University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Basketball Travels To Face League Newcomer Marshall
2/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Feb. 24, 2006
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss Golden Eagles visit Conference USA newcomer Marshall in the second-to-last road game of the season, Saturday, in Huntington, W. Va. Tip-off for the contest is set for 6 p.m., CST.
The 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 5:30 p.m., CST, with the Golden Eagle Courtside Show.
Southern Miss, under the direction of second-year Head Coach Larry Eustachy, enters the game with an 8-18 overall record and a 2-9 mark in league play following Saturday's 87-50 loss to UAB in Hattiesburg. The Thundering Herd, under the direction of third-year Head Coach Ron Jirsa, stand 10-14 on the year and 3-8 in league play. In the last game, Marshall fell on the road at East Carolina, 63-59, on Saturday.
Freshman guard Courtney Beasley currently leads Southern Miss in scoring with 289 points on the season, an average of 11.1 per game. Junior guard Jarekus Singleton follows with 8.6 points per game, while senior forward Jason Forte has 8.3 per game. Forte and Mildon Ambres lead the team in rebounding with averages of 4.5 and 4.2, respectively, while Kyle Lamonte continues to lead the team with 59 assists on the year.
Senior center Mark Patton currently leads the Herd with 359 points this season, averaging 15.0 per game. Sophomore guard Joe Miles has 253 season points, an average of 11.0 per game, and junior guard Travis Aikens has 204 points on the year, averaging 9.3 per game. Patton also leads the team with 166 rebounds, an average of 6.9 per game, and freshman guard Markel Humphrey follows with 114 rebounds (4.8 per game). Junior guard Chris Ross has a team-high 112 assists this season, and Miles adds 46 season assists.
The game marks the fifth overall meeting between the two schools, with Marshall holding a 3-1 advantage in series play. The two teams have not played since the 1989-90 season. Marshall opened the series with three-straight wins, the first two in Huntington, W. Va. -- 76-63 on Jan. 20, 1951 and 94-79 on Jan. 19, 1953 -- along with a 103-97 win in Hattiesburg on Dec. 28, 1988. Southern Miss won the last meeting though, 76-74 in Huntington on Dec. 12, 1989.
Following the game, Southern Miss stays on the road, visiting Tulane in New Orleans, La., on Wednesday, March 1. The team then wraps up the regular season at home against East Carolina on March 4.
