MOBILE, Ala. — Augustine Rubit scored 23 points and grabbed 19 rebounds as South Alabama snapped a two-game losing streak with a 74-69 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Sunday afternoon at the Mitchell Center.
The Jaguars opened the game on a 14-2 run and never trailed. The win evened South Alabama’s record at 5-5, while the Islanders fell to 1-6.
Defensive Emphasis
Head coach Ronnie Arrow focused practice on defense after a 92-78 loss at UAB on Dec. 8. Following the win, Arrow gave his players two days off before they resume preparations for the Dec. 22 conference game against Arkansas-Little Rock.
“I thought we really played well at the start of the game,” Arrow said. “I thought we really played well for most of the game. We came back and spent three very hard days on defense. We got after each other. We’ve been giving up far too many points.”
“They still got 69 points, but I think until the last four minutes we were playing really good defense and we gave up some threes uncontested and didn’t guard the hole like we should have,” he said. “But I thought overall our defense was a lot better.”
Rubit Nears 1,000 Points
Rubit, a junior and All-Sun Belt selection, tied his career high in rebounds. He is three points shy of 1,000 for his career, a total that would place him 14th on South Alabama’s all-time scoring list.
How It Happened
Zane Knowles opened the scoring with a jumper for Corpus Christi, but South Alabama controlled the next eight minutes. Brandon Pye ended the Jaguars’ run with a 3-pointer, and Rubit answered with a layup and a free throw for a 17-5 lead. Mychal Ammons scored on a layup at the 12:03 mark to push the margin back to 14.
The Islanders then rallied as Will Nelson and Pye combined for three straight 3-pointers, and Joy Williamson’s layup at the 8:06 mark capped an 11-0 run that cut the deficit to 21-18. South Alabama responded with an 11-0 run of its own to regain control.
Corpus Christi made 10 of 23 3-point attempts. South Alabama shot 25 of 59 from the field.
Pye and Johnathan Jordan led the Islanders with 17 points each. Williamson and Nelson added 12 apiece, and Nelson pulled down eight rebounds.
Conference Play Resumes
The game was South Alabama’s final non-conference contest. The Jaguars are 2-0 in Sun Belt play and share the lead in the East Division. Arkansas-Little Rock arrives at the Mitchell Center next week at 8-4 overall and 2-0 in conference play, leading the West Division.
“Little Rock is young, physical and well-coached,” Arrow said. “But they are also susceptible to turnovers. Now we’re 2-0 in conference play and we want to get to 3-0 and that’s what we’re going to work on as soon as we’re rested.”
