Friday, November 29
Nassau, Bahamas
8:30 p.m. CT
Southern Miss
-26,00 CUSA
68
vs
83
Alabama
3-4,0-0SEC
1
2
F
Southern Miss
35
33
68
Alabama
38
45
83
Photo by: Tim Aylen
Southern Miss Rallies from Early Deficit, But Alabama Pulls Away in 83-68 Decision
11/30/2019 12:06:00 AM | Men's Basketball
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -- There may have been a little bit of exhaustion in the young Southern Miss men's basketball team as it played its third game in three days.
It also was not limited to the quantity of hoops, but more so the quality. The Golden Eagles were coming off battles against No. 7 Gonzaga and No. 13 Seton Hall in the Battle 4 Atlantis, college basketball's premier in-season tournament. It ended with an 83-68 defeat to Alabama in a 9:30 p.m. tip-off on Friday night.
"You had two 0-2 teams tonight, and one thing that we emphasized last night is that both teams should play with desperation," head coach Jay Ladner said. "Alabama really took the fight to us early. We were down a lot, but our guys got back within a possession. In the second half, we had two or three bad offensive possessions to start with poor execution, and it allowed Alabama to get going."
Despite a 24-6 deficit, the Golden Eagles got within 38-35 at halftime. Alabama went 1-for-11 from three-point range between the 10- and 2-minute marks of the first half after a torrid start.
Southern Miss found itself within 42-40 at the 17:09 mark as Leonard Harper-Baker sank a jumper. It stayed within 51-45 as LaDavius Draine connected from deep at 13:29, but Alabama responded with a 17-4 run that put the game out of reach.
Gabe Watson continued his gritty play of the weekend with a career-high 19 points in 37 minutes. Tyler Stevenson scored 10 points and added seven rebounds off the bench over a career-high 29 minutes as well. It came on the heels of an 11-point outing versus Seton Hall, marking the first time he has had back-to-back double-figure games of his career.
Despite a deadlock on paint points (26) and rebounds (31), the Crimson Tide defeated Southern Miss with its bench play (35-17) and points off turnovers (24-14). They were led by James Bolden's 23 points and Kira Lewis Jr.'s 20.
"We don't have the experience or firepower to overcome bad possessions on either end," Ladner said. "You have to give Alabama credit. They shoot the ball and have outstanding athletes on the perimeter. That gave us a lot of problems. I was very proud of how our guys fought the whole tournament. I thought it showed great character."
Southern Miss (2-6) will return to America with a three-game homestand. It begins Wednesday against Tulane at 7 p.m. CT.
NOTABLE
-Southern Miss' 20 free-throw attempts (13 makes) were one off the season-high set versus William Carey on Sunday.
-This was the first meeting between the schools since December 2015.
-Jay Malone's nine points marked a career-high.
-Alabama was the third team to take 30-plus three-point attempts against Southern Miss, following Delta State and North Florida.
It also was not limited to the quantity of hoops, but more so the quality. The Golden Eagles were coming off battles against No. 7 Gonzaga and No. 13 Seton Hall in the Battle 4 Atlantis, college basketball's premier in-season tournament. It ended with an 83-68 defeat to Alabama in a 9:30 p.m. tip-off on Friday night.
"You had two 0-2 teams tonight, and one thing that we emphasized last night is that both teams should play with desperation," head coach Jay Ladner said. "Alabama really took the fight to us early. We were down a lot, but our guys got back within a possession. In the second half, we had two or three bad offensive possessions to start with poor execution, and it allowed Alabama to get going."
Despite a 24-6 deficit, the Golden Eagles got within 38-35 at halftime. Alabama went 1-for-11 from three-point range between the 10- and 2-minute marks of the first half after a torrid start.
Southern Miss found itself within 42-40 at the 17:09 mark as Leonard Harper-Baker sank a jumper. It stayed within 51-45 as LaDavius Draine connected from deep at 13:29, but Alabama responded with a 17-4 run that put the game out of reach.
Gabe Watson continued his gritty play of the weekend with a career-high 19 points in 37 minutes. Tyler Stevenson scored 10 points and added seven rebounds off the bench over a career-high 29 minutes as well. It came on the heels of an 11-point outing versus Seton Hall, marking the first time he has had back-to-back double-figure games of his career.
Despite a deadlock on paint points (26) and rebounds (31), the Crimson Tide defeated Southern Miss with its bench play (35-17) and points off turnovers (24-14). They were led by James Bolden's 23 points and Kira Lewis Jr.'s 20.
"We don't have the experience or firepower to overcome bad possessions on either end," Ladner said. "You have to give Alabama credit. They shoot the ball and have outstanding athletes on the perimeter. That gave us a lot of problems. I was very proud of how our guys fought the whole tournament. I thought it showed great character."
Southern Miss (2-6) will return to America with a three-game homestand. It begins Wednesday against Tulane at 7 p.m. CT.
NOTABLE
-Southern Miss' 20 free-throw attempts (13 makes) were one off the season-high set versus William Carey on Sunday.
-This was the first meeting between the schools since December 2015.
-Jay Malone's nine points marked a career-high.
-Alabama was the third team to take 30-plus three-point attempts against Southern Miss, following Delta State and North Florida.
Team Stats
USM
BAMA
FG%
.491
.538
3FG%
.250
.455
FT%
.650
.545
RB
31
31
TO
16
15
STL
10
7
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
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