University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Eagles Bounce Back For 76-72 Win Over Tulane
2/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Eagles Bounce Back For 76-72 Win Over Tulane
Hattiesburg, Miss. - Southern Mississippi connected on 7-of-8 free throws in the final 32 seconds of today's game to beat Tulane in Conference USA play.
Clement Carter led the Golden Eagles (11-13, 4-9) with a season-high 20 points. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Southern Miss, as well as a two-game win streak on the part of Tulane. Waitari Marsh led the Green Wave (13-12, 6-6) with 21 points.
?The effort was great, but our attitude was even better,? Southern Miss Head Coach James Green said. ?We had a lot of guys step up and did a lot of good things today.?
The game featured nine ties and six lead changes, but the Golden Eagles took the lead for good with 4:13 remaining. Tulane pulled to within one point several times, but Southern Miss pulled away in the final 30 seconds of the game. The Golden Eagles scored 48 points in the second half.
?You have to give Southern Miss credit,? Tulane head coach Shawn Finney said. ?They scored 48 points in the second half and found a way to win. It comes down to defense, and we didn?t defend.?
The Golden Eagles had a good shooting night (51 percent), as they shot more than 50 percent for the first time since a win over Jackson State on Nov. 25, and just the third time this season. The team also finished with an impressive 21-of-25 (.840) performance from the free throw line.
?We just powered the ball inside and did a better job,? Green said. ?We shot 50 percent for the first time in a long, long time, but the reason we did was because we shot them a lot closer.?
Carter was one of four Southern Miss players in double figures. Greg Johnson followed with 17 points. Charles Gaines added 16 and Jasper Johnson had 10. Carter also had nine rebounds, matching his season best.
?We wanted to come out and win the game,? Carter said. ?We have been stepped on all year, but we had a real great focus in the last few practices. I knew that we would have a good game and keep fighting.?
Four other Green Wave players also scored double-digits as Brandon Spann had 13, Wayne Tinsley 12 and Brandon Brown 10. Tulane held its largest lead of the half with a 35-28 advantage at the break. In that first period, Marsh and Tinsley combined for 21 of the Green Wave?s 28 points.
Following today's game, Southern Miss travels to Charlotte (Feb. 26), hosts South Florida (Mar. 1) and ends the regular season at Tulane (Mar. 8).
