Golden Eagles Visit Tough Billikens

Golden Eagles Visit Tough Billikens

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - After snapping its first three-game losing streak of the

season with a 62-58 win at Houston earlier in the week, Southern Miss' Golden

Eagles end the week with a Feb. 17 game at Saint Louis.

The 7 p. m., game will send the 17-7 Eagles against a Billiken team that is

13-10 but a team that owns a pair of victories over Louisville and single

wins over such teams as Charlotte, Cincinnati, Texas A&M, Washington and

California.

The game marks the second stop on a six-day, two-game trip that wraps up

regular season traveling for the Eagles. Following the Billiken game,

Southern Miss will close the 2000-2001 regular season with home games against

Tulane (Feb. 24), Memphis (Feb. 28) and South Florida (Mar. 3).

Southern Miss and Saint Louis play for only the 12th time in a series that

started with a 69-52 Golden Eagle decision in 1980. USM won the first four

games the two teams played while the Billikens have won four of the last five

and five of the last seven. Southern Miss won last season's regular season

game, 71-48 in Hattiesburg, before losing to the Billikens 59-51 in the

opening round of the C-USA Tournament.

Senior guard Maurice Jeffers leads the Billikens in scoring at 15.8 points a

game and gets help from fellow guard, senior Marque Perry, who is at 10.7

points a game. Saint Louis averages 70.8 points a game and gives up 66.3.

The Missouri squad also outrebounds its opponents 36.0 to 33.6.

Southern Miss is led by senior guard David Wall who is at 14.3 points a game.

Senior center Vandarel Jones is at 11.9 points a game and forward Elvin Mims

remains in double figures at 10.7 points a game. The Eagles average 69.9

points a game, give up 61.2, and outrebound opponents 36.7 to 33.4

The Eagles also continue to shoot the ball at a .438 clip while limiting

opponents to .403 shooting from the floor.

The OCG Conference USA Tournament is scheduled for Mar. 7-10 at Freedom Hall

in Louisville, Ky. Tickets to that event remain on sale through the Southern

Miss ticket office located in the Ferlise Ticket Center or by calling

601/266-5418 or 1-800-844-TICK.

level. He currently is 24th on that USM career scoring list with 1,084

University of Southern Mississippi Athletics