University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Basketball Resumes Play On The Road At SMU
2/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Feb. 3, 2006
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss Golden Eagles continue Conference USA play with the fourth league road game of the season, facing league newcomer SMU, at Moody Coliseum, Saturday in Dallas, Texas. Tip-off for the contest is set for 7 p.m., CST.
The game also 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., CST, with the Golden Eagle Courtside Show.
Southern Miss, under the direction of second-year Head Coach Larry Eustachy, enters the game with a 7-14 overall record and a 1-5 mark in league play following last Saturday's 87-73 loss UAB on the road. The Mustangs, under the direction of second-year Head Coach Jimmy Tubbs, stand 10-9 on the year and 2-4 in league play, falling 59-56 on the road at Tulane.
Freshman guard Courtney Beasley currently leads Southern Miss in scoring with 232 points on the season, an average of 11.0 per game. Junior guard Jarekus Singleton follows with 9.5 points per game, while senior forward Jason Forte has 9.0 per game. Mildon Ambres and Forte lead the team in rebounding with averages of 4.5 and 4.3, respectively, while Kyle Lamonte continues to lead the team with 55 assists on the year.
Senior guard Bryan Hopkins currently leads the Blazers in scoring average with 17.1 points per game, for a total of 205 points on the year, while playing in only 12 games. Sophomore guard Derrick Roberts has a team-high 227 season points, an average of 11.9 per game, while sophomore guard Dez Willingham has 206 season points, an average of 10.8 per game. Junior forward Devon Pearson also is averaging in double figures with 10.2 points per game, 194 on the season. Pearson paces the team with 152 rebounds on the year, an average of 8.0 per game. Willingham has a team-best 57 assists this season, while Roberts adds 51. The Mustangs, members of the Western Athletic Conference last year, finished the 2004-05 season with an overall record of 14-14 and a 9-9 mark in the league, finishing tied for fourth overall.
The game marks just the third overall meeting between the two schools, with the series tied 1-1. The meeting also is the first since the 1974-75 season. Both series games have been played in Dallas. SMU won the series opener, 73-60, on Dec. 19, 1950, while Southern Miss went home with the win on Dec. 14, 1974, 91-85.
Following the game, Southern Miss returns to Hattiesburg to host league newcomer UCF. Tip-off for that game is set for 7 p.m., on Wednesday, Feb. 8.
