PENSACOLA, Fla. - Michael Flowers scored a season-high 34 points to send the University of South Alabama into the Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Championship Quarterfinals. Flowers scored 29 points in the second half to help the Jaguars rally from behind and defeat ULM, 80-72, Friday night in the Pensacola Bay Center.
The Jaguars trailed by eight points, 65-57, with 8:54 to play when Flowers hit two 3s, a jumper, three free throws and another 3-pointer to personally send South Alabama on a 14-0 run and take a 71-65 lead with 5:14 to play. He went on to score five more points in the final five minutes to secure the win. He finished the game with five 3-pointers, stretching his season total to 85 in 27 games.
The game began as a gridlock with 13 lead changes in the first half before ULM carried a 46-44 lead into halftime. South Alabama's Sam Iorio led all players with 12 points at the half, the same as his final total.
ULM was held to 27.8% shooting in the second half, while the Jaguars shot 47.6% from the field. Flowers was a large part of that with a 72.7% field goal percentage, including 83.3% (5-6) from 3-point range.
The Warhawks maintained their lead through the first 12 minutes of the second half, before Flowers' offense blossomed.
Tyreke Locure and Kayo Goncalves followed Flowers and Iorio with 10 points each. John Pettway led the Jaguars on the glass with 10 rebounds.
ULM was led by Elijah Gonzales' 14 points and a double-double 13 points and 13-rebounds from Russell Harrison. Marco Morency led all players with 14 rebounds and scored nine points. Thomas Howell also scored nine.
South Alabama (17-10) will flip sites Saturday, to meet Louisiana (16-8) at Pensacola State College in the first men's game of the day at 5 p.m. ULM concludes its season with a 7-19 record.