Monday, November 6
Hattiesburg, Miss.
7 PM
Southern Miss
1-0,0-0Sun Belt
64
vs
42
William Carey
0-1
1
2
F
William Carey
19
23
42
Southern Miss.
28
36
64
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Defense Guides Southern Miss Past William Carey in Men's Opener
11/6/2023 10:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The men's basketball team extended its home winning streak to 16 games on Monday night in a 64-42 over William Carey at Reed Green Coliseum. Southern Miss (1-0, 0-0 Sun Belt) also allowed the fewest points in the Jay Ladner era, besting the previous low of 48.
"My hat goes off to William Carey -- they aren't new to us and they had a much-improved team from last year," Ladner said. "I talked to John Cox about it on the pregame show, but those are guys that were on our recruiting board. They're a lot of Mississippi junior college players that I'm very familiar with, and they reset their roster. They battled all the way to the end, so credit to them."
Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year Austin Crowley lived up to the hype as the senior guard went for a game-high 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. It was the first double-double for the West Point and Sunrise Christian product.
The Golden Eagles got off to a quick start as they jumped ahead 8-0 after winning the opening tip. Crosstown foe William Carey ripped off a 10-0 run, though, to pull ahead and silence the home crowd. The Crusaders played with a lead no larger than two before Southern Miss rattled off a 13-4 run to close the half. The lead ballooned to as many as 11, but William Carey used a late field goal to make it a nine-point game at the break.
Ladner's halftime speech proved to be a difference maker as the Golden Eagles came out firing after a brief Crusader scare. A Crowley dunk two minutes into the second half jump started an 18-1 run that included a pair of alley-oops.
The first came on a half court heave from Crowley to Donovan Ivory, then Mo Arnold connected with Victor Hart. The Hart slam forced a William Carey timeout and gave Southern Miss a 27-point lead, it's largest of the night.
Following the game-changing run, the Crusaders only ever got within 15 of the Golden Eagles the rest of the game. Jose Benitez came off the bench to draw two charges and swatted a Crusader layup to make his presence known on the defensive end.
Reed Green Coliseum got its loudest when Luke Ladner took a Crusader defender through the spin cycle with 20 seconds left on the clock. Ladner drove to the hoop in front of his head coach and father before spinning into a layup.
"I thought he made a nice move there," Ladner said of his son. "He's been out a good with a back injury and our training staff recently got him cleared to practice last week. My intention was not to even play him, and I went down there and asked him how he was feeling. He said he said he felt fine and of course I hope he wasn't just saying that to get in the game."
The Golden Eagles escaped with the 22-point win despite shooting 36.8 percent from the floor and 14.3 percent from deep. Southern Miss' 57 rebounds were the most under Ladner and the most grabbing 59 against Southeastern Baptist in 2018.
Hart finished with 12 points and seven rebounds to join Crowley in double figures. Ivory also finished in double figures, scoring 13 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the floor. Arnold added seven points – all of which came in the first half.
Up Next
Southern Miss will head to Akron, Ohio on Friday, Nov. 10 to play Akron in the MAC-SBC Challenge. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
Game Notes
- The 19 points allowed in the first half was the second fewest under Jay Ladner
- Southern Miss' 57 rebounds were the most under Ladner and the most since 2018 against Southeastern Baptist (59)
- Austin Crowley scored 32nd time and finished with his first career double-double
- Donovan Ivory's 13 points put him in double figures for the 13th time
- Ivory's nine rebounds were a career high
- Victor Hart's 12 points put him in double figures for the third time in his career
- Southern Miss extended its home winning streak to 16 games, dating back to last year's season opener against William Carey
"My hat goes off to William Carey -- they aren't new to us and they had a much-improved team from last year," Ladner said. "I talked to John Cox about it on the pregame show, but those are guys that were on our recruiting board. They're a lot of Mississippi junior college players that I'm very familiar with, and they reset their roster. They battled all the way to the end, so credit to them."
Dub City ➡️ 16 Straight pic.twitter.com/DdsrOpmONs
— Southern Miss MBB (@SouthernMissMBB) November 7, 2023
Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year Austin Crowley lived up to the hype as the senior guard went for a game-high 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. It was the first double-double for the West Point and Sunrise Christian product.
The Golden Eagles got off to a quick start as they jumped ahead 8-0 after winning the opening tip. Crosstown foe William Carey ripped off a 10-0 run, though, to pull ahead and silence the home crowd. The Crusaders played with a lead no larger than two before Southern Miss rattled off a 13-4 run to close the half. The lead ballooned to as many as 11, but William Carey used a late field goal to make it a nine-point game at the break.
Ladner's halftime speech proved to be a difference maker as the Golden Eagles came out firing after a brief Crusader scare. A Crowley dunk two minutes into the second half jump started an 18-1 run that included a pair of alley-oops.
The first came on a half court heave from Crowley to Donovan Ivory, then Mo Arnold connected with Victor Hart. The Hart slam forced a William Carey timeout and gave Southern Miss a 27-point lead, it's largest of the night.
📞 #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/fmF3OHy0ZF
— Southern Miss MBB (@SouthernMissMBB) November 7, 2023
Following the game-changing run, the Crusaders only ever got within 15 of the Golden Eagles the rest of the game. Jose Benitez came off the bench to draw two charges and swatted a Crusader layup to make his presence known on the defensive end.
Reed Green Coliseum got its loudest when Luke Ladner took a Crusader defender through the spin cycle with 20 seconds left on the clock. Ladner drove to the hoop in front of his head coach and father before spinning into a layup.
"I thought he made a nice move there," Ladner said of his son. "He's been out a good with a back injury and our training staff recently got him cleared to practice last week. My intention was not to even play him, and I went down there and asked him how he was feeling. He said he said he felt fine and of course I hope he wasn't just saying that to get in the game."
The Golden Eagles escaped with the 22-point win despite shooting 36.8 percent from the floor and 14.3 percent from deep. Southern Miss' 57 rebounds were the most under Ladner and the most grabbing 59 against Southeastern Baptist in 2018.
Hart finished with 12 points and seven rebounds to join Crowley in double figures. Ivory also finished in double figures, scoring 13 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the floor. Arnold added seven points – all of which came in the first half.
Up Next
Southern Miss will head to Akron, Ohio on Friday, Nov. 10 to play Akron in the MAC-SBC Challenge. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
Game Notes
- The 19 points allowed in the first half was the second fewest under Jay Ladner
- Southern Miss' 57 rebounds were the most under Ladner and the most since 2018 against Southeastern Baptist (59)
- Austin Crowley scored 32nd time and finished with his first career double-double
- Donovan Ivory's 13 points put him in double figures for the 13th time
- Ivory's nine rebounds were a career high
- Victor Hart's 12 points put him in double figures for the third time in his career
- Southern Miss extended its home winning streak to 16 games, dating back to last year's season opener against William Carey
Team Stats
WC
USM
FG%
.230
.368
3FG%
.107
.143
FT%
.786
.550
RB
40
57
TO
12
11
STL
8
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
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