University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
East Carolina
Men’s Basketball Heads to ECU for Final Non-Conference Bout
12/20/2021 4:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss (4-7, 0-0 CUSA) men's basketball team will close its non-conference slate at East Carolina (8-3, 0-0 AAC) on Tuesday, Dec. 20. Tip from Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum is set for 11 a.m. CST.
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The Need to Know
- Southern Miss has won the last 11 meetings with ECU dating back to 2010.
- Southern Miss leads the all-time series, 16-7.
- Southern Miss blew past ECU, 60-46, in 2014 at Minges Coliseum.
- Freshman Rashad Bolden is coming off the second-best scoring output of his young career. The Jackson, Miss. native went for 19 points and four rebounds in Saturday's loss at ULM.
- With leading scorer Tae Hardy sidelined for the season, juniors Isaih Moore and Tyler Stevenson have both contributed heavily in the scoring column. Moore is averaging 12.5 points per game and Stevenson is sitting at 11.7 points per game.
- Stevenson recorded his 500th career rebound at ULM to become the 30th player in program history to reach the feat.
- Freshman Jaron Pierre, Jr. has scored a combined 27 points in his last two games after scoring only 23 in the previous four games.
- Walyn Napper's 1.96 assists/turnover ratio ranks sixth in CUSA among all players.
- Southern Miss head coach Jay Ladner is three wins shy of reaching 100 career wins.
Scouting the Pirates
- ECU owns an 8-3 record, falling to Liberty last Friday night by 10 points. The Pirates had won four-straight games prior Friday's loss at the Basketball Hall of Fame Shootout in Charlotte, N.C.
- Tristen Newton has paced ECU in scoring in a team-high six contests this season, including 15 against Liberty his last time out.
- Newton, a 6-foot-5 guard, is averaging a team-high 17.5 points per game and has a team-best 54 assists.
- Brandon Suggs and Vance Jackson each average 10 points per game.
- Brandon Johnson averages a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game and a modest 6.4 points.
- East Carolina is 2-0 versus Conference USA teams this season with both wins coming against Old Dominion.
- Five of the Pirates' eight wins have come by 10 or more points.
- ECU is shooting 43.5 percent from the floor and 37.2 percent from three-point land.
The Road Ahead
- The Golden Eagles will go on a short holiday break following Tuesday's game.
- Western Kentucky and Marshall visit Reed Green Coliseum on Dec. 30 and Jan. 1, respectively.
