Don MuepoKelly scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as South Alabama opened its 2016-17 basketball season with a 76-68 victory over UNLV on Friday night in Las Vegas.
MuepoKelly, a 6-foot-7 senior, added four blocked shots and two steals for the Jaguars (1-0). Ken Williams (14 points), Georgi Boyanev (13), Nick Stover (12) and Shaq Calhoun (11) were also in double-figures for South Alabama, which shot 43.8 percent from the field in the game — 51.5 percent in the second half.
Christian Jones led the Runnin' Rebels (0-1) with a game-high 20 points, and also grabbed 13 rebounds.