South Alabama started its four-game homestand with one of its best defensive efforts in recent memory.

The Jaguars routed Arkansas State 63-45 at the Mitchell Center, holding the Red Wolves to just 16 made baskets and 27.6% shooting. The victory was the first of the season in Sun Belt Conference play for South Alabama, who snapped a two-game losing streak and turned the ball over only six times all night.

“Defensively, it was as good as we’ve played here,” South Alabama coach Richie Riley said. “They made 16 shots, and probably half of those were contested and tough. What that tells me about our group is they were not only listening to what we were telling them, but they made it their mission to come out and play with that competitive fight, with that energy and attention to detail.

“I’m really proud of our guys. They competed at a fierce level. But I told them after the game ‘one thing that this does is, it raises expectations. I need you to guard similarly every single night.’”

South Alabama center Kevin Samuel turned in another stellar rim-protecting effort, totaling 12 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks. Owen White had one of his better games as a Jaguar, scoring 15 points and snagging four steals.

But most of all, South Alabama (7-8, 1-2 Sun Belt) got a boost from the return of leading scorer Isaiah Moore. After missing last Saturday’s loss at Georgia State with a lower back injury, Moore played 30 minutes and scored a game-high 20 points.

“I feel great,” Moore said. “The time off gave me time to recover, so I could get back out there and give it my all. … My teammates opened it up, moving without the ball, just giving me confidence, just to be there for them. I was just doing everything in my power to get the win for my team.”

South Alabama jumped on top 8-0 in the early going, before Arkansas State (9-7, 1-2) rallied to take its first lead of the game at 15-12 following an Avery Felts 3-pointer at the 9:15 mark. The score was tied 16-16 with 7:50 left in the half, but the Jaguars scored the next nine points — including five by White — to take the lead for good.

The Jaguars were up 29-18 at halftime, having held the Red Wolves to three points in the final eight minutes of the half. South Alabama never led by fewer than 10 in the second half, and by as many as 23 in the latter stages of the game.

“If you guard like that and you value the ball like we did, it makes you hard to beat,” Riley said. “We didn’t even shoot that great. … Having Zay (Moore) back was critical. He’s our game-manager, he’s like a quarterback. You take away Bryce Young from Alabama, it doesn’t quite look the same. He has the ball in his hands a lot, he’s a really good decision-maker and a good scorer.”

Omar El-Sheikh had a double-double to lead Arkansas State, scoring 18 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Felts added 14, including two of the Red Wolves’ three 3-pointers.

Arkansas State’s 45 points were the second-fewest by a Sun Belt opponent vs. South Alabama in Riley’s five-plus seasons in Mobile. Only a 52-43 victory at Little Rock in 2020 was more stifling from a defensive standpoint.

“We did a great job on defense,” Samuel said. “That’s something we’ve been preaching on and harping on since we came back from the road trip. It was a big emphasis in practice. We transferred it right over to the game, so we’re happy about that. We want to go into every game with that same intensity, from the jump to the finish.”

South Alabama continues its four-game homestand on Saturday, facing Texas State at 2 p.m. The Bobcats are 8-8, 1-2 in the Sun Belt, after winning 63-62 at James Madison on Thursday.