University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Eagles Back On The Road, At Western Kentucky
12/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Eagles Back On The Road, At Western Kentucky
Hattiesburg, Miss. - Following an all-too-quick stop at home, the Golden Eagles go back on the road for a Wednesday night, Dec. 18, visit to Western Kentucky. Southern Miss will be trying to snap a two-game losing string, the first of the young season. The most recent loss came at the hands of Arkansas State, 64-48, dropping Southern Miss to 5-2.
Western Kentucky is 3-3, and coming off a solid 63-43 victory over Illinois State. The Hilltoppers also have beaten Auburn and Virginia Commonwealth, and lost to Arizona, Evansville and Murray State.
Southern Miss is winless in two previous games against Western Kentucky, after losing 74-50 last season in Hattiesburg. The only other time the two teams played was in 1958, in a game Western won, 60-58.
Through six games, the Hilltoppers show five players in double figures. Mike Wells leads that group at 14.7 points a game, and David Boyden is close behind at 13.2. Western Kentucky's opponents have outscored the Hilltoppers, 76.2-to-74.7, through six games, but that can be attributed largely to a season-opening 107-68 loss to Arizona. Western Kentucky also trails in the rebounding column, 37.0-to-32.0.
For Southern Miss, Charles Gaines continues to lead the Golden Eagles at 18.0 points a game. He also tops the rebounding chart at 9.4 a game. Greg Johnson is the only other Southern Miss player in double figures, at 13.1 points a game. The Eagles average 71.0 points and 38.7 rebounds a game, compared to 67.1 points and 32.7 rebounds a game for the combined opposition.
USM also continues to shoot the ball well, currently at a .453 (164-362) pace, while limiting opponents to .413 (171-414) shooting. The Eagles also continue to be impressive at the free throw line where they have hit 144-of-199 for a solid .724 percentage.
Following tonight's game, the Eagles return home for a Dec. 21, game against Arkansas-Little Rock.