MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama took control midway through the first half and never looked back, racing past Little Rock en route to a 77-46 victory at the Miitchell Center Thursday evening.
Isaiah Palermo paced the Trojans with 16 points, including 12 in the first half, but he was the lone Trojan to reach double figures on the evening. Palermo went 6-for-13 from the floor and 4-for-5 from the free throw line, pulling down three rebounds with two assists.
D.J. Smith was second on the team in scoring with seven points on 3-of-9 shooting, dishing out a team-high three assists.
Jordan Jefferson and
Kevin Osawe each had five points for Little Rock with
Myron Gardner and
Terrell Curtis II each scoring four.
For the game, Little Rock shot 36% from the floor, making 18-of-50, and was 5-of-16 from beyond the arc and 5-of-9 from the free throw line. That was contrasted by South Alabama shooting 60.0% for the game (30-of-50), including 9-of-21 from three-point range.
South Alabama outrebounded Little Rock 35-24, dominating the Trojans 36-18 in the paint. The Jaguars also took advantage of the Trojans' 13 turnovers to hold a 20-4 edge in points off those giveaways.
South Alabama's size frustrated Little Rock in the early going as the Jaguars raced out to an early 6-0 lead in the opening 90 seconds, leading by as many as eight at 14-6 with 15:33 remaining. A 6-0 run by Little Rock got the Trojans to within two at 14-12, followed by a jumper from Palermo at the 11:58 mark to cut the deficit to one at 15-14.
After a quick burst from South Alabama, a three from Osawe at the 9:54 mark pulled Little Rock within three at 20-17. But the final 10 minutes were controlled by the Jaguars, outscoring the Trojans 22-8 down the stretch, including a 12-0 burst and back-to-back threes to end the half on top 42-25.
Palermo was the top Trojan in the first half, scoring 12 of Little Rock's 25 points, as the Trojans shot 41.7% from the floor and were just 1-of-6 from three. Little Rock committed nine turnovers, including five during the 12-0 run for South Alabama.
The momentum carried over into the second half as South Alabama knocked down five threes in the opening six minutes, breaking the game open at 59-32 at the 9:43 mark. Little Rock made just four field goals in the opening 14 minutes of the second half as South Alabama extended its lead to 32 at 67-35 with 7:28 remaining.
Little Rock was able to knock down shots late, but South Alabama was in control throughout, cruising to the 77-46 victory. The Jaguars shot 65.0% over the final 20 minutes, including 6-of-11 from three, compared to just 30.8% for Little Rock, knocking down four of 10 three-pointers.
Little Rock now makes the trip to Troy, Alabama for the final battle of the Trojans Saturday afternoon. Opening tip is set for 4 p.m. at Trojan Arena.
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