University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Eagles End Regular Season Road Schedule, at DePaul
2/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Files associated with this release:
Southern Miss -DePaul Game Notes
Eagles End Regular Season Road Schedule, at DePaul
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - After losing at Memphis, 74-56, earlier in the week, Southern Miss closes its regular season road schedule with a Saturday afternoon game at DePaul, a Blue Demon team that is fresh off a 60-58 overtime victory at Louisville. That game is scheduled for a 1 p.m., (ct) start in the Allstate Arena in Chicago.
DePaul, in fourth place in the league, has already clinched a spot in the Mar. 10-13 Kelly Tire Conference USA Tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio, and currently shows a 9-4 league record and a 16-8 overall mark. Southern miss is in 10th place in the C-USA standings, at 5-8 in the league and 12-12 overall, and in good shape to claim one of the 12 spots in the tournament field. The Eagles can use the right combination of teams winning and losing in upcoming weekend games to claim their spot, even before ending the season next week with a pair of home games.
Southern Miss and DePaul's playing history is a short one. The two teams first played in 1996, and have played just seven times, with USM leading the series 4-3. Southern Miss won the first three games the two teams played, and DePaul has won three of the last four games, including a 74-69 overtime victory in Hattiesburg last season.
In that game, DePaul outrebounded Southern Miss 45-31, and outscored USM 16-11 in the extra period to win. Sam Hoskin led the winners with 19 points and 12 rebounds and Charles Gaines matched him with an 18-point, 10-rebound game for the Golden Eagles, who also got 14 points from Jasper Johnson, 13 from Dante Stiggers and 10 from Greg Johnson.
Quemont Greer had 19 points for DePaul in the Louisville game, one of four Blue Demons in double figures. DePaul shows four players in double figures, with Delonte Hollard leading the group at 16.7 points a game. Drake Diener and Green sport identical 12.4 point averages and Andre Brown, who has played in fewer games than the other three, is at 14.1. DePaul averages 70.2 points a game, and gives up 68.9. The Blue Demons have won nine of their last 11 games, with losses coming against Saint Louis and Marquette.
For Southern Miss, Gaines continues to lead all Golden Eagle scorers, at 15.6 points a game, and also tops the rebounders with a C-USA-best 10.4 a game. Jasper Johnson is the only other USM player in double figures, at 12.8 points a game.
Following the DePaul game, the Eagles close the regular season at home against Tulane (Mar. 3) and East Carolina (Mar. 6).
