University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Men's Basketball Looks to Continue Momentum Saturday versus UTEP
1/6/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The three-game homestand to begin C-USA play comes to an end on Saturday as the Southern Miss men's basketball team looks for a second-straight win when it hosts UTEP at 4 p.m.
Fans can tune in to the game via John Cox and the Southern Miss IMG Sports Network (104.5 in Hattiesburg/Laurel), the live video stream on Southern Miss All Access, or by following @SouthernMissMBB on Twitter.
The first 1,000 fans inside Reed Green Coliseum will receive rally towels. The game also features Southern Miss Alumni Association Night, where members can get $5 bleacher and $10 chairback seats. As is with the Thursday promotion, those looking to take advantage of the opportunity must bring their membership ID card to the Pat Ferlise Center or pregame Reed Green Coliseum box office. Southwest Pulled Pork Nachos will also be the premium food item.
â€" Southern Miss on Thursday night treated its fans to an outstanding performance all-around, as senior Khari Price made his 2016 debut by tying a career-high of 20 points and helping his team to a 77-59 win over UTSA. The Golden Eagles went on a 15-0 run after trailing by eight early in the second half and ended the night on a 40-14 beat. Price entered the 2016-17 campaign as Southern Miss' leading returner in scoring, assists and steals.
â€" Quinton Campbell made a career-high eight field goals on just 12 attempts en route to his second 20-point game as a Golden Eagle, and Cortez Edwards, the 6-foot-2 guard, continued to be the most active one on the floor with a whopping 13-rebound game to go with his 13 points. Southern Miss had two 20-point scorers for the first time since Matt Bingaya and Chip Armelin in February 2015 vs. FIU.
â€" The Black and Gold shot 50.9 percent on the evening (28-for-55), its second-best mark on the year. Going more in-depth, it was the third consecutive home game that Southern Miss surpassed 50 percent in the second half. The Golden Eagles are shooting 55 percent (48-for-88) in their last three second halves inside Reed Green Coliseum.
â€" UTSA made five of its nine deep attempts in the first half on Thursday, but Southern Miss buckled down to hold the Roadrunners to an 0-for-11 mark in the second. It was the first time the squad blanked an opponent on three-pointers in a half since UTSA went 0-for-7 in the second on Jan. 30, 2016. Also, the Golden Eagles allowed just six makes on 28 overall shot attempts in the second half, the third time in the last four games an opponent did not crack 25 percent in a half.
â€" Doc Sadler served as the head coach at UTEP from 2004-06, guiding the Miners to the NCAA Tournament his first year and an NIT first-round win in his second. Sophomore guard Kevin Holland's father, James, was also an assistant coach on Sadler's staff both seasons.
â€" Southern Miss has won each of the two home meetings with UTEP in the Doc Sadler era, and the first was one for the ages. The Golden Eagles ended the Senior Day game on a 35-8 run over the final 10 minutes to win 63-60, the largest comeback win in program history. Then-true freshman Kevin Holland dished out a career-high seven assists (broken Dec. 10, 2016 versus Tulane). Last year's 71-58 victory saw Price go 10-for-10 at the foul line while Campbell knocked down three triples and collect a career-high nine rebounds.
â€" UTEP has dropped its first two C-USA decisions to UTSA (67-55) and Louisiana Tech (64-44). Omega Harris and Dominic Artis lead the way with 16.8 and 14.6 points per game, respectively.
â€" Head coach Tim Floyd is a Hattiesburg native who spent his first two collegiate years as a walk-on at Southern Miss before finishing at Louisiana Tech. He has four years of NBA head coaching experience with the Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Hornets during the late 1990s and early 2000s as well as serving at the helm for Idaho. New Orleans, Iowa State and USC (in order of first to most recent).
