Men's Basketball Falls in Charity Game to Mississippi State

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Southern Miss men's basketball fell 60-54 in an in-state battle against Mississippi State on Sunday afternoon at Reed Green Coliseum. The atmosphere in the preseason charity game felt more like a late-March crowd as over 2,500 fans helped raise funds for tornado victims in the Mississippi Delta.

"I don't think you could get a better preparation for your season," said head coach Jay Ladner. "My hat goes off to coach Jan's and Mississippi State's athletic administration for doing this. I also want to thank Jeremy McClain, Dr. Joe Paul and our administration for allowing the schools to come together to raise money for Mississippians up in the Delta."

A projected low scoring game between two of the nation's top defenses from last season lived up to the hype as both teams combined for 19 steals, while Southern Miss forced 15 Mississippi State turnovers.

The Golden Eagles got another solid performance from Victor Hart as the junior went for 15 points and 11 rebounds. Hart's double-double comes after he dropped 20 points in the Delta State exhibition game last Tuesday.

The first half was not friendly to Southern Miss in the shooting category, nor did it do any favors for the Bulldogs. The Golden Eagles went 9-for-31 from the floor in the opening frame for a 29 percent clip. Five of those baskets were three-pointers – they connected on nine the entire game.

Mississippi State's Josh Hubbard provided a spark to the Bulldogs in the second half as the freshman accounted for 10 of their 29 second-half points. Donovan Ivory matched Hubbard's three-point barrage to keep Southern Miss within striking distance but an eight-minute scoring drought was too much to overcome.

Big man Tegra Izay accounted for three blocks to lead all players and added four rebounds off the bench. Southern Miss battled foul trouble down the stretch as they were called for eight personal fouls to Mississippi State's zero over the final 12 minutes of the game.

Austin Crowley and Ivory both had 11 points to join Hart in double-digit scoring. Mo Arnold added eight points, while Cobie Montgomery came off the bench to add six. The Golden Eagles went 18-for-60 from the floor overall. They were also outrebounded 48-38, though kept the offensive board battle close.

Southern Miss opens the season on Nov. 6 against William Carey inside Reed Green Coliseum. The battle for Hattiesburg will start at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

Men's Basketball Falls in Charity Game to Mississippi State

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Players Mentioned

Mo Arnold

Austin Crowley

Victor Hart

Donovan Ivory

Tegra Izay

Cobie Montgomery