Southern Miss Begins Homestand with UCF
2/10/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2012
TICKETS! | | Watch LIVE! | Listen LIVE!
USM Game Notes 
| UCF Game Notes | Tip: 4:00 p.m. CT
Southern Miss and UCF will meet for just the 11th time, with the Golden Eagles holding a 6-4 advantage. Southern Miss has won five of the last seven meetings, including a 78-65 victory in Orlando earlier this year. In Hattiesburg, USM holds a 3-1 lead.
Southern Miss enters afternoon's contest with a 20-4 record, and 7-2 in Conference USA. The Golden Eagles had a five game-winning streak snapped on Wednesday, falling 71-61 at UAB.
Jonathan Mills led the Golden Eagles with 14 points. Darnell Dodson scored 13 points and had a team-high five rebounds and Maurice Bolden added 10 points.
Dodson is scoring 13.3 points while pulling down 5.6 rebounds. LaShay Page is second on the team with 12.5 points. He is also third in the league in three-pointers made (2.6) and is ninth in three-point field goal percentage (.367).
Neil Watson is adding 11.2 points while connecting on 88.8% of his free throws, which leads C-USA. He is also third in assists (4.5). Bolden is scoring 10.5 points while grabbing a team-high 5.8 rebounds. He is also 10th in the league with 1.3 blocks per game. Angelo Johnson is also scoring 9.5 points and is 10th in the conference with 3.3 assists.
As a team, Southern Miss is scoring 71.9 points and is allowing just 62.7. The Golden Eagles are hitting 42.1-percent of their shots and 36.6% of their three-pointers. Their opposition is connecting on 42.8% from the field and 34.4-percent from behind the arc. The Golden Eagles hold the advantage on the boards, as they are outrebounding their opponents 36.9-to-31.8, a difference of 5.2 per game, good for third on Conference USA. The Golden Eagles are also leading the league in free throw percentage (.750).
Head coach Larry Eustachy is in his eighth season at the helm of the Southern Miss men's basketball program. He has compiled a 137-108 (.559) record during his time as head coach. In 21 years, Eustachy has an overall record of 397-253 (.611).
UCF comes into Saturday afternoon's game with an 18-6 record, 7-3 in C-USA. The Knights have won three straight after defeating Marshall, 67-60, Wednesday night.
Junior forward Keith Clanton led UCF with 20 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Isaiah Sykes recorded a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Junior guard Marcus Jordan scored 15 points and sophomore forward Tristan Spurlock added 13 points.
UCF is led by Jordan with 15.6 points, which is seventh in Conference USA. He is also second in the league in minutes played (36.0). Clanton is eighth in the conference with 15.3 points and fifth with 9.0 rebounds. He is also tied for third in blocked shots (1.8). Sophomore guard Isaiah Sykes is averaging 11.5 points while placing seventh in the league in field goal percentage (.530).
As a team, the Knights are scoring 66.4 points per game while allowing 61.2. UCF is shooting 42.7-percent from the floor while allowing their opponents to connect on just 41.1-percent, good for third in the conference. UCF is pulling down 38.0 boards per game, which is second in C-USA, while allowing 33.4. The Knights are also connecting on just 30.2-percent of its three-point attempts while holding its opposition to just 30.6%, which is second in C-USA.
Head coach Donnie Jones is in his second season at the helm of the UCF men's basketball program. He has compiled a 39-18 (.684) record as its head coach. In five years as a head coach, Jones owns a 94-59 (.614) record.
