University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Monday, December 28
Reed Green Coliseum
2 p.m.
Southern Miss
vs
Loyola (La.)
Southern Miss Set for Monday Matinee Against Loyola New Orleans
12/27/2020 12:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss men's basketball team will look to extend its winning-streak to three games when it concludes non-conference play Monday against Loyola (New Orleans). Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. inside Reed Green Coliseum.
Fans can tune into the game via CUSA.tv and the Southern Miss Learfield IMG Sports Network (Rock 104.5 in Hattiesburg/Laurel), with John Cox on the call for both.
NOTABLE
–   This game features one of only three father-versus-son matchups among Division I coaches, with Luke Ladner serving as a sophomore guard for the Wolf Pack. Other matchups nationally include Kentucky's John Calipari (postponed Nov. 27 and Dec. 15 versus Detroit Mercy) and Nebraska's Fred Hoiberg (Jan. 2, Feb. 3 versus Michigan State). Loyola is No. 9 in the most-recent NAIA poll with its last game being a 79-64 win over William Carey on Nov. 21.
–    Defense continued to be the strength for Southern Miss in its last time out, defeating ULM 60-47 on Saturday, Dec. 19. It marked the first win in the Jay Ladner era in which the Golden Eagles were out-shot, but the squad now ranks second in C-USA in allowing just 60.5 ppg. The contest marked Southern Miss' fewest points in a win since March 6, 2019, a 59-52 decision at C-USA champ Old Dominion.Â
–    It was a 10-2 run through the 7:15 mark of the second half that upped the home lead to 48-37 that paved the way, as well as an 8-for-8 free-throw clip after going 5-for-10 in the first. Tae Hardy recorded a career-high 16 points, while LaDavius Draine's fourth-career double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) also added to the fray.
–    Hardy's last three games have been the best of the season. He came off the bench for the first time against South Alabama, and his eight assists and no turnovers in that game have him as one of 22 in the country this year to do so against a Division I opponent. He is also 10-for-17 from the field (14.5 ppg) over the last two games while making 10 of his last 11 free-throws (began the year 3-for-8).Â
–    A fast start in Saturday's game would be key to the team's success. Ten of Ladner's 12 wins have come when leading or tied at the half. In two of the Golden Eagles' 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 and a 10-0 one against ULM in the opening minutes.
–    Draine enters the game with 984 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 went 5-for-11 against ULM to give him 194 treys for his career, tied with Casey Fisher (1984-88) for second all-time. Bernard Haslett holds the record with 316 from 1990-94.
–    Southern Miss has out-rebounded five of its six opponents this year, with Tyler Stevenson leading the way at 7.7 per game. He is up from 2.3 and 6.6 in the previous years and leading the team with a 57.5 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. The Golden Eagles were just 34.5 percent from the field against ULM, with that win being their first after 16 defeats under Ladner.
–    Rebounding has been a story of the season. Southern Miss has flipped the script on the glass this year, boasting a plus-6.2 margin, which is fifth in C-USA. Its 21 offensive rebounds in the opener were its most since the 2015-16 opener at Memphis. Last year's team was plus-1.7. The Golden Eagles out-rebounded Lamar  and ULM 36-27 and 40-33, respectively.
–    These two teams were longtime rivals in NAIA, playing 24 of Southern Miss' recorded 28 games between 1947-58. Other contests came in 1964, 2008, 2009 and 2011. In that last meeting, Gary Flowers became the fourth-fastest Golden Eagle to 1,000 points (59 games).
Fans can tune into the game via CUSA.tv and the Southern Miss Learfield IMG Sports Network (Rock 104.5 in Hattiesburg/Laurel), with John Cox on the call for both.
NOTABLE
–   This game features one of only three father-versus-son matchups among Division I coaches, with Luke Ladner serving as a sophomore guard for the Wolf Pack. Other matchups nationally include Kentucky's John Calipari (postponed Nov. 27 and Dec. 15 versus Detroit Mercy) and Nebraska's Fred Hoiberg (Jan. 2, Feb. 3 versus Michigan State). Loyola is No. 9 in the most-recent NAIA poll with its last game being a 79-64 win over William Carey on Nov. 21.
–    Defense continued to be the strength for Southern Miss in its last time out, defeating ULM 60-47 on Saturday, Dec. 19. It marked the first win in the Jay Ladner era in which the Golden Eagles were out-shot, but the squad now ranks second in C-USA in allowing just 60.5 ppg. The contest marked Southern Miss' fewest points in a win since March 6, 2019, a 59-52 decision at C-USA champ Old Dominion.Â
–    It was a 10-2 run through the 7:15 mark of the second half that upped the home lead to 48-37 that paved the way, as well as an 8-for-8 free-throw clip after going 5-for-10 in the first. Tae Hardy recorded a career-high 16 points, while LaDavius Draine's fourth-career double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) also added to the fray.
–    Hardy's last three games have been the best of the season. He came off the bench for the first time against South Alabama, and his eight assists and no turnovers in that game have him as one of 22 in the country this year to do so against a Division I opponent. He is also 10-for-17 from the field (14.5 ppg) over the last two games while making 10 of his last 11 free-throws (began the year 3-for-8).Â
–    A fast start in Saturday's game would be key to the team's success. Ten of Ladner's 12 wins have come when leading or tied at the half. In two of the Golden Eagles' 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 and a 10-0 one against ULM in the opening minutes.
–    Draine enters the game with 984 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 went 5-for-11 against ULM to give him 194 treys for his career, tied with Casey Fisher (1984-88) for second all-time. Bernard Haslett holds the record with 316 from 1990-94.
–    Southern Miss has out-rebounded five of its six opponents this year, with Tyler Stevenson leading the way at 7.7 per game. He is up from 2.3 and 6.6 in the previous years and leading the team with a 57.5 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. The Golden Eagles were just 34.5 percent from the field against ULM, with that win being their first after 16 defeats under Ladner.
–    Rebounding has been a story of the season. Southern Miss has flipped the script on the glass this year, boasting a plus-6.2 margin, which is fifth in C-USA. Its 21 offensive rebounds in the opener were its most since the 2015-16 opener at Memphis. Last year's team was plus-1.7. The Golden Eagles out-rebounded Lamar  and ULM 36-27 and 40-33, respectively.
–    These two teams were longtime rivals in NAIA, playing 24 of Southern Miss' recorded 28 games between 1947-58. Other contests came in 1964, 2008, 2009 and 2011. In that last meeting, Gary Flowers became the fourth-fastest Golden Eagle to 1,000 points (59 games).
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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