University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Men's Basketball Takes to the Road against Cal
11/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 13, 2007
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - After winning its ninth season opener in its last ten tries, Southern Miss will take to the road for the first time this year when they head to Berkeley, Calif. to face Cal, Wednesday night at 9:30 p.m. (CT) at Haas Pavilion.
This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Southern Miss is 1-3 all-time versus the Pac-10. The Golden Eagles are 0-2 against Arizona, 0-1 versus USC, and 1-0 against Washington State.
The Southern Miss is coming off a 92-45 season-opening victory over Belhaven. Senior Gjio Bain narrowly missed his first career triple-double, scoring ten points, while recording career-highs with eight blocks and 16 rebounds, including 11 in the first half. Joining Bain in double-digits for Southern Miss was Craig Craft with a game-high 19 points, Jeremy Wise with 18 and Courtney Beasley with 12.
Southern Miss forced 17 turnovers in the contest, turning them into 25 points. The Golden Eagles also dominated down low, outscoring the Blazers 38-14. As a team, Southern Miss outrebounded Belhaven, 60-35. It was the first time the Golden Eagles had 60 boards in a game since they pulled down 63, January 7, 1992 against East Tennessee State.
Cal enters Wednesday's game coming off a 16-17 record in 2006-07. The Bears are led by forward Ryan Anderson. The sophomore averaged 16.3 points per game and 8.2 rebounds. Senior center DeVon Hardin averaged 10.7 points and 8.4 rebounds. The Bears defeated Alaska-Fairbanks Thursday evening, 100-42. Patrick Christopher led Cal with 32 points. Ryan Anderson added 23 points. Harper Kamp scored 10 points, while Jordan Wilkes led the Bears defensively with 10 rebounds.
Southern Miss will then take a week off before hosting William Carey in a men's/women's doubleheader, Wednesday, November 20 at Reed Green Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. (CT).
