Late First-Half Run Too Much for Southern Miss to Overcome at Iowa State

Tuesday, November 19

Ames, IA

7 p.m. CT

Southern Miss

Iowa State

Southern Miss

Iowa State

Late First-Half Run Too Much for Southern Miss to Overcome at Iowa State

11/19/2019 10:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Final Stats (PDF)

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State scored the final 11 points of the first half, then scored on the first three possessions of the second en route to a 73-45 win over Southern Miss on Tuesday night in Hilton Coliseum.

The contest served as a campus-round installment of the Battle 4 Atlantis, which Southern Miss will begin Wednesday, Nov. 27 against Gonzaga.

"We saw what could and should be a good learning experience for our team," head coach Jay Ladner said. "First of all, this is what college basketball is supposed to be like with the crowd, spirit and incredible atmosphere here. We're a young team that will have to grow from this. What happened from tonight's game should shape the next few days of practice and prepare us for a very important game Sunday."

Early in the second half, Ladner subbed in Angel Smith, Jay Malone, Tyler Stevenson, Hunter Dean and Auston Leslie over the original starting five. The two-sophomore, three-freshman lineup fought valiantly against the Cyclone's front line, keeping it within 14 with 13 minutes to play. They continued to play intermittently throughout the rest of the game.

"At halftime, you feel like you're still in it, down by 13," Ladner said. "We had our starting five back out there, and after Iowa State scored each time early on, we subbed them out. Our young guys got a taste of it and played hard. That was encouraging to see regarding our future."

Boban Jacdonmi led the way with 10 points and eight rebounds. He had six of each midway through the first half before two immediate fouls sent him to the sideline. The Golden Eagles as a whole put together 13 offensive rebounds.

Iowa State (3-1) weathered a 5-for-22 shooting night from long range with 30 free-throw attempts, making 22. Tyrese Haliburton was its top performer with 12 points and nine assists.

Southern Miss (1-3) hosts William Carey at 2 p.m. on Sunday, its first home game since Nov. 5.

NOTABLE
-The previous three meetings with Iowa State had been decided by five combined points.
-Auston Leslie made his collegiate debut and scored on a layup in the second half.
-Hunter Dean, who played just two minutes against UNF the last time out, went 3-for-6 over his 13 minutes, including two dunks.
-Jerrod Rigby scored his first collegiate points on a three-point play in the final minute. He previously played for Ladner at Southeastern Louisiana before transferring to Pearl River CC.