University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
4-1
Western Carolina
1-5
Golden Eagles finish Cancun Challenge with 68-63 win over Western Carolina
11/21/2018 2:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CANCUN, Mexico -- Southern Miss had four double-digit scorers, led by Tyree Griffin's 18 points, as it edged Western Carolina 68-63 on Wednesday afternoon in the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.
The Black and Gold improved to 4-1, with three of those wins coming in a grueling 11-day span that stretched from Dallas, to Troy, Ala., to Mexico.
"People are starting to understand the way we like to play," head coach Doc Sadler said. "We may have had some false impressions as a team, since the first three games we shot the ball so well. You won't do that every game. We have to get back to executing on offense."
The Catamounts (1-5) gained a 59-57 lead with 5:49 to play, their first advantage since the 9:12 mark of the first half. Southern Miss regained the lead at 3:36 off a Cortez Edwards layup, and after two free-throws on the ensuing possession flipped the game again, Griffin put together a three-point play and long assist to Dominic Magee for a fastbreak dunk that made it a 65-61 contest in the final two minutes.
Southern Miss trailed 10-2 in the first three minutes before getting up by as much as 36-27 at 5:50 in the first half.
Much of the credit for the Golden Eagles in their 42-37 halftime lead came from having advantages of 19-9 and 13-4 in free-throw attempts and forced turnovers, respectively. For the game, Southern Miss held a 32-6 margin in points off turnovers.
"If you had told me that back in June we would come down here and split, I'd be happy," Sadler said. "Obviously, with the start we had this season, we wanted to win both ballgames. We're disappointed, but excited that we are coming home at 4-1."
The Golden Eagles will now return to the friendly confines of Reed Green Coliseum for a four-game home stretch. It all begins Sunday at 2 p.m. versus crosstown foe William Carey.
NOTABLE
-This was the first all-time meeting between the schools. Southern Miss' last game against a Southern Conference member was in 2004 versus UNC Greensboro.
-Southern Miss utilized 12 players in the first half.
-Tyree Griffin went 9-for-11 from the foul line, his most makes since a career-high 10 versus North Texas on Jan. 20.
-Dominic Magee reached double-figure scoring for the second time this season and 25th time of his career.
-Cortez Edwards' 17 points puts him at 1,036 for his career and No. 35 all-time in school history.
