until a UALR 3-pointer put the Trojans up by two. Brandon Davis gave South Alabama a 51-50 lead with a three-point play.
UALR built a 59-55 lead late, but the Jaguars scored four points over a 1:16 stretch to tie the game at 59. The Trojans took possession with 40 seconds left, and Edwards’ layup with 15 seconds remaining provided the final margin.
Leaders
Domonic Tilford led South Alabama with 15 points on 6-of-19 shooting, including 3 of 9 from 3-point range. DeAndre Coleman had 12 points and 13 rebounds for his second double-double in two games, and Davis added 11 points and eight rebounds.
Edwards led all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting, going 1 of 2 from 3-point range and 6 of 6 at the free throw line. Matt Mouzy added 12 points for UALR.
South Alabama outrebounded the Trojans 41-29, but UALR shot 41 percent from the floor to the Jaguars’ 36 percent and made 42 percent of its 3-pointers to South Alabama’s 19 percent. Each team made 14 free throws, with the Jaguars attempting 24, one more than UALR.
Douglas Sidelined
South Alabama played without Ronald Douglas, who injured his right shoulder in practice Wednesday and is expected to miss at least a week. The 6-foot-8 Douglas averages 5.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game and leads the team with 39 blocked shots.
Up Next
The Jaguars, coached by Ronnie Arrow, fell to 11-8 overall and 4-4 in the Sun Belt. South Alabama is 0-4 at home and 4-0 on the road in conference play. The Jaguars begin a two-game road trip at Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday, with tipoff set for 7:15 p.m.
