MOBILE, Ala. — Augustine Rubit recorded the 53rd double-double of his career, a South Alabama record, as the Jaguars defeated Texas State 63-53 on Thursday night at the Mitchell Center.
The senior forward broke a tie with Terry Catledge for the most double-doubles in school history. South Alabama never trailed in the game.
Rubit’s Line
Rubit finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, adding four steals, two blocks and two assists.
Antoine Allen was the only other Jaguar in double figures, scoring 13 points with two steals and two assists. Nine Jaguars saw action.
Defense Sets the Tone
South Alabama held Texas State to 10 points over the first 16-plus minutes. The Bobcats made five of their first 22 field-goal attempts and shot 27.6 percent in the first half.
The Jaguars shot 33.3 percent before halftime themselves, with Rubit and Allen accounting for 17 of the team’s 31 first-half points.
Texas State scored the first six points of the second half to close the gap, but an 8-1 South Alabama run pushed the lead to 13 near the midpoint of the half.
The Bobcats responded with eight unanswered points and outscored the Jaguars 12-3 over a stretch to pull within four with a little more than five minutes remaining. Allen and Ken Williams each scored to push the lead back out, and Texas State got within five only twice over the final two and a half minutes. Williams hit a 3-pointer with 1:20 left to seal the win.
Graves Praises Effort
South Alabama will not take part in the Sun Belt Conference tournament this season, and head coach Matthew Graves said he was pleased with how his team competed.
“I’m really proud of the team,” Graves said. “The guys did a tremendous job of coming out and playing hard out of the gate.”
Graves said the Jaguars started the second half flat but regrouped and forced a large number of turnovers. “I thought overall defensively, except for a few times in the post, this was one of our better efforts on the year,” he said.
Senior Night Saturday
South Alabama closes its 2013-14 season Saturday against Texas-Arlington at the Mitchell Center, with tipoff set for 7:05 p.m. The Jaguars will honor seniors Rubit and Allen before the game. The South Alabama women’s team will play earlier in the day and will hold its own senior ceremony before its game.
