Southern Miss
Mississippi
Southern Miss Falls To No.22 Mississippi, 75-58
12/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
After junior Craig Craft hit a three-pointer with 8:32 left to pull the Golden Eagles (8-5) within two points at 56-54, Ole Miss jumped back out by eight (64-56). Freshman R.L. Horton hit a lay-up to pull within six (64-56) with 6:45 remaining. However, Southern Miss would not score again, as the Rebels pulled away down the stretch.
The Golden Eagles came out in the beginning of the game and matched Ole Miss shot for shot. A Jeremy Wise lay-up at ten minutes into the game gave Southern Miss a 16-14 lead. The Golden Eagles increased its advantage to eight with 8:25 remaining in the half. However, the Rebels went on a 13-0 run to regain the lead. The teams traded baskets toward the end of the half. With Ole Miss ahead two, Wise missed a long three-pointer with seven seconds left, and Horton fouled Zach Graham, putting him at the line. After hitting the second of two free throws, Wise immediately turned the ball back over to the Rebels with 1.5 seconds left. Chris Warren took the inbounds pass and heaved a 30-footer as the buzzer sounded, giving Ole Miss the 40-34 halftime lead.
Horton led the Eagles with 23 points, including 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Sophomore Wise added 17, as the two guards combined for 40 of the team's 58 points. As a team, Southern Miss shot just 31.5% (17-54).
Eniel Polynice was an assist away from a triple-double for the Rebels (12-0), scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 boards. Chris Warren added 17 points, while Dwayne Curtis had 15 and David Huertas added 12.
Southern Miss will now head to Savannah, Ga. for its final non-conference game. The Golden Eagles will face Savannah State on Friday, January 4, at 7:00 p.m. at Tiger Arena.
