Game-Winning Shot Rims Out, Rams Fall

MOBILE, Ala—The University of Mobile men’s basketball team hosted undefeated and #4 LSU-Shreveport Saturday evening in a battle of Gulf Coast Athletic Conference unbeatens, and the Pilots handed the Rams and 80-78 loss.

The Rams jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the game and led through the first 9:30 of action, before Clarke Jackson sank a pair of free throws to give the Pilots a 19-18 lead.

From there, the teams traded leads until a dominant performance by Josh Porter (15 points in the opening half) put his team up by as much as 11.

In the final period, a 3-pointer by Marcus Yeager and a deuce by Walter Fitzgerald gave Mobile its first lead of the half, 60-59 with 9:40 to play.

From that point, the teams battled back and forth until a pair of Jamon Morris free throws gave the Pilots a 78-76 lead with 40 seconds remaining. The Rams answered right back with a nicely designed play, as Robert Jones found Fitzgerald cutting to the basket to notch the game at 78-78.

With 4 seconds remaining, Derrell Moreaux appeared to steal the ball from Travis Cash, but officials called a foul, and Cash rose to the occasion, knocking down both free throws. Fitzgerald caught the in-bounds pass racing pass half court, and let go a running 3-pointer that for moments looked like it would give the Rams a thrilling victory, before the ball rimmed out and left Mobile with the 80-78 setback.

Jones led the Rams with 27 points, while Fitzgerald added 21 and Moreaux chipped in 11. Next up for Mobile (10-6, 5-1) is a home game with Loyola Thursday, January 24th at 7:30 pm.