During a 15-minute period in the second half of Saturday's basketball game against New Mexico State, South Alabama made few mistakes and methodically turned a one-point lead into a 14-point advantage, then held on for a convincing Sun Belt Conference win.
The Jaguars hope to duplicate that performance tonight when they open a three-game homestand at the Mitchell Center against New Orleans. Tipoff is at 7:05 p.m.
South Alabama (7-15 overall, 4-7 Sun Belt) needs to play with the same effectiveness it showed in the second period against New Mexico State because New Orleans (11-13, 6-5) has already proven it can compete with the league's best teams.
The Privateers handed Denver one of its two league losses, beat Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee, and played well in two losses to Louisiana-Lafayette.
One reason New Orleans has a winning record in conference play is its lack of turnovers. UNO had lost the fewest in the league at just 12.2 a game. Another reason for UNO's success is the basketball usually ends up in Bo McCalebb's hands -- and he knows what to do with it.
The sophomore guard leads the Sun Belt in scoring with 23.3 points per game. In league games, he's averaging 25 points. He had 23 points in UNO's loss at Lafayette on Saturday. It was the 13th straight game he had scored 20 or more points, tying a school record.
McCalebb scored 34 points against USA in UNO's 71-51 win in early January.
"McCalebb's a fantastic player, especially for a sophomore," said South Alabama coach John Pelphrey. "I don't know if you can stop him from scoring because he's been able to score against everybody they have played.
"We're going to try to do some things to limit his touches, but he's going to get his points. He's a special player in transition. The best thing to do is make sure nobody else goes off on you."
McCalebb is the only UNO player scoring in double figures. Guard Chad Barnes is averaging 9.8 points per game. Guard Jamie McNeilly and center Shawn Malloy average 7.6 points each. Malloy had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the first game against USA.
South Alabama has been forced to rely on the scoring of Mario Jointer for most of the season. The junior guard is USA's lone double-figure scorer with 16.4 points.
The Jaguars, however, have been receiving better production from junior forward Richard Law and sophomore point guard Carlos Smith lately. Law has reached double figures in seven of the past nine games and Smith has been there twice in the past three games. They combined for 43 points against New Mexico State.
"Rich has been a consistent player for us lately and Carlos has made some really good strides this season," said Pelphrey. "I think they're both gifted offensive players and can make those plays. They don't have to score 20 points each game, but it can make us a different team if they continue to play that way."
Another player that can help the Jaguars in the final weeks is Jeffrey Collins. The junior guard had 23 solid minutes against New Mexico State with eight points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
South Alabama should have its entire roster dressed for tonight's game. Sophomore point guard Stephen Cowherd returned to practice this week after missing four games with an ankle injury. His status is still questionable.
The Jaguars hope to duplicate that performance tonight when they open a three-game homestand at the Mitchell Center against New Orleans. Tipoff is at 7:05 p.m.
South Alabama (7-15 overall, 4-7 Sun Belt) needs to play with the same effectiveness it showed in the second period against New Mexico State because New Orleans (11-13, 6-5) has already proven it can compete with the league's best teams.
The Privateers handed Denver one of its two league losses, beat Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee, and played well in two losses to Louisiana-Lafayette.
One reason New Orleans has a winning record in conference play is its lack of turnovers. UNO had lost the fewest in the league at just 12.2 a game. Another reason for UNO's success is the basketball usually ends up in Bo McCalebb's hands -- and he knows what to do with it.
The sophomore guard leads the Sun Belt in scoring with 23.3 points per game. In league games, he's averaging 25 points. He had 23 points in UNO's loss at Lafayette on Saturday. It was the 13th straight game he had scored 20 or more points, tying a school record.
McCalebb scored 34 points against USA in UNO's 71-51 win in early January.
"McCalebb's a fantastic player, especially for a sophomore," said South Alabama coach John Pelphrey. "I don't know if you can stop him from scoring because he's been able to score against everybody they have played.
"We're going to try to do some things to limit his touches, but he's going to get his points. He's a special player in transition. The best thing to do is make sure nobody else goes off on you."
McCalebb is the only UNO player scoring in double figures. Guard Chad Barnes is averaging 9.8 points per game. Guard Jamie McNeilly and center Shawn Malloy average 7.6 points each. Malloy had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the first game against USA.
South Alabama has been forced to rely on the scoring of Mario Jointer for most of the season. The junior guard is USA's lone double-figure scorer with 16.4 points.
The Jaguars, however, have been receiving better production from junior forward Richard Law and sophomore point guard Carlos Smith lately. Law has reached double figures in seven of the past nine games and Smith has been there twice in the past three games. They combined for 43 points against New Mexico State.
"Rich has been a consistent player for us lately and Carlos has made some really good strides this season," said Pelphrey. "I think they're both gifted offensive players and can make those plays. They don't have to score 20 points each game, but it can make us a different team if they continue to play that way."
Another player that can help the Jaguars in the final weeks is Jeffrey Collins. The junior guard had 23 solid minutes against New Mexico State with eight points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
South Alabama should have its entire roster dressed for tonight's game. Sophomore point guard Stephen Cowherd returned to practice this week after missing four games with an ankle injury. His status is still questionable.
