South Alabama committed a season-high 23 turnovers and was held without a point for more than seven minutes in the second half as Eastern Illinois defeated the Jaguars 72-62 Saturday afternoon at Lantz Arena in Charleston, Illinois.
The loss ends the Jags' season-opening five-game win streak and drops them to 5-1. The Panthers go to 4-2 on the year.
"I'm certainly disappointed with the outcome," USA coach Matthew Graves said. "I felt like turnovers were a big reason for the loss. We shot the ball well enough overall – 44.6 percent – to be in the game, but when you turn the ball over 23 times, especially on the road, you really limit your opportunities to be successful.