University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, January 25
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
5 p.m. CT
Southern Miss
at
Middle Tennessee
Southern Miss Looks to Continue Momentum at Middle Tennessee
1/24/2020 12:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Golden Eagle men's basketball team, seeking its third-straight victory, is en route to Murfreesboro, where it will battle Middle Tennessee on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Jake Rose and Duane Hickey will have the call on ESPN Plus, while John Cox will carry the game on the Southern Miss Learfield IMG Network (Rock 104.5 in Hattiesburg/Laurel) and the Gameday app.
Game Notes
– Southern Miss defeated UAB, 84-77, on Thursday night for its first road win of the year. The Golden Eagles ended the first half on a 15-3 run to lead 36-30, then went up by as much as 16 with less than 10 minutes left. LaDavius Draine (28 points) and Gabe Watson (27) led the way with career-highs and marked the first teammates with 25-plus points since March 12, 2009, also against UAB. Five Golden Eagles have produced 27-plus points in a game this year, which leads the nation.
– The last two games have been Southern Miss' best scoring outputs against Division I competition this year. The team's 68 percent clip in the second half was its best in any period of the year. The squad used just seven players for the second time this season (first since South Alabama on Nov. 9), and became the 11th team this season to win with no bench points. It was also Jay Ladner's first C-USA win on the sidelines after missing the Rice game due to the flu (Kyle Roane was the acting head coach).
– Southern Miss last Saturday produced 24 assists (on 29 baskets), the most by a C-USA team against a league opponent this year, to a season-low nine turnovers. It was the team's greatest difference in the two categories since going 30-9 in the 101-51 win over Marshall last year. All of the Golden Eagles' victories have come when tying or winning the turnover battle.
– Southern Miss, in league play, leads C-USA with an 82.7 free-throw percentage (91-for-110). It was at 68.6 percent in non-conference action. Several notable improvements have been made with three of the six returners. Watson is up 12.4 percent, Tyler Stevenson 22.4 and Boban Jacdonmi 44.1 (was 4-for-12, now 24-for-31). Draine has made his last 15 foul shots, all in league play, and it leads C-USA as well (missed his final attempt in Tougaloo game).
– Draine has 150 three-pointers in his career, which ranks fourth in school history. 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. He has also continued to diversify his game with layups and inside jumpers He already has more assists (31) and steals (25) than the last two years combined.
– Watson, who joined Artur Konontsuk as game-time decisions last Saturday due to the flu, has been the team's top performer in road/neutral games. His 69 field goals are 24 more than the next-closest player, and his 15.9 ppg lead the way. He has four, 20-point games this season, all on the road (Texas Tech, LA Tech, UTEP, UAB). As a freshman reserve, he reached double-figures four times, with three coming on the road.
– Konontsuk at UAB made his first start since Dec. 4 and 10th overall. He gave the Golden Eagles 10 points and will again be counted on for Saturday. His 28 minutes were his most since Nov. 27.Â
– Southern Miss has won back-to-back contests against the Blue Raiders, most notably the 2018 C-USA quarterfinals upset when the Blue Raiders were the top seed. The Golden Eagles never trailed and kept the visitors at bay despite it being a six-point game with three minutes left. Donovan Sims went 12-for-16 for 28 points, but the Golden Eagles did hold Antonio Green to 3-for-14 shooting. Tyree Griffin led Southern Miss with 21 points and seven assists, while Draine (14) and Watson (12) helped The Golden Eagles are seeking their first win in Murfreesboro. Only Draine and Clay Weatherspoon were on the last trip in January 2018.
– The Golden Eagles have attempted a league-low 110 three-pointers in C-USA action. They average 4.1 makes per game, while the Blue Raiders are at 9.3. Stevenson, who was one board shy of double-doubles in consecutive games, is also third in the league with 8.6 rpg.
Jake Rose and Duane Hickey will have the call on ESPN Plus, while John Cox will carry the game on the Southern Miss Learfield IMG Network (Rock 104.5 in Hattiesburg/Laurel) and the Gameday app.
Game Notes
– Southern Miss defeated UAB, 84-77, on Thursday night for its first road win of the year. The Golden Eagles ended the first half on a 15-3 run to lead 36-30, then went up by as much as 16 with less than 10 minutes left. LaDavius Draine (28 points) and Gabe Watson (27) led the way with career-highs and marked the first teammates with 25-plus points since March 12, 2009, also against UAB. Five Golden Eagles have produced 27-plus points in a game this year, which leads the nation.
– The last two games have been Southern Miss' best scoring outputs against Division I competition this year. The team's 68 percent clip in the second half was its best in any period of the year. The squad used just seven players for the second time this season (first since South Alabama on Nov. 9), and became the 11th team this season to win with no bench points. It was also Jay Ladner's first C-USA win on the sidelines after missing the Rice game due to the flu (Kyle Roane was the acting head coach).
– Southern Miss last Saturday produced 24 assists (on 29 baskets), the most by a C-USA team against a league opponent this year, to a season-low nine turnovers. It was the team's greatest difference in the two categories since going 30-9 in the 101-51 win over Marshall last year. All of the Golden Eagles' victories have come when tying or winning the turnover battle.
– Southern Miss, in league play, leads C-USA with an 82.7 free-throw percentage (91-for-110). It was at 68.6 percent in non-conference action. Several notable improvements have been made with three of the six returners. Watson is up 12.4 percent, Tyler Stevenson 22.4 and Boban Jacdonmi 44.1 (was 4-for-12, now 24-for-31). Draine has made his last 15 foul shots, all in league play, and it leads C-USA as well (missed his final attempt in Tougaloo game).
– Draine has 150 three-pointers in his career, which ranks fourth in school history. 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. He has also continued to diversify his game with layups and inside jumpers He already has more assists (31) and steals (25) than the last two years combined.
– Watson, who joined Artur Konontsuk as game-time decisions last Saturday due to the flu, has been the team's top performer in road/neutral games. His 69 field goals are 24 more than the next-closest player, and his 15.9 ppg lead the way. He has four, 20-point games this season, all on the road (Texas Tech, LA Tech, UTEP, UAB). As a freshman reserve, he reached double-figures four times, with three coming on the road.
– Konontsuk at UAB made his first start since Dec. 4 and 10th overall. He gave the Golden Eagles 10 points and will again be counted on for Saturday. His 28 minutes were his most since Nov. 27.Â
– Southern Miss has won back-to-back contests against the Blue Raiders, most notably the 2018 C-USA quarterfinals upset when the Blue Raiders were the top seed. The Golden Eagles never trailed and kept the visitors at bay despite it being a six-point game with three minutes left. Donovan Sims went 12-for-16 for 28 points, but the Golden Eagles did hold Antonio Green to 3-for-14 shooting. Tyree Griffin led Southern Miss with 21 points and seven assists, while Draine (14) and Watson (12) helped The Golden Eagles are seeking their first win in Murfreesboro. Only Draine and Clay Weatherspoon were on the last trip in January 2018.
– The Golden Eagles have attempted a league-low 110 three-pointers in C-USA action. They average 4.1 makes per game, while the Blue Raiders are at 9.3. Stevenson, who was one board shy of double-doubles in consecutive games, is also third in the league with 8.6 rpg.
Players Mentioned
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