University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
2-0
SMU
1-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Miss. | 35 | 39 | 74 |
| SMU | 36 | 28 | 64 |
Southern Miss tops SMU on the road, 74-64
11/11/2018 5:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DALLAS -- Tyree Griffin scored 21 points, freshman Gabe Watson added 14 on four three-pointers, and the Southern Miss men's basketball team earned an impressive 74-64 win at SMU on Sunday afternoon.
The game was the first installment of the Cancun Challenge, with the Golden Eagles playing their final two games Nov. 20-21 in Mexico. Southern Miss and SMU were also Conference USA partners from 2005-13, meeting for the first time since the Mustangs joined the American Athletic Conference.
The Mustangs (1-1) tied it at 57 with 7:59 left before the Golden Eagles reeled off a 14-4 run over the next 5:22 that gave them the cushion they needed. For the game, there were 10 ties and 10 lead changes.
The Golden Eagles trailed 10-2 early, later regained the lead, and went into the half down 36-35. As for the second period, the Black and Gold went up 49-42, their largest lead yet, at the 15:11 mark that was capped off by a breakaway layup and free-throw by Cortez Edwards.Â
The Mustangs countered with the next nine points to the 11:39 media timeout, but Griffin connected on a corner triple off an in-bounds pass to regain a 52-51 lead.
Southern Miss shot the lights out in the first half, going 13-for-23 (56.5 percent) from the field, including 8-for-14 from beyond the arc.
"We only gave up two offensive rebounds in second half and had three turnovers," head coach Doc Sadler said. "At halftime, we were uncharacteristic from a year ago by turning the ball over (10 times). That was a huge difference in the second half, as well as our recovery on the offensive boards. Also, any time you go 13-for-24 on three-pointers, you're gonna have a chance to win some games.
Griffin finished 4-for-4 on deep balls, including one that led to a four-point play, while LaDavius Draine and Dominic Magee (2-for-4) and Watson (4-for-8) contributed heavily.
"Overall, you couldn't be more pleased with this group of guys. We went on the road early in the season, shot 49 percent and only turned it over 12 times."
The Golden Eagles return to action Thursday night (7 p.m.) at Troy.
NOTABLE
-The Golden Eagles out-rebounded SMU 36-32. Last season, it defeated its opponent just five times in that category.
-Doc Sadler is now 5-0 against SMU in his head coaching career.
-Southern Miss hit 13 three-pointers (24 attempts), its most since going 13-for-25 in last year's C-USAÂ quarterfinal win over Middle Tennessee.
-Tyree Griffin posted his ninth-career 20-point game.
-Cortez Edwards finished a rebound shy of his second-straight double-double to begin the season. His 10 points also put him just 18 away from the 1,000 mark. He had 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the season opener.
-Leonard Harper-Baker made his first collegiate start. He had two blocks and went 2-for-3 from the field, including a three-pointer.
