University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Basketball Resumes Play, Hosts West Florida Tuesday
12/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 26, 2005
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss Golden Eagles continue their seven-game home stand Tuesday, hosting the West Florida Argonauts in non-conference action at Reed Green Coliseum. Tip-off for the game is set for 7 p.m.
Southern Miss, under the direction of second-year Head Coach Larry Eustachy, enters the game with an overall record of 4-7 after hosting a pair of games last week, an 84-74 win over Tennessee State on Monday, Dec. 19, and a 56-43 loss to Bradley on Wednesday, Dec. 21.
Tuesday's game will be broadcast over the Southern Miss ISP Sports Network, with the "Voice of the Golden Eagles" John Cox and legendary coach M.K. Turk calling the action. Air time begins at 6:30 p.m., CT, with the Golden Eagle Courtside Show.
Shaun Simpson continues to lead the team in scoring with 9.3 points per game, while Jarekus Singleton and Kyle Lamonte follow with respective averages of 8.9 and 8.0 points per night. Mildon Ambres leads the team in rebounds per game with 5.1, while Lamonte leads all players with 33 assists on the year.
West Florida, under the direction of veteran Head Coach Don Hogan, will see its first game action in two weeks, last playing on Dec. 12, when it defeated William Carey, 103-84, in Pensacola, Fla. The Argonauts hold a 6-2 overall record and are 2-1 in road games this season. The team opened the season with four-straight victories, over Concordia-Selma, Rollins, Saint Leo University and Auburn-Montgomery, before falling to Nova-Southeastern. The team the picked up a win over Missouri Western and lost at Valdosta State before topping Carey.
Kashif Russell currently leads the team in scoring with 15.4 points a game, while four other Argos also are averaging in double-figures. Brandon Gordon and Marcus Grant each follow with averages of 14.1 and 13.4 respectively, while Maurice Thomas and Donovan Redden are averaging 11.5 and 10.4, respectively. Grant is nearly averaging a double-double with 9.1 rebounds per game. Thomas, Deondre Boynton and Redden have assists totals of 26, 25 and 24, respectively.
Tuesday's game marks the fifth all-time meeting between the two schools, but is the first time the two teams have played since 1970. The series is tied at 2-2. Southern Miss won the opening game 95-91 on Dec. 28, 1968, while West Florida picked up a 90-69 win on Jan. 7, 1969. The team played twice in 1970, with the Golden Eagles winning 67-63 on Jan. 19, and the Argos winning 98-81 11 days later on Jan. 30. The series is tied 1-1 in games played at Reed Green Coliseum.
Following the contest, Southern Miss stays at home for the final two contests of the seven-game home stretch, hosting Spring Hill on Friday, Dec. 30 and then battling McNeese State on Monday, Jan. 2. Game times for both contests are set for 7 p.m.
