University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Basketball Falls To Houston
2/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Basketball Falls To Houston
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss couldn't seem to get thing going early on and struggled to a 75-53 loss against visiting Houston, Saturday, in front of 3,589 at Reed Green Coliseum.
The Golden Eagles dropped to 10-13 overall and 1-10 in Conference USA play with the loss, while Houston improved to 15-10 overall and 6-5 in league play.
The opening moments played out in Houston's favor as the Cougars opened a 12-2 lead and never looked back in the win.
Behind the early sharp-shooting of guard Andre Owens, who finished with a game-high 20 points, and a smothering defense that put the clamps on Golden Eagle leading scorer Rashaad Carruth, Houston led 21-4 seven minutes into the contest. By that point, the Cougars had already forced six Southern Miss turnovers and had connected on 9-of-12 field goals.
The Golden Eagles fought back for a time, closing to 36-24 on a Carruth three-point shot with just under four minutes remaining in the half, but the Cougars still led 45-31 at the break. For both teams, the game had a familiar feel, as the first meeting between the schools on Jan. 15 in Houston followed a similar pattern. In that game, Houston opened a large early lead only to see Southern Miss cut the margin to as close as four in the final minutes before succumbing 65-53.
Owens paced three Cougars in double figures, and Ramon Dyer scored 17 on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor. Lanny Smith added 16 and a game-high six assists.
For Southern Miss, Shakiem Mitchell led the way with 11 points. Carruth had eight, but connected on only 3-of-15 from the floor. The Cougars shot 49.2 percent from the field (29-of-59), while the Golden Eagles connected on 34.1 percent of their attempts (14-of-41).
Next up for Southern Miss is a Wednesday meeting on the road against Cincinnati. Game time for that contest has been set for 6 p.m., CT, and will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
