Box Score MOBILE, Ala. ? South Alabama's Domonic Tilford scored 13 points, including two key free throws in the final seconds, to help the No. 6 seed Jaguars escape with a 62-60 win over No. 11 New Orleans on Wednesday in Sun Belt Conference Tournament action at the Mitchell Center.
LaShun Watson and Ronald Douglas scored 11 points each as USA (18-12) advanced to a 9 p.m. Sunday quarterfinal matchup against No. 3 seed Troy.
Kyndall Dykes scored a game-high 17 points and T.J. Worley had 15 points to lead UNO (11-19). The duo helped the Privateers stage a furious rally in the final minutes, but the Privateers never recovered from a double-digit halftime deficit ? falling to USA for the ninth straight time.
The Privateers failed to advance to the tournament quarterfinals for the first time in SBC Tournament history.
“I told our guys after the game that this was a great lesson in life,” said UNO head coach Joe Pasternack. “You just have to fight, fight, fight, and sometimes you are going to come up short.
“We had some calls late that didn't go our way, but we dug ourselves a hole in the first half, and we couldn't overcome it.”
Tilford's late free throws did not seem necessary midway through the second half. After jumping out to a 39-26 lead at halftime, USA kept the lead in double figures for most of the first 10 minutes of the second half.
The Jaguars got the advantage to 55-39 with 8:29 to play before UNO came alive.
The Privateers went on a 12-0 run to make it 55-51 with 4:13 to play. Tilford momentarily stopped the momentum with a free throw, but Obi Ikeakor (nine points ? all in the second half) got it right back with a layup to cut the deficit to 56-53 with 3:27 remaining.
UNO got it down to 58-57 with 1:01 remaining after Justin Archie hit two free throws. Brandon Davis, though, came back with an improbable layup with 33 seconds left ? while getting fouled ? to get the lead back to three.
But Davis missed the free throw, and missed two more with 21 seconds remaining, to give UNO two chances to tie it. Down 60-57, Worley was fouled and made one free throw with 12 seconds to play.
Tilford, however, finally put it away after UNO was forced to foul with seven seconds left. Dykes scored a basket at the buzzer to provide the final margin.
The Jaguars, who shot 53 percent in the first half, finished at 46 percent. UNO shot just 37 percent but was 16-for-21 (76 percent) from the free-throw line.
