While Southern Miss had a commanding 13-point lead at halftime against Georgia Southern, the Golden Eagles allowed a big run in the second half before squeaking by with a 72-68 win.
Southern Miss was led by key veterans Denijay Harris and Andre Curbelo, who each knocked down clutch free throws to close the contest.
The victory maintained recent dominance by the Golden Eagles when playing at Reed Green Coliseum in Hattiesburg, now with a record of 35-5 over the past three seasons at home.
Scoring summary
Harris knocked down a jumper five minutes into the game to take a 7-6 lead, one Southern Miss would not relinquish for the rest of the game. The Golden Eagles (10-13, 5-6 Sun Belt) finished the first half with a shooting percentage of 45% to land a 36-23 lead going into the locker room. Georgia Southern (11-12, 4-7) shot a poor 23.5% from the floor in the opening half.
Georgia Southern began shooting better in the second half and outscored Southern Miss 45-36, but it wasn’t enough to climb out of the early hole.
Southern Miss did knock down a three-point shot in the second half while turning the ball over nine times. However, going 14 of 17 from the free throw line sealed the win.
What the coach said
After another roller coaster game for Southern Miss, head coach Jay Ladner expressed gratitude to the veterans who helped guide the team to their first win after two consecutive losses in conference play.
“I thought it was a really good win as our confidence has been a little low. When things got tight, we had a few veterans step up and make some plays,” Ladner said. “If we’re going to be considered a contender for the Sun Belt title, we have to win road games coming up. Our defense has steadily been improving, and we need to work hard on that for the next several days.”
The Golden Eagles, who have just one win away from home this season, will embark on a four-game road trip beginning Monday and including Appalachian State, Ball State, Arkansas State, and Louisiana Monroe.
Numbers never lie
- Harris led the way for Southern Miss with 19 points and six rebounds, while Neftali Alvarez added 13 points. Curbelo had 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and four steals.
- Adante Holiman had 24 points and four steals for Georgia Southern. Bradley Douglas added 10 points and three steals. Tyson Brown grabbed 12 rebounds.
- Southern Miss’ Cobie Montgomery shot one three-pointer and made one three-pointer to extend his streak to 19 games of knocking down an attempt from beyond the arc. As a team, the Golden Eagles made only three three-point shots, compared to 13 from Georgia Southern.
- Southern Miss forced 17 turnovers for the second time in three games. The team also had 10 or more steals for the fifth time this season.
