South Alabama Falls to Western Kentucky 64-56 in Sun Belt Tournament Championship Game

South Alabama came back from a 15-point first-half deficit to take the lead early in the second half, but Western Kentucky pulled away late for a 64-56 victory in the Sun Belt Tournament championship game, ending the Jaguars’ bid for the conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

The loss leaves South Alabama waiting to learn whether it will receive an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament.

Slow Start

Western Kentucky scored the first 11 points of the game and built its lead to 15 with 5:58 remaining in the first half. The Jaguars committed a string of turnovers and struggled on the defensive glass, allowing the Hilltoppers multiple shots on several possessions, and Western Kentucky also found openings from 3-point range.

Senior DeAndre Coleman, who had been battling a stomach illness, carried much of the South Alabama offense in the opening half. The Jaguars trailed 35-25 at halftime.

Second-Half Rally

South Alabama opened the second half with a run. Domonic Tilford hit an early 3-pointer to cut the deficit to single digits for the first time since the Hilltoppers led 9-0. A Coleman layup and another Tilford 3-pointer pulled the Jaguars within four with 16:29 to play.

Coleman then finished a layup on a feed from Sherrer and was fouled by Western Kentucky’s Magley. His free throw made it 37-36 with 15:48 left, and 41 seconds later Coleman put South Alabama in front for the first time with a tip-in.

Tilford’s third 3-pointer of the half stretched the lead to 43-39 with 12:17 remaining. Western Kentucky answered with a layup and a 3-pointer to go back ahead 44-43 with 10:58 to play.

Hilltoppers Pull Away

A Coleman free throw tied the game at 46 with 8:34 left, the last time the score was even. Each time South Alabama closed the gap over the remaining minutes, Western Kentucky guard Orlando Mendez-Valdez answered from beyond the arc. The Jaguars were within four points with 2:52 remaining, but missed free throws, turnovers and missed shots down the stretch allowed the Hilltoppers to close out the 64-56 win.

By the Numbers

Brandon Davis led all scorers with 27 points off the bench, making 11 of 16 shots from the field and 5 of 6 free throws, and grabbed nine rebounds. Tilford, the Jaguars’ leading scorer this season, finished with 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting, with all four of his field goals coming from 3-point range in six attempts.

A.J. Slaughter led Western Kentucky with 18 points on 5-of-14 shooting, including 2 of 8 from 3-point range, and made all six of his free throws. Steffphon Pettigrew added 15 points. Mendez-Valdez scored 10 points with eight assists; both of his field goals were 3-pointers in the closing minutes.

South Alabama outshot Western Kentucky from the field, 50 percent to 42 percent, and from 3-point range, 50 percent to 35 percent. The difference came at the free-throw line, where the Jaguars made 5 of 8 attempts and the Hilltoppers went 14 for 14.

Senior Class

The game may have been the final one for a South Alabama senior class that includes Coleman, Tilford, Davis, B.J. Ford, Ronald Douglas and Jamal Harris. The group played through injuries, illness and a stretch of narrow losses during the season to reach the Sun Belt Conference championship game.