Wednesday, November 22
Hattiesburg, Miss.
7 PM
Southern Miss
2-4,0-0Sun Belt
54
vs
65
South Dakota State
2-4,0-0Summit League
1
2
F
South Dakota St.
34
31
65
Southern Miss.
22
32
54
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Men's Basketball Home Winning Streak Snapped at Seventeen
11/22/2023 10:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Victor Hart notched his first collegiate double-double in Southern Miss' 65-54 loss to South Dakota State (2-4, 0-0 Summit) on Wednesday night. The loss snapped a 17-game winning streak inside Reed Green Coliseum for the men's basketball program.
Twelve of Hart's 16 points came in the second half as the senior guard tried to lead the Golden Eagles (2-4, 0-0 Sun Belt) back from a 17-point deficit – he finished with 10 rebounds to earn the double-double. Hart got help from Austin Crowley, who went for a game-high 18 points.
Hart initially sparked a Southern Miss rally in the second half when he faked a jumper and drove to the rim for a thunderous dunk. The Sportscenter-worthy dunk cut the Jackrabbit lead to eight and got the Reed Green faithful on their feet. South Dakota State answered and Donovan Ivory again cut the margin to eight on a pair of made free throws.
With 10:17 to play, Crowley cashed in on two more free throws as Southern Miss hit the bonus with 11 minutes left in the game. Crowley's two freebies put Southern Miss down by six, but Charlie Easley connected on a deep three-pointer to halt the momentum.
South Dakota State made 11 triples, including eight in the first half. William Kyle III then put an exclamation on the game with a two-handed dunk under the hoop that put the Summit League team up 14 with 5:45 left on the clock. The Golden Eagles would go on a mini run to make it a seven-point game with two minutes left. Crowley's free throw to cut it to seven would be the last points Southern Miss would score on the night.
The Jackrabbits finished on a 4-0 run to seal the 11-point non-conference win. Summit Preseason Player of the Year Zeke Mayo went for 16 points and eight rebounds while battling foul trouble. South Dakota State shot 43.1 percent from the floor and 47.8 percent from deep.
Southern Miss struggled from the floor, shooting 29.1 percent on 55 attempts. It was the lowest shooting percentage the Golden Eagles have recorded under Jay Ladner – the previous was a 29.5 percent clip against Middle Tennessee in 2021.
Cobie Montgomery made a pair of three-pointers off the bench and hauled down two rebounds in 18 minutes of action. Ivory finished with seven points and Mo Arnold had five. Victor Iwuakor – who fouled out late in the second half – had two points and two rebounds. Hart finished with four steals and a blocked shot.
The Golden Eagles will play at Milwaukee on Saturday, Nov. 25. Tip-off against the Panthers is set for 1:30 p.m. CT and will be on ESPN+.
Game Notes
- Tegra Izay got his first career start and played 14 minutes
- Victor Hart has scored 10+ points in four-straight games (Xavier – 10, Utah Valley – 18, Cal State Fullerton – 23, South Dakota State – 16)
- Hart picked up his first collegiate double-double as he went for 16 points and 10 rebounds
- The loss snapped Southern Miss' 17-game home winning streak that Started against William Carey during the 2022-23 season opener
- Austin Crowley scored 16 points and has now scored 10+ points in 37 career games
Twelve of Hart's 16 points came in the second half as the senior guard tried to lead the Golden Eagles (2-4, 0-0 Sun Belt) back from a 17-point deficit – he finished with 10 rebounds to earn the double-double. Hart got help from Austin Crowley, who went for a game-high 18 points.
Hart initially sparked a Southern Miss rally in the second half when he faked a jumper and drove to the rim for a thunderous dunk. The Sportscenter-worthy dunk cut the Jackrabbit lead to eight and got the Reed Green faithful on their feet. South Dakota State answered and Donovan Ivory again cut the margin to eight on a pair of made free throws.
SLAMMA JAMMA 🔨@vickhart_12 | #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/t3v07hXvyP
— Southern Miss MBB (@SouthernMissMBB) November 23, 2023
With 10:17 to play, Crowley cashed in on two more free throws as Southern Miss hit the bonus with 11 minutes left in the game. Crowley's two freebies put Southern Miss down by six, but Charlie Easley connected on a deep three-pointer to halt the momentum.
South Dakota State made 11 triples, including eight in the first half. William Kyle III then put an exclamation on the game with a two-handed dunk under the hoop that put the Summit League team up 14 with 5:45 left on the clock. The Golden Eagles would go on a mini run to make it a seven-point game with two minutes left. Crowley's free throw to cut it to seven would be the last points Southern Miss would score on the night.
The Jackrabbits finished on a 4-0 run to seal the 11-point non-conference win. Summit Preseason Player of the Year Zeke Mayo went for 16 points and eight rebounds while battling foul trouble. South Dakota State shot 43.1 percent from the floor and 47.8 percent from deep.
Southern Miss struggled from the floor, shooting 29.1 percent on 55 attempts. It was the lowest shooting percentage the Golden Eagles have recorded under Jay Ladner – the previous was a 29.5 percent clip against Middle Tennessee in 2021.
Cobie Montgomery made a pair of three-pointers off the bench and hauled down two rebounds in 18 minutes of action. Ivory finished with seven points and Mo Arnold had five. Victor Iwuakor – who fouled out late in the second half – had two points and two rebounds. Hart finished with four steals and a blocked shot.
The Golden Eagles will play at Milwaukee on Saturday, Nov. 25. Tip-off against the Panthers is set for 1:30 p.m. CT and will be on ESPN+.
Game Notes
- Tegra Izay got his first career start and played 14 minutes
- Victor Hart has scored 10+ points in four-straight games (Xavier – 10, Utah Valley – 18, Cal State Fullerton – 23, South Dakota State – 16)
- Hart picked up his first collegiate double-double as he went for 16 points and 10 rebounds
- The loss snapped Southern Miss' 17-game home winning streak that Started against William Carey during the 2022-23 season opener
- Austin Crowley scored 16 points and has now scored 10+ points in 37 career games
Team Stats
SDSU
USM
FG%
.431
.291
3FG%
.478
.217
FT%
.556
.548
RB
48
32
TO
17
8
STL
8
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
9
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballG
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