Success was on Southern Miss’ mind as the Golden Eagles returned to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Pensacola, Fla., for the fourth straight year.
Southern Miss defeated James Madison, 86-80, in the opening round on Thursday. In their second consecutive appearance in the tournament’s first game, the Golden Eagles (17-15, 9-9 Sun Belt) battled through 14 lead changes with the Dukes (14-14, 6-9) before forward Tylik “Bully” Weeks hit a jumper with 16:24 remaining to give Southern Miss a 45-43 lead it would not relinquish.
Scoring summary
The opening 11 minutes featured 10 lead changes as both teams worked to adjust to each other’s schemes.
With 10:15 left in the first half, James Madison used a 7-0 run to take a 22-16 lead before a timeout.
Southern Miss responded with an 8-0 run to reclaim the advantage. Over the final 6:23 of the half, both teams scored 11 points, with Weeks and French center Djahi Binet knocking down free throws to help the Golden Eagles take a 35-33 lead into halftime.
The back-and-forth continued early in the second half, with the score tied at 43-43 at the 16:42 mark. From there, Southern Miss began to seize control. Weeks and forward Isaac Taveras combined for 10 points during a 12-2 run that shifted momentum in favor of the Golden Eagles.
Although the Dukes attempted to rally, Southern Miss answered with a 26-13 run to extend the lead to 71-58 with 5:23 remaining. Weeks scored nine straight points during the stretch.
James Madison trimmed the deficit late, but Southern Miss sealed the win at the free-throw line. The eighth-seeded Golden Eagles did not make a field goal over the final two minutes but converted 12 consecutive free throws to secure the 86-80 win over the ninth-seeded Dukes.
What the coach said
Southern Miss veteran head coach Jay Ladner said he was proud of his team’s preparation and play but acknowledged the challenge that lies ahead in the tournament.
“We knew this game – like every regular-season Sun Belt game – would be a war. I was really proud of our team’s preparation all week,” said Ladner, now in his seventh season at his alma mater. “James Madison caused us a lot of problems. We knew this would be a tough draw for us. Our coaching staff did a great job making adjustments.”
The win also guaranteed Southern Miss its second winning season under Ladner. The team would need to win the entire conference tournament to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.
By the numbers
Weeks led all scorers with 31 points. As a team, Southern Miss shot 45% from the field (27-of-60) and 36% from three-point range (4-of-11).
Taveras led the Golden Eagles with eight rebounds as Southern Miss won the rebounding battle 36-32 and recorded seven steals.
Taveras finished with 17 points and Binet added 11, giving Southern Miss three players in double figures. Binet also recorded two blocks before fouling out, while backup center Tegra Izay added three steals.
James Madison was led by guards Cliff Davis and Bradley Douglas, who combined for 37 points on 13-of-27 shooting. The win improved Southern Miss to 4-1 all-time against the Dukes.
Next up
Southern Miss will face No. 5 seed Texas State in the next round on Friday at the Pensacola Bay Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.
