Golden Eagles Host Red-Hot North Texas on Thursday

Thursday, January 16

Reed Green Coliseum

7 p.m. CT

Southern Miss

North Texas

Buy tickets

Golden Eagles Host Red-Hot North Texas on Thursday

1/15/2020 9:35:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Three consecutive road games later, the Southern Miss men's basketball team is eager for a weekend homestand that begins Thursday against North Texas (7 p.m.).

The game can be found on ESPN+ with Lee Roberts and Larry Boyd on the call, as well as with John Cox through the Southern Miss Learfield IMG Sports Network (Rock 104.5 in Hattiesburg/Laurel) and the Gameday app.

The game also serves as Military Appreciation Night, meaning active and former military can receive two complimentary tickets, as well as additional ones at a discounted rate. Fans can call 1-800-844-TICK or stop by the pregame box office to redeem. This matchup is also the first in the program's zip-code ticket promo, meaning fans from 39307 (Meridian, Miss.) can purchase $8 reserved chairback seats in honor of Jay Malone and David McCoy.

Game Notes
–    Southern Miss fell 80-70 at UTSA on Saturday. Of its first four games in C-USA play (three on the road), they have all come against teams picked in the preseason top-four. The Golden Eagles trailed by 11 early in the second half and had fought to within three, but UTSA made the right plays at the right time to come out on top. Nine Golden Eagles scored in the first half, and the squad held a 34-16 advantage in the paint, its second-best margin against a Division I team this year.

–    Artur Konontsuk produced a team-high 14 points, his first game in double-figures since a career-high 19 against now-No. 1 Gonzaga. Boban Jacdonmi also scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half, the first time he has done so since each of the first five games. Both had missed a combined seven games in December due to injury and have begun returning to form.

–   Southern Miss, in league play, leads C-USA with an 83.3 free-throw percentage (50-for-60). It was at 68.6 percent in non-conference action. Several notable improvements have been made with three of the six returners. Gabe Watson is up 13.3 percent, Tyler Stevenson 21.7 and Jacdonmi 44.5 (was 4-for-12, now 21-for-27). While the Golden Eagles have just 11 three-pointers to start C-USA action, they have also increased their free-throw makes and attempts each contest. Southern Miss is 13-6 in home league games since the start of the 2017-18 season.

–    Stevenson has been the team's top performer inside Reed Green Coliseum, leading the way in scoring (16.6 ppg), shooting (60.8 percent), free-throws (20) and percentage (74.1). The Golden Eagles are 4-3 in those, while UNT enters on a three-game win streak that includes a 67-64 win at Marshall on Jan. 4. He is one of five players in C-USA to rank in the top-15 overall for rebounding (No. 13 / 5.8) and field-goal percentage (No. 11 / 51.4).

–    Since going into a more-shooting guard role for the William Carey game (Nov. 24), Watson has shot 45.7 percent (up from 31.8) for 15.1 ppg (previously 8.8). He also has three, 20-point games this year, all on the road against Texas Tech, Louisiana Tech and UTEP. His replacement at the point, Jay Malone, currently leads C-USA with a 2.2 assist-turnover ratio.

–    Leonard Harper-Baker is No. 4 in C-USA for rebounding with 7.5 per game. He was the team leader last year with 8.0 per contest and has produced five games with double-figure boards this season (14 for his two-year career). The redshirt-senior is also tied for 46th nationally with 31 steals, one of five forwards in the top-50.

–    LaDavius Draine surpassed Jimmie Floyd (1994-98) for sole possession of No. 4 in school history for career-three-point makes with 144. He has made a career-high seven twice, first against UTEP last season and also against Tougaloo on Dec. 21. Next up is Neil Watson at 164 from 2011-14. Three-point attempts account for 58.8 percent of his overall tries, compared to 62.5 last year. He already has as many assists (26) as the last two years combined.

–    Southern Miss had won three in a row against North Texas before the Mean Green nabbed a 65-62 win on Jan. 5, 2019 in Denton. A layup with 15 seconds left gave UNT the lead for good after the Golden Eagles had also trailed by as much as 11 in the second half. It was also the Black and Gold's sixth-straight road game. Draine had 16 points, including going 4-for-8 from deep, while Harper-Baker added 11 points and five rebounds.

–    North Texas has held nine of its 17 opponents to 60 points or less while shooting a league-best 38.6 percent beyond the arc. Its last outing was an 81-58 win over red-hot Florida Atlantic, the third-straight opponent to be held to a season-low in scoring. This matchup also pits the No. 9 and 10 scorers in the league, both playing the perimeter: Watson (13.6 ppg) and North Texas' Umoja Gibson (14.0 ppg), both sophomores.