University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Basketball Takes On West Alabama In Final Exhibition
11/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Basketball Takes On West Alabama In Final Exhibition HATTIESBURG, Miss.
The Golden Eagles enter the game fresh off a 79-61 victory over Belhaven in the first exhibition, one that saw newcomer Rashaad Carruth lead the way with 19 points and nine rebounds. Senior returnee David Haywood tacked on 18 points, while junior transfer Michael Ford chipped in with 13 points and had a game-high seven assists. Following the trio of Carruth, Haywood and Ford, Jasper Johnson added nine points and eight rebounds, and Jason Forte had eight. Ronald Pittman was third on the team in rebounding with nine.
West Alabama played in its exhibition opener on Monday, falling to Samford, 94-67. Courtney Brown posted a team-high 12 points, while Kevin Murphy followed with 10 points in the loss. Among the returnees for the Tigers is senior Ty Mathis, who led the team in scoring last season with 12.2 points per game and was second in rebounding with 5.0 boards per game. Along with Mathis and Brown, Adam Ruffin and Joseph Baker also are returning starters.
The Thursday meeting marks the second year in a row that the Golden Eagles take on West Alabama in an exhibition game. Last season, the Golden Eagles put together a solid 75-58 win over the Tigers, paced by Charles Gaines' double-double (18 points and 15 rebounds). Greg Johnson also had 18 points, while Jarekus Singleton added 10. Southern Miss also has one other game against West Alabama, a 89-48 Eagle victory in 1952 over then-Livingston.
The game will only be broadcast locally on WXRR-FM Rock 104 (104.5) in Hattiesburg, the flagship station of the Southern Miss/ISP Sports Network. The Southern Miss broadcast team of the Voice of the Golden Eagles John Cox and color analyst Lance Pittman will call the action from Thursday's broadcast, which begins at 6:30 p.m., with the Golden Eagle Courtside Show.
Following the exhibition, Southern Miss takes to the road to open the regular season at the Jim Thorpe Classic in Reno, Nev. The Golden Eagles face Georgia State in the opener on Saturday, Nov. 20 and then face either host Nevada or Colorado-Colorado Springs on Sunday, Nov. 21.
Season tickets remain available for the 2004-05 campaign. For more information or to place order for season tickets, call the Southern Miss Ticket Office, located in the Ferlise Center at 601-266-5418 or 1-800-844-TICK.