University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Breaks Losing Streak, Beats Saint Louis, 67-46
1/29/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Southern Miss Breaks Losing Streak, Beats Saint Louis, 67-46
HATTIESBURG, Miss. ? Elvin Mims controlled the shots and the boards with 26 points and 14 rebounds as Southern Miss (7-11, 2-6) ended a four-game skid with a 67-46 win over Saint Louis (9-12, 3-5), at Reed Green Coliseum Tuesday night.
The senior hit 10-of-17 field goals, six-of-seven free throws, while finishing with his third double-double of the season. Ben Lambert finished with 15 points, hitting seven-of-seven from the charity stripe.
Jason Edwin led the Billikens with 14 points. Kenny Brown claimed team high with six rebounds.
Southern Miss relied mostly on its post game for scoring, as the team went 0-for-4 from three-point land. It was the first time since Nov. 29, 1998, against Virginia Commonwealth, that USM did not connect on a three-pointer.
The Golden Eagles owned the second half, outscoring the Billikens 39-21. Southern Miss hit a 54.5 field goal percentage in the final period, while holding Saint Louis to shooting 30.4 percent.
The Billikens pulled within one point, 32-31, at 16:24, but that was the closest margin, as the Golden Eagles went on a 12-2 run in a 4:14 span and never dipped under double figures in the advantage.
The first half featured Saint Louis starting the game with a 6-0 lead, but the Eagles overcame the spread to lead 15-12 at 11:11. The Billikens regained the lead briefly at 10:05, with an 18-17 advantage, but Southern Miss took over down the stretch, holding a 28-25 halftime advantage.
Mims shot four-of-eight from the field in the opening period to lead with nine points. He also grabbed six rebounds for a first-half best. Edwin led SLU with eight points.
Southern Miss continues Conference USA play with a Saturday afternoon game at Tulane.
