Ajayi has 26 points, 14 boards as South Alabama wins 77-66

Feb 16, 2018, 04:03 am

BOONE, N.C. -- Josh Ajayi had 26 points to go with 14 rebounds to help South Alabama continue its domination of Appalachian State with a 77-66 win over the Mountaineers in Sun Belt Conference action on Thursday night.

Ajayi was 9 of 16 from the floor while going 8 of 8 from the free throw line. Rodrick Sikes added 24 points, nailing 4 of 9 from long range, and making 8 of 12 from the line.

South Alabama (13-12, 6-6) has won the last five meetings between the schools, including an 83-77 victory in January.

The Mountaineers held a 32-31 halftime advantage and pushed that to 43-38. The teams swapped leads until Ajayi scored six unanswered points that put South Alabama ahead for good, 62-57 at the 4:37 mark. Ajayi had 14 points in the final 5:35 to secure the win.

Griffin Kinney was 8 of 11 from the floor for 19 points while grabbing nine rebounds to lead Appalachian State (11-16, 6-8). Isaac Johnson added 13 points while pulling down 12 rebounds.