University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Basketball Falls In Final Road Game Of Season, 81-58
2/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Basketball Falls In Final Road Game Of Season, 81-58
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Southern Miss Golden Eagles dropped their final road game of the season on Saturday, losing to nationally ranked Charlotte 81-58 at the Halton Arena.
With the loss, Southern Miss fell to 10-17 overall and 1-14 in the league, while Charlotte improved to 21-4 and 12-2.
While the Golden Eagles led shortly early in the game, the host 49ers quickly regained the lead minutes later and never looked back, opening the first half with an 41-21 advantage. Southern Miss fared much better in the second half, scoring 37 points to Charlotte's 40, providing the final score.
Rashaad Carruth paced Southern Miss with 22 points, with 16 coming in the second half, while Mildon Ambres also added double digits with 14 points. Michael Ford had a team-best five assists and also led in rebounding with nine boards. The Golden Eagles were limited to single digit attempts from the free throw line for the second-straight game, making 6-of-8.
For the 49ers, Curtis Withers had a game-high 25 points and added 11 rebounds, while Eddie Basden chipped in with 17 points, eight rebounds and six steals. E.J. Drayton added 14.
Southern Miss claimed the rebounding edge, 42-38, but shot just 37.1 percent from the field. Charlotte connected on 48.4 percent of its shots.
The Golden Eagles now return to Hattiesburg for the season finale, when they host TCU at Reed Green Coliseum on Saturday, March 5. The game will be the final contest for three Southern Miss seniors -- David Haywood, Dante Stiggers and Tyler Quinn.
