University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, December 19
Reed Green Coliseum
2 p.m.
Southern Miss
vs
ULM
Southern Miss Begins Four-Game Homestand Saturday with ULM
12/18/2020 9:57:00 AM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss.-- Fresh off a nail-biting road win at Lamar, the Golden Eagle men's basketball team will look to continue its momentum Saturday against ULM (2 p.m.).
It serves as the second of three games in Reed Green Coliseum this weekend, as the women's team opens its season Friday with Nicholls and Saturday versus William Carey (both games at 6 p.m.).
John Cox will have the call for this game on CUSA.tv and the Southern Miss Learfield IMG Sports Network (Rock 104.5 in Hattiesburg/Laurel).
NOTABLE
– Southern Miss never trailed and led by as much as 16 before holding on late to win at Lamar, 66-63, on Tuesday night. Artur Konontsuk's offensive rebound off a free-throw miss, and his subsequent swishes at the line, with nine seconds left marked the play of the game. The sophomore from Estonia finished with 15 points (second in his career behind 19 on No. 7 Gonzaga last season) and is 7-for-12 from deep the last two games.
– The Golden Eagles have surpassed 50-percent shooting in back-to-back games for the first time since last January in wins over Rice and UAB. The squad is also a scorching 24-from-55 from deep (43.6 percent) in that span after starting 14-for-55 (25.5 percent).
– Southern Miss has not had multiple games with the same lineup this year, utilizing nine players overall. Jaron Pierre Jr. has earned back-to-back starts and was also named the most-recent C-USA Freshman of the Week, averaging 18.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Tae Hardy came off the bench against South Alabama for the first time and produced an eight-assist, no-turnover outing in his 20 minutes. He returned to the lineup at Lamar and had 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
– A fast start in Saturday's game would be key to the team's success. Nine of Jay Ladner's 11 wins have come when leading or tied at the half. In the Golden Eagles' two defeats this year, it trailed 21-9 and 22-9 to Jacksonville and Tulane, respectively. Against South Alabama, in which Southern Miss did lead for 33:29 before ultimately falling, it started 16-6. The Black and Gold reeled off a 14-0 run against Lamar to lead 24-9.
– LaDavius Draine enters the game with 967 points while seeking to become the program's 38th member of the 1,000-point club. The most-recent addition was Cortez Edwards, who reached the milestone in November 2018 at Troy. Draine also has 189 three-pointers to his name, which is five away from tying Casey Fisher (1984-88). Bernard Haslett holds the record (316 from 1990-94).
– Southern Miss has out-rebounded four of its five opponents this year, with Tyler Stevenson leading the way at 8.6 per game. He is up from 2.3 and 6.6 in the previous years and leading the team with a 57.9 field-goal percentage. Staying on the shooting route, Southern Miss is now 9-1 under Ladner when hitting above 50 percent, with this year's USA loss being the only mark.
– Rebounding has the potential to be the story of the game. Southern Miss has flipped the script on the glass this year, boasting a +6.0 margin. Its 21 offensive rebounds in the opener were its most since the 2015-16 opener at Memphis. The Warhawks enter with a -6.7 in the same column. The Golden Eagles out-rebounded Lamar 36-27 on Tuesday night.
– These two teams have met 37 times, but not since 1999, which also marked ULM's first season after its Northeast Louisiana renaming.
– This is a battle of two coaches and their alma maters. Ladner's only head-to-head battle with ULM and Keith Richard came in the 2017-18 season, an 86-75 loss in Monroe. Ladner's Southeastern Louisiana team ultimately won the Southland Conference title, while the Warhawks made the CIT.
– Exactly like Southern Miss, ULM rebounded from a buzzer-beating defeat to win its next contest, a 66-55 victory over preseason Southland favorite Stephen F. Austin. It did drop its Wednesday contest, however, to Grambling after being unable to rally from a 40-27 halftime deficit.
Â
It serves as the second of three games in Reed Green Coliseum this weekend, as the women's team opens its season Friday with Nicholls and Saturday versus William Carey (both games at 6 p.m.).
John Cox will have the call for this game on CUSA.tv and the Southern Miss Learfield IMG Sports Network (Rock 104.5 in Hattiesburg/Laurel).
NOTABLE
– Southern Miss never trailed and led by as much as 16 before holding on late to win at Lamar, 66-63, on Tuesday night. Artur Konontsuk's offensive rebound off a free-throw miss, and his subsequent swishes at the line, with nine seconds left marked the play of the game. The sophomore from Estonia finished with 15 points (second in his career behind 19 on No. 7 Gonzaga last season) and is 7-for-12 from deep the last two games.
– The Golden Eagles have surpassed 50-percent shooting in back-to-back games for the first time since last January in wins over Rice and UAB. The squad is also a scorching 24-from-55 from deep (43.6 percent) in that span after starting 14-for-55 (25.5 percent).
– Southern Miss has not had multiple games with the same lineup this year, utilizing nine players overall. Jaron Pierre Jr. has earned back-to-back starts and was also named the most-recent C-USA Freshman of the Week, averaging 18.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Tae Hardy came off the bench against South Alabama for the first time and produced an eight-assist, no-turnover outing in his 20 minutes. He returned to the lineup at Lamar and had 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
– A fast start in Saturday's game would be key to the team's success. Nine of Jay Ladner's 11 wins have come when leading or tied at the half. In the Golden Eagles' two defeats this year, it trailed 21-9 and 22-9 to Jacksonville and Tulane, respectively. Against South Alabama, in which Southern Miss did lead for 33:29 before ultimately falling, it started 16-6. The Black and Gold reeled off a 14-0 run against Lamar to lead 24-9.
– LaDavius Draine enters the game with 967 points while seeking to become the program's 38th member of the 1,000-point club. The most-recent addition was Cortez Edwards, who reached the milestone in November 2018 at Troy. Draine also has 189 three-pointers to his name, which is five away from tying Casey Fisher (1984-88). Bernard Haslett holds the record (316 from 1990-94).
– Southern Miss has out-rebounded four of its five opponents this year, with Tyler Stevenson leading the way at 8.6 per game. He is up from 2.3 and 6.6 in the previous years and leading the team with a 57.9 field-goal percentage. Staying on the shooting route, Southern Miss is now 9-1 under Ladner when hitting above 50 percent, with this year's USA loss being the only mark.
– Rebounding has the potential to be the story of the game. Southern Miss has flipped the script on the glass this year, boasting a +6.0 margin. Its 21 offensive rebounds in the opener were its most since the 2015-16 opener at Memphis. The Warhawks enter with a -6.7 in the same column. The Golden Eagles out-rebounded Lamar 36-27 on Tuesday night.
– These two teams have met 37 times, but not since 1999, which also marked ULM's first season after its Northeast Louisiana renaming.
– This is a battle of two coaches and their alma maters. Ladner's only head-to-head battle with ULM and Keith Richard came in the 2017-18 season, an 86-75 loss in Monroe. Ladner's Southeastern Louisiana team ultimately won the Southland Conference title, while the Warhawks made the CIT.
– Exactly like Southern Miss, ULM rebounded from a buzzer-beating defeat to win its next contest, a 66-55 victory over preseason Southland favorite Stephen F. Austin. It did drop its Wednesday contest, however, to Grambling after being unable to rally from a 40-27 halftime deficit.
Â
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballJay Ladner Press Conference - October 15, 2025
Wednesday, October 15
Southern Miss-Alabama State Highlights - 12/05/24
Friday, December 06
MBB: Southern Miss vs. Loyola New Orleans Highlights
Wednesday, November 13
Postgame Highlights - Southern Miss vs. Xavier (La.)
Wednesday, March 06