H. AUSTILL PHARR GYMNASIUM, MOBILE, Ala. - The University of Mobile Men's Basketball team came away with a very important victory on Tuesday night, Jan. 31 in front of a packed Pharr Gymnasium, defeating the Stillman College Tigers 79-63 to move into sole possession of third place in the current SSAC Men's Basketball standings. Entering Tuesday, the Rams and Tigers sat tied for third in the conference standings at 9-5 in SSAC play, with Mobile owning the tiebreaker with a victory against Stillman earlier in the season in Tuscaloosa, Ala. On Tuesday, Mobile's victory earns the Rams a regular season sweep over Stillman, while advancing the overall record on the year to 16-7 and 10-5 in conference action.
Big Second Half Propels Mobile; McKenna Brothers Notch Double-Doubles
Following a back-and-forth first half that saw Stillman eventually take a two-point lead to halftime, Mobile came out in the second half and dominated the Tigers, outscoring Stillman 44-26 in the final 20 minutes. The Rams trailed 37-35 at the start of the second, but took the lead for good just three minutes into the half. The massive second half for the Rams had a packed Pharr Gymnasium rocking, with the help of the University of Mobile's RamCorps, a high-impact brass and percussion ensemble who were in attendance.
Overall, four players on Mobile's roster came away with double-digit point totals, while the team as a whole shot above 46% from the floor. Additionally, the Rams made seven of 14 three-points attempts and finished with a 64% free throw percentage in the win. On the defensive side, Mobile forced 13 Stillman turnovers, tallying eight steals in the process, and managed 19 points over the Tigers' giveaways. Sage McKenna and DaMariee Jones recorded three steals each to lead Mobile.
For Sage McKenna, the junior put together his best game of the season thus far, leading Mobile with a season-high 21 points. McKenna made four three-pointers in the win and tallied 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Five of his 10 rebounds came from the offensive side, with Mobile finishing with 12 offensive rebounds as a team. Mobile won Tuesday's rebound battle against Stillman, 39-29. For McKenna, he added three assists to his stat line.
McKenna's brother, Ezra, who is currently Mobile's team leader in scoring on the season, notched his 16th double-double of the year in the victory over Stillman, finishing with 15 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. The brotherly double-double action between the McKenna brothers is the first time in program history where a set of brothers tallied double-doubles each in a single game for Mobile.
DaMariee Jones and Pooh Frazier also had great nights on the court on Tuesday, with Jones tallying 19 points and five rebounds and Frazier recording 15 points and eight rebounds. The two combined for five assists and made half of Mobile's made free throws.
Another Test Upcoming
Mobile's big win over Stillman is a good momentum builder as the Rams travel to Montgomery, Ala. this Saturday, Feb. 4 for a conference game against No. 16 Faulkner University. Faulkner currently sits second in the current SSAC Men's Basketball standings, just 1.5 games ahead of Mobile. The Rams fell to Faulkner at home earlier in the year by just three points.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
