Southern Miss
Alabama
Basketball Edged by Alabama, 58-55
12/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box Score | Box Score 
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HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss basketball team had two chances in the final five seconds to tie the ball game but the potential game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer lipped out and the Golden Eagles fell 58-55 to Alabama on Friday night at Reed Green Coliseum.
Southern Miss (0-6) trailed 53-43 with 7:21 to play and battled Alabama (5-2) hard to give themselves a shot to tie the game at the buzzer. Keljin Blevins started the 12-to-5 run to end the game with a jumper in the paint to cut the game to eight. Blevins knocked down a free throw to cut the deficit to seven.
The Crimson Tide used a pair of free throws to extend the lead back to nine, but a Kourtlin Jackson three-pointer put the Golden Eagles within six with 3:11 to play. Bama converted one of two free throws and Southern Miss was able to get the rebound. Khari Price drove the lane and knocked down a reverse layup to cut the Tide's lead to 56-51, prompting an Alabama timeout.
Following the timeout, Alabama's Retinn Obasohan knocked down two freebies to extend the advantage back to seven points. Price responded with back-to-back jumpers to pull to within three points with 15 seconds on the game clock.
The Golden Eagles were forced to foul to try to get the ball back and Alabama's Dazon Ingram missed a pair of free throws and Southern Miss' Jackson grabbed the rebound. Price put up a shot with just under five seconds to play that was off the mark. Quinton Campbell grabbed the rebound and kicked it back out to Michael Ramey whose three-point attempt circled the rim before coming out of the basket as time expired.
"I am very disappointed we didn't win," head coach Doc Sadler said after the game. "I know our team is disappointed. At the same time, this team is going to get better because they are working hard. We are playing better basketball. This team is going to win some games. I am proud of their effort. We finally made some shots, especially in the first five minutes. Confidence wise, I think that was huge.
"Defensively, the last three ballgames we have been playing well. We took a team tonight that is a very athletic and bigger team that can really shoot the basketball and we competed with them. Defensively, to hold that team to 58 points, I am pleased with that."
The Golden Eagle defense limited the Crimson Tide to just 58 points, the lowest point total for Alabama in a win this season. Southern Miss forced 17 turnovers and recorded six steals as a team. Southern Miss grabbed 35 rebounds, and limited Alabama to just one offensive board in the game.
Offensively, Southern Miss converted a season-best 11 three-pointers on the night on 29 attempts with five different players knocking down at least one trey. Alabama was able to match the Golden Eagles shot-for-shot behind the arc also going 11-for-29 on the night.
The Golden Eagles had a pair of players finish with double-digit points. Price led the way with 16 points. The junior transfer was 6-for-12 from the floor, including dropping three triples on the night. Price's three pointer from beyond half court as time expired in the first half gave Southern Miss a 30-29 lead at halftime. Eddie Davis III finished the game with 11 points, converting three treys of his own. Davis led the team with eight rebounds on the night, edging out Raheem Watts who finished with six.
The first half was a back-and-forth game with neither team leading by more than five points. The first half saw four ties and eight lead changes.
Alabama led 19-14 with 10 minutes to play in the first half. Southern Miss outscored Bama 10-to-6 over the next seven minutes to cut the lead to 25-24. Ramey drained a three-pointer to give the Golden Eagles a 27-25 advantage with 99 seconds to play in the half. Four consecutive Crimson Tide free throws gave the visitors a 29-27 advantage, but Price gave Southern Miss a one-point halftime lead with a buzzer-beater from beyond half court.
Southern Miss returns to action on Sunday afternoon against North Dakota State. The game is part of a doubleheader with the women's team. The Lady Eagles take on South Alabama at 2:00 p.m. and the men's game will start following the conclusion of the women's game at approximately 4:30 p.m.
