Friday, December 1
Birmingham, AL
7 PM
Southern Miss
4-4,0-0Sun Belt
85
at
82
UAB
4-4,0-0AAC
1
2
F
Southern Miss.
46
39
85
UAB
46
36
82
Golden Eagles Erase 15-Point Deficit in Road Win at UAB
12/1/2023 11:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A 15-point UAB (4-4, 0-0 American) lead vanished on Friday night as Southern Miss (4-4, 0-0 Sun Belt) stormed back to upend the Blazers, 85-82, at Bartow Arena. The win marked the second consecutive road victory for the men's basketball program.
Victor Hart led the Southern Miss charge with a career-high 26 points, including connecting on three game-changing free throws with just about five minutes to play. The Blazers connected on four of their first six three-pointers as Southern Miss tried to keep the perimeter scoring to a minimum over the first nine minutes – it worked until a Tony Toney jumper sparked a 11-1 run to put UAB up 15.
With glimpses of last season's NIT game creeping into the memory of the Southern Miss bench, the Golden Eagles finally found life with 4:21 to play in the first half. Donovan Ivory ignited Southern Miss by draining five-straight free throws before Victor Iwuakor and Austin Crowley scored on back-to-back possessions to get within seven. Crowley then hit a pair of free throws before draining a three-pointer that got the Golden Eagles within a bucket.
The man of the hour came up big after that as Hart drained a jumper from the free throw line that tied the game at 44-all with 49 seconds left in the half. UAB answered with two free throws and then Mo Arnold tied the game again with a one-on-one step-back jumper as the clock ticked to two seconds.
Arnold's basked marked a 17-4 run for Southern Miss that made it a 46-46 game after 20 minutes of play. Alejandro Vasquez and Daniel Ortiz combined to go 5-for-8 from deep in the opening half. The Golden Eagles shot a sizzling 57.1 percent from the field in the half and benefited from 12 points by Hart.
The second half delivered a heavyweight fight as there was seven ties and four lead changes before the final buzzer blared in Bartow Arena. The Golden Eagles took their first lead of the half 48 seconds in, but UAB punched back and built up a five-point lead after a Christian Coleman dunk.
Hart answered again for Southern Miss as the Miami, Fla. native finished a contested layup that started a 10-0 run to swing the lead to Southern Miss' side. Though the lead got up to five points after the run, the Blazers managed to tie the game five more times.
Cobie Montgomery delivered the dagger that put Southern Miss up for good. The redshirt junior unleashed a corner three to put Southern Miss up three and then Crowley put the nail in the coffin with a triple of his own that put four with 2:53 to play. The Golden Eagles went 4-for-4 from the free throw line over the final two minutes to ice the win and Hart added one final layup to seal the road victory.
The loss was UAB's third at home this season and marked the first time its lost more than two home games under Andy Kennedy in a single season. Crowley finished his night with 15 points, six assists and a pair of steals.
Iwuakor grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds and added seven points. Arnold, who was held scoreless at Milwaukee last Saturday, had 11 points and five assists. Coming off his career night, Ivory went for 14 points and three boards.
Montgomery came off the bench and delivered eight points, while Tegra Izay had six rebounds and four points off the bench. Southern Miss shot a season-best 53.8 percent from the floor and reached the 50 percent mark for the second-straight game.
The Golden Eagles have a week off before hosting Northwestern State on Saturday, Dec. 9. Tip-off at Reed Green Coliseum is at 2 p.m.
Game Notes
- Mo Arnold made his 95th career start in the win
- Victor Hart had a career-high 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the floor
- Victor Iwuakor grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds
- Southern Miss' 16 assists were a season high and have 31 over its last two games
- Its 53.8 percent shooting clip was the best its shot this season and put the Golden Eagles over the 50 percent mark for the second-straight game
Victor Hart led the Southern Miss charge with a career-high 26 points, including connecting on three game-changing free throws with just about five minutes to play. The Blazers connected on four of their first six three-pointers as Southern Miss tried to keep the perimeter scoring to a minimum over the first nine minutes – it worked until a Tony Toney jumper sparked a 11-1 run to put UAB up 15.
With glimpses of last season's NIT game creeping into the memory of the Southern Miss bench, the Golden Eagles finally found life with 4:21 to play in the first half. Donovan Ivory ignited Southern Miss by draining five-straight free throws before Victor Iwuakor and Austin Crowley scored on back-to-back possessions to get within seven. Crowley then hit a pair of free throws before draining a three-pointer that got the Golden Eagles within a bucket.
The man of the hour came up big after that as Hart drained a jumper from the free throw line that tied the game at 44-all with 49 seconds left in the half. UAB answered with two free throws and then Mo Arnold tied the game again with a one-on-one step-back jumper as the clock ticked to two seconds.
Arnold's basked marked a 17-4 run for Southern Miss that made it a 46-46 game after 20 minutes of play. Alejandro Vasquez and Daniel Ortiz combined to go 5-for-8 from deep in the opening half. The Golden Eagles shot a sizzling 57.1 percent from the field in the half and benefited from 12 points by Hart.
The second half delivered a heavyweight fight as there was seven ties and four lead changes before the final buzzer blared in Bartow Arena. The Golden Eagles took their first lead of the half 48 seconds in, but UAB punched back and built up a five-point lead after a Christian Coleman dunk.
Hart answered again for Southern Miss as the Miami, Fla. native finished a contested layup that started a 10-0 run to swing the lead to Southern Miss' side. Though the lead got up to five points after the run, the Blazers managed to tie the game five more times.
Cobie Montgomery delivered the dagger that put Southern Miss up for good. The redshirt junior unleashed a corner three to put Southern Miss up three and then Crowley put the nail in the coffin with a triple of his own that put four with 2:53 to play. The Golden Eagles went 4-for-4 from the free throw line over the final two minutes to ice the win and Hart added one final layup to seal the road victory.
The loss was UAB's third at home this season and marked the first time its lost more than two home games under Andy Kennedy in a single season. Crowley finished his night with 15 points, six assists and a pair of steals.
Iwuakor grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds and added seven points. Arnold, who was held scoreless at Milwaukee last Saturday, had 11 points and five assists. Coming off his career night, Ivory went for 14 points and three boards.
Montgomery came off the bench and delivered eight points, while Tegra Izay had six rebounds and four points off the bench. Southern Miss shot a season-best 53.8 percent from the floor and reached the 50 percent mark for the second-straight game.
The Golden Eagles have a week off before hosting Northwestern State on Saturday, Dec. 9. Tip-off at Reed Green Coliseum is at 2 p.m.
Game Notes
- Mo Arnold made his 95th career start in the win
- Victor Hart had a career-high 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the floor
- Victor Iwuakor grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds
- Southern Miss' 16 assists were a season high and have 31 over its last two games
- Its 53.8 percent shooting clip was the best its shot this season and put the Golden Eagles over the 50 percent mark for the second-straight game
Team Stats
USM
UAB
FG%
.538
.464
3FG%
.375
.364
FT%
.793
.667
RB
33
32
TO
9
11
STL
7
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
26
FGM
10
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
14
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Players Mentioned
G
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