University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Eagles Open C-USA Tourney Against Cincinnati
3/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Eagles Open C-USA Tourney Against Cincinnati
Hattiesburg, Miss. - Southern Miss meets Cincinnati in the final game of first-round play in the 2003 Kelly Tires Conference USA Tournament at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky., Wednesday. That game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m., central time, and will be telecast on ESPN+.
Southern Miss goes into the game off a 74-61 Saturday loss at Tulane that dropped the Golden Eagle record to 12-15 overall, and 5-11 in C-USA play. Cincinnati finished its season Saturday with a 70-61 loss to Marquette to leave the Bearcats at 17-10 overall and 9-7 in league play.
This marks the first time in league history that the Bearcats have not gone into the tournament as the No. 1 seed. Instead, they are seeded fifth, Southern Miss 12th.
Cincinnati and Southern Miss did not meet during the 2002-03 regular season. The last time the two played was during the 2001-02 regular season, when the Bearcats beat Southern Miss 89-37 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati leads the series with Southern Miss, 15-12.
Leonard Stokes leads the Bearcats in scoring, at 16.0 points a game, and gets help from Jason Maxiell at 11.8 points a game and Field Williams at 11.7 points a game. UC averages 67.6 points a game and gives up 61.4. Cincinnati won 13 of its first 16 games, but has lost seven of its last 11.
Southern Miss also started the season on a solid note. The Eagles won their first five games, and in mid-January Head Coach James Green and his team stood at 9-4, after an 84-67 win at home over a Memphis team that went on to earn the No. 2 seed in this week's tournament.
Southern Miss' Charles Gaines finished the regular season with 14 double-doubles and leads the Eagles in scoring at 14.9 points a game. He also tops the rebounders at 9.7 a game. Greg Johnson adds 12.5 points a game and Jasper Johnson 11.0. USM averages 67.4 points a game and gives up 70.5.
A Southern Miss victory would move the Eagles into a second round game against No. 4 seed, Saint Louis.
