Southern Miss
Jackson State
Basketball Upended by Jackson State
11/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss basketball team dropped a 78-60 decision to Jackson State on Tuesday night at Reed Green Coliseum in the Golden Eagles' home opener. Southern Miss (0-2) shot 41-percent from the floor, but Jackson State (1-1) went 53-percent from the floor, including 44-percent from behind the arc.
"I am pleased with all of (the players)," head coach Doc Sadler said of his team after the game. "They are going to do what I want because I know that it works. It is what I have learned throughout the years. You better not give up transition baskets. You better not turn the ball over. And you better not get beat on the offensive glass. We have to correct those three things."
"You see the way this team played the final two minutes. They are giving me everything they've got. You can't be mad at them. Jackson State is a nice basketball team. They have a lot of players that are juniors and seniors that have played a lot of basketball games. They had the confidence and our guys didn't."
Offensively, the Golden Eagles had three players notch double-digit performances. Raheem Watts led all Southern Miss players, netting 13 points off the bench. Keljin Blevins tallied 12 points, while Khari Price scored 11 points. Eddie Davis III dropped eight points, while leading the team with six rebounds. Tim Rowe and Watts each added five boards apiece.
Jackson State had four players in double figures, led by Javeres Brent who led all scorers with 22 points. Chace Franklin added 17 points, while Paris Collins and Raeford Worsham contributed 15 and 13, respectively. Worsham led the Tigers with eight rebounds.
Jackson State jumped out to a 42-26 lead at halftime. The Tigers opened the game with a three-pointer, but the Golden Eagles responded with a triple to tie the game at 3-3. JSU went on an 11-0 run to pull ahead 14-3. Jackson State extended their advantage to as many as 22 in the first half, but Southern Miss chipped into the deficit with a 12-6 run to close to within 14 points. The Tigers made a basket with 10 seconds left to send the game into intermission with a 16-point advantage.
Southern Miss started the second half with an 8-2 run on a Price three pointer and five straight points by Blevins to cut the deficit to just 10 points at 44-34. Jackson State extended the lead back to 14 before Quinton Campbell drained a trey to pull to within 11.
The Tigers answered with a 13-0 run to take a 61-37 lead with just over 12 minutes to play. Five straight points by Davis pulled the Golden Eagles to within 20 points at 61-42. After a JSU free throw, Price and Watts each connected on two free throws to cut the lead to 65-46.
Jackson State pushed its lead to 78-51 with 5:25 to play, but Southern Miss showed its resiliency closing out the final four minutes of the game on a 9-0 run. Rowe started the run with a jumper and a defensive rebound, setting up a three-point play by Davis. Cortez Edwards picked Troy Stancil's pocket and fed the ball to Blevins who slammed it home with a monster dunk. Rowe closed out the run with a jumper in the paint to provide the final score of 78-60.
The Golden Eagles, who played at home for the first time this season, welcomed a crowd of 2,933 to the Green House.
"I am so happy that the fans came out tonight, especially with the weather the way it is supposed to get," Sadler said. "This team is going to need their support and I hope they continue to come out and watch them."
Southern Miss returns to action on Monday, Nov. 23, as the Golden Eagles welcome cross-town opponent William Carey to Reed Green Coliseum. Tipoff between the Golden Eagles and Crusaders is slated for 7:00 p.m.
