University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Eagles Lose Heartbreaker To Charlotte
2/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Complete Game Statistics
Eagles Lose Heartbreaker To Charlotte
Hattiesburg, Miss. - Southern Miss' basketball Golden Eagles dropped a heartbreaking 78-72 Conference USA loss to Charlotte in Green Coliseum here this afternoon, as the 49ers continued their mastery of the Golden Eagle program.
With the victory, Charlotte improves its series record with the Eagles to 25-4. The 49ers also improved their season record to 17-6, 9-3 in C-USA, while the Golden Eagles dropped to 12-11, 5-7 in C-USA.
Southern Miss grabbed the opening lead and went ahead by as many as seven points in the early going. Leading 15-8 though, the Eagles saw the visitors go on a 13-0 run over the next three minutes to pull ahead 21-15. The 49ers expanded that lead to as many as 12 points and led 38-29 at halftime, behind solid .522 (12-23) shooting.
Ahead by 13 points with 14:24 left in the game, Charlotte saw Southern Miss claw its way back into the game, getting as close as three points on several occasions, including a final time at 75-72, with just 17-seconds remaining in the game. However, the visitors hung on, making key free throws, and pulled out the victory.
Southern Miss made more baskets (27-25), more three pointers (7-6), and controlled the boards (38-32). But, the 49ers hit 22-of-30 free throws while Southern Miss made just 11-of-17, and that 11-point differential was the difference in the game. The Eagles also hurt themselves with 11 first half turnovers, but took better care of the ball in the second half, allowing just three turnovers.
Adding another solid game to his recent total, guard Jarekus Singleton led all scorers with 21 points, on 7-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three-point range. Teammate Charles Gaines added another double-double to his growing total, with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Jasper Johnson chipped in with 10 points.
But, the visitors put four players in double figures, with Curtis Withers and Eddie Basden leading the way with 16 each.
Following the Charlotte game, the Eagles end their road season with games at Memphis (Feb. 24) and DePaul (Feb. 28) and then close the regular season at home against Tulane (Mar. 3) and East Carolina (Mar. 8).
