Monday, February 14
Reed Green Coliseum
7:00 PM
Southern Miss
-618,110 CUSA
77
vs
87
Western Kentucky
-1511,76 CUSA
1
2
F
Western Ky.
46
41
87
Southern Miss.
38
39
77
Southern Miss' Comeback Bid Falls Short Against WKU
2/14/2022 10:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. --Â Western Kentucky spoiled Southern Miss' bid for a Valentine's Day win on Monday night, as the Hilltoppers (15-11, 7-6) pulled away late en route to an 87-77 win over the Golden Eagles (6-18, 1-10 C-USA) at Reed Green Coliseum.Â
"You have to give Western Kentucky credit because they're really playing well right now," said head coach Jay Ladner. "They don't have a ton of depth, but they seem to play very well together. They did a good job of getting to the foul line and then did a good job of making their free throws -- I thought that was a big deal.
"I felt like we were rebounding the basketball very well. There's a 7-foot-5 guy in there with their big forwards, so I think our guys did a great job in that spot and rebounding is a direct correlation to effort."
Southern Miss was within three at the six-minute mark after Walyn Napper drove hard to the rim for two of Southern Miss' 38 points in the paint, but Camron Justice took over for Western Kentucky down the stretch. Justice scored seven of WKU's final 10 points, and hit three three-pointers in the second half to finish with 24 points. The former WKU graduate assistant would ultimately ice the game with four free throws to push the Hilltoppers in front by 10 with 40 seconds to play.Â
Going basket-for-basket with WKU's Dayvion McKnight and Justice, junior Isaih Moore kept Southern Miss within striking distance for much of the first half, scoring 13 points in the opening frame. It was the 13th time Moore reached double-figure scoring this season, and he finished with a team-high 25 points. The Columbia, S.C. native also pulled down 12 rebounds to finish with his fourth double-double this season and first since going for 10 points and 10 rebounds against UC San Diego on Nov. 25. McKnight finished with a game-high 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor and 8-of-10 shooting from the free throw line.
"Isaih [Moore] is a very talented player and it was hard to take him out tonight. Him and Tyler [Stevenson] were both being so productive. I thought Walyn Napper played one of his best games as a Golden Eagle as well. He brought some energy and fire there in the second half."
Sophomore Walyn Napper, who found Moore on the receiving end of a couple monster alleyoops, finished with a career-high 11 assists. It was the most assists by a Golden Eagle since Gabe Watson also dished out 11 assists at FIU on Feb. 15, 2020. Napper added nine points down the stretch, including that driving layup to make it a three-point game with under six minutes play.Â
WKU was averaging 35.4 rebounds per game, but Southern Miss held the Hilltoppers to just 28 boards tonight. On the flip side, the Black and Gold pulled down 39 rebounds, including a season-high 16 offensive rebounds. Junior DeAndre Pinckney pulled down 10 boards and finished with 12 points to secure his third-career double-double.Â
The Southern Miss bench outscored the WKU bench, 20-6. Freshman Jaron Pierre, Jr. came off the bench to score nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from three-point land. As a team, the Golden Eagles went 8-of-20 from the three-point line, while the Hilltoppers went 13-of-25 from deep. On top of holding the bench and rebounding advantage, Southern Miss also outscored WKU in the paint, 38-18.Â
Junior Tyler Stevenson poured in 15 points to tie former teammate LaDavius Draine (2017-21) on the Southern Miss all-time scoring list. Stevenson then passed John Prince (1973-77) following a two-handed dunk in the second half to move into 30th all-time with 1,139 points.Â
The Golden Eagles continue their homestand on Thursday night against UTSA. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Game Notes
- Southern Miss used its 11th-different starting lineup combination tonight.Â
- Isaih Moore recorded his fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 25Â points and 12 rebounds.
- Walyn Napper's career-high 11 assists tied the most by a Golden Eagles since Gabe Watson recorded 11 against FIIU on Feb. 15, 2020.Â
- Junior Tyler Stevenson tied former teammate LaDavius Draine (2017-21) on the Southern Miss all-time scoring list after nine first-half points, and then passed John Prince (1973-77) following a two-handed in the second half to move into 30th all-time with 1,139 points.Â
- Southern Miss pulled down a season-high 16 offensive rebounds. It's previous high was 15 against Louisiana Tech on Jan. 15.
"You have to give Western Kentucky credit because they're really playing well right now," said head coach Jay Ladner. "They don't have a ton of depth, but they seem to play very well together. They did a good job of getting to the foul line and then did a good job of making their free throws -- I thought that was a big deal.
"I felt like we were rebounding the basketball very well. There's a 7-foot-5 guy in there with their big forwards, so I think our guys did a great job in that spot and rebounding is a direct correlation to effort."
Southern Miss was within three at the six-minute mark after Walyn Napper drove hard to the rim for two of Southern Miss' 38 points in the paint, but Camron Justice took over for Western Kentucky down the stretch. Justice scored seven of WKU's final 10 points, and hit three three-pointers in the second half to finish with 24 points. The former WKU graduate assistant would ultimately ice the game with four free throws to push the Hilltoppers in front by 10 with 40 seconds to play.Â
Going basket-for-basket with WKU's Dayvion McKnight and Justice, junior Isaih Moore kept Southern Miss within striking distance for much of the first half, scoring 13 points in the opening frame. It was the 13th time Moore reached double-figure scoring this season, and he finished with a team-high 25 points. The Columbia, S.C. native also pulled down 12 rebounds to finish with his fourth double-double this season and first since going for 10 points and 10 rebounds against UC San Diego on Nov. 25. McKnight finished with a game-high 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor and 8-of-10 shooting from the free throw line.
"Isaih [Moore] is a very talented player and it was hard to take him out tonight. Him and Tyler [Stevenson] were both being so productive. I thought Walyn Napper played one of his best games as a Golden Eagle as well. He brought some energy and fire there in the second half."
Sophomore Walyn Napper, who found Moore on the receiving end of a couple monster alleyoops, finished with a career-high 11 assists. It was the most assists by a Golden Eagle since Gabe Watson also dished out 11 assists at FIU on Feb. 15, 2020. Napper added nine points down the stretch, including that driving layup to make it a three-point game with under six minutes play.Â
WKU was averaging 35.4 rebounds per game, but Southern Miss held the Hilltoppers to just 28 boards tonight. On the flip side, the Black and Gold pulled down 39 rebounds, including a season-high 16 offensive rebounds. Junior DeAndre Pinckney pulled down 10 boards and finished with 12 points to secure his third-career double-double.Â
The Southern Miss bench outscored the WKU bench, 20-6. Freshman Jaron Pierre, Jr. came off the bench to score nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from three-point land. As a team, the Golden Eagles went 8-of-20 from the three-point line, while the Hilltoppers went 13-of-25 from deep. On top of holding the bench and rebounding advantage, Southern Miss also outscored WKU in the paint, 38-18.Â
Junior Tyler Stevenson poured in 15 points to tie former teammate LaDavius Draine (2017-21) on the Southern Miss all-time scoring list. Stevenson then passed John Prince (1973-77) following a two-handed dunk in the second half to move into 30th all-time with 1,139 points.Â
The Golden Eagles continue their homestand on Thursday night against UTSA. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Game Notes
- Southern Miss used its 11th-different starting lineup combination tonight.Â
- Isaih Moore recorded his fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 25Â points and 12 rebounds.
- Walyn Napper's career-high 11 assists tied the most by a Golden Eagles since Gabe Watson recorded 11 against FIIU on Feb. 15, 2020.Â
- Junior Tyler Stevenson tied former teammate LaDavius Draine (2017-21) on the Southern Miss all-time scoring list after nine first-half points, and then passed John Prince (1973-77) following a two-handed in the second half to move into 30th all-time with 1,139 points.Â
- Southern Miss pulled down a season-high 16 offensive rebounds. It's previous high was 15 against Louisiana Tech on Jan. 15.
Team Stats
WestKy
USM
FG%
.500
.455
3FG%
.520
.400
FT%
.870
.900
RB
28
39
TO
9
13
STL
8
5
Game Leaders
Pts
25
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
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