University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
4-1
William Carey
2-3
Golden Eagles fall to Crusaders, 78-72
11/25/2018 5:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- William Carey shot 13-for-28 from three-point range, and Southern Miss ultimately fell 78-72 to the visiting Crusaders on Sunday afternoon in Reed Green Coliseum.
"For our team to be successful, we have to play with a passion and an edge," head coach Doc Sadler said. "We aren't doing that right now. We can't score inside unless we have an edge on the perimeter. We were up 10 and took some bad shots, and should have been going in for the basket and giving ourselves free-throw opportunities. Instead, we settled for jump shots."
Southern Miss took its first lead of the game at 26-25 with 7:34 on the clock. It gained its largest separation of the first period on Kevin Holland's three-pointer that led to a 41-38 halftime lead.
The momentum carried into the second half with a 52-42 margin at 16:25. Even though it remained a 59-50 game at 12:04, William Carey went on an 18-8 run that saw the Crusaders regain a 68-67 lead at 5:45.
A Leonard Harper-Baker free-throw made it a two-point deficit at 2:53, but it was the closest the Golden Eagles would get the rest of the way.
"We'll try to make them understand that unless they come with passion, this will be common," Sadler said. "After the two wins at SMU and Troy, that wasn't the season. There are 30 games. We have work to do. If we don't change what happened today, then we're just out there playing."
Southern Miss (4-2) remains at home Wednesday to host South Alabama. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. CT.
NOTABLE
-Leonard Harper-Baker posted a career-high 13 rebounds and came within a point of a double-double. It marks the most rebounds by a Golden Eagle since Dominic Magee (14) in last year's C-USA Tournament opener.
-Southern Miss got to the foul line 19 times in the first half.
-Ten Golden Eagles scored by the final media timeout of the first half.
-It was Southern Miss' first loss in which it led at halftime since Feb. 17 versus UAB.
