Southern Miss Set to Welcome Jacksonville to Hattiesburg Tuesday Night

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- After 10 days off, the Southern Miss (4-5, 0-0 CUSA) men's basketball team returns to the court on Tuesday, Dec. 14, to host Jacksonville (5-3, 0-0 ASUN). Tip from Reed Green Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. Tacky Christmas t-shirts will be handed out to the first 400 fans in attendance and one lucky fan will walk away with a Southern Miss holiday gift basket.

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The Need to Know
Following Saturday's postponement due to COVID-19 protocols within the Loyola New Orleans program, Southern Miss will play its first game since traveling to Southern Illinois on Dec. 4. The Golden Eagles have dropped three consecutive games, including a 66-41 loss to Southern Illinois in their last outing. Despite the tough stretch, sophomore Walyn Napper has found his stride over his last four games after averaging 2.4 points and 3.8 assists per game through the first five games. Over the last four games, Napper has averaged 11.0 points and 6.3 assists. Junior Tyler Stevenson has continued to play at a high level, scoring at least 10 points in five of his last six games. Stevenson hauled in a career-high 14 rebounds last Saturday against the Salukis to go along with nine points.

Sophomore guard Mo Arnold is no stranger to the Dolphins after spending two seasons with them. Arnold went for six points, four rebounds and two assists in Jacksonville's 66-51 win against Southern Miss last season. The Dolphins lead the all-time series, 5-3, and have won the last two meetings.

Scouting the Dolphins
The Dolphins head to Hattiesburg winners in three of their last four games. On Dec. 11, Jacksonville beat UNCW, 77-48. It's the same UNCW team that Southern Miss beat by 14 points in its opening game at the Zootown Classic on Nov. 24. The Dolphins dropped a tough game at Georgia last Tuesday after winning back-to-back games by double-digits. Jordan Davis, a 6-foot-3 guard, leads Jacksonville in scoring at 11.0 points per game. Mike Marsh joins Davis in double figures, averaging 10.1 points a game. On the glass, Osayi Osifo leads the way with 5.4 rebounds per game and adds 8.3 points per game.

Jacksonville ranks fourth in the country in scoring defense and it's 9.6 steals per game is the second-best rate in the ASUN. On the flip side, its scoring offense ranks 290^th at 65.6 points per game. The Dolphins have held five opponents below 55 points and two others below 65 points.

Golden Eagle Notes
- Junior Tyler Stevenson is coming off a career night last Saturday, grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds.
- Southern Miss sophomore Mo Arnold will square off against his former team. He started 38 games over two seasons for Jacksonville.
- Junior Isaih Moore has scored in double figures eight times this season and scored less than 10 points for the first time when he had seven at Southern Illinois.
- Moore ranks second in C-USA in field goal percentage, shooting 56.8 percent from the floor.

- Jacksonville leads the all-time series, 5-3. Southern Miss is 1-0 against Jacksonville at Reed Green Coliseum.
- Head coach Jay Ladner is three wins shy of reaching 100 career wins.
- Southern Miss' game against Loyola New Orleans on Dec. 11 was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the Wolf Pack program.

Southern Miss Set to Welcome Jacksonville to Hattiesburg Tuesday Night

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Players Mentioned

Mo Arnold

Isaih Moore

Walyn Napper

Tyler Stevenson