University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Welcomes SMU to Hattiesburg for First Time
2/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 19, 2008
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss takes a break from the road this Wednesday night. The Golden Eagles look for their fourth win in five games when they face SMU in a 7:00 p.m. (CT) contest at Reed Green Coliseum.
Wednesday night's game is Go Gold Day. All fans wearing gold will receive $2 off the regular price admission. It is also Basketball Camper Reunion Night, with children arriving with the flyer advertising basketball camper night receiving $4 tickets.
Immediately following the game, the Southern Miss baseball team will be signing autographs on the court.
The Golden Eagles have won three of their last four games, after dropping seven of their previous nine.
Southern Miss and SMU will face each other for just the sixth time in a series that dates back to 1950. The Golden Eagles lead the series, 3-2, and have won the last two meetings. This is the first meeting in Hattiesburg. Last year, Southern Miss swept the series from SMU, winning the first meeting, 57-56, in Dallas, Texas. They then met in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament, with the Golden Eagles coming out on top, 59-52.
Southern Miss is led by guard Jeremy Wise. The sophomore leads the team in scoring with 18.5 points per game. Right behind him is freshman R.L. Horton with 12.3, junior Courtney Beasley with 11.4 and sophomore Sai'Quon Stone at 8.6. Gjio Bain leads Southern Miss on the boards, pulling down 5.8 rebounds a game.
Southern Miss is coming off a 72-62 victory at East Carolina last Saturday. It was the first road win of the season for the Golden Eagles, and snapped a ten-game road losing streak dating back to last year. It was also the first victory this year after trailing at halftime. Courtney Beasley led Southern Miss with a game-high 17 points and six rebounds. Jeremy Wise recorded his first double-double, scoring 12 points with 12 assists. Sai'Quon Stone had 16 points, and R.L. Horton added 11.
SMU enters today's game with an 8-15 record, 2-8 in conference play, and have lost 10 of its last 12 games. The Mustangs are led by guard Jon Killen. The senior leads the team with 12.4 points and 4.9 assists. Junior center Bamba Fall is averaging 11.4 points while placing second with 5.5 rebounds. Freshman forward Papa Dia leads the team with 6.6 rebounds.
SMU is coming off a 69-47 defeat against Houston. Fall led the Mustangs with 16 points. Ryan Harp had eight points, while Derrick Roberts added six rebounds.
Southern Miss heads back on the road for a two-game road swing. The road trip begins on Saturday, February 23, when the Golden Eagles face Tulane at 6:00 p.m. (CT) at Fogelman Arena.
