Saturday, December 30
Statesboro, GA
2 PM
Southern Miss
6-7,0-1Sun Belt
67
at
88
Georgia Southern
1-12,1-0Sun Belt
1
2
F
Southern Miss.
38
29
67
Ga. Southern
46
42
88
Men's Basketball Drops Sun Belt Opener at Georgia Southern
12/30/2023 5:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern (1-12, 1-0 Sun Belt) picked up its first win of the season in an 88-67 win over Southern Miss (6-7, 0-1 Sun Belt) on Saturday afternoon in Statesboro, Ga. Andre Curbelo led all Golden Eagles in scoring with a season-high 18 points.
Georgia Southern became the fifth team this season to shoot over 40 percent from deep against Southern Miss, finishing with a 52 percent clip on 15 made three-pointers. The Golden Eagles were held to a 39 percent shooting clip.
The story of the first half was Georgia Southern's eight three-pointers on 15 attempts. The hot shooting from deep provided a scoring area that the Golden Eagles couldn't match. The Eagles were able to lead by as many as 11 and hit a nine-point lead four times.
The Golden Eagles managed to climb back from the 11-point deficit at the 8:59 mark of the first half to get within five after Curbelo went on a 6-2 run by himself. The St. John's transfer made it a 34-29 ballgame before Derrick Harris Jr. hit yet another three-pointer for the Eagles minutes later. That put them up by 10 with three minutes and some change to go in the half. Southern Miss bumped it down two five on a pair of baskets but Georgia Southern ultimately took a 46-38 lead into halftime.
Victor Hart scored the first points of the second half, though it was all Georgia Southern after that. The Eagles ripped off a 16-4 run to take a 24-point lead – its largest of the afternoon. Donovan Ivory provided a spark for Southern Miss after the Eagles took that lead, going for 10 points in the second half.
Despite Ivory's second-half efforts Southern Miss was unable to bring that Eagles' lead to single digit – the closest it got was with 16 with 7:13 play. A Eugene Brown III layup and Tyren Moore triple erased any Golden Eagle momentum. Georgia Southern went on to outscore Southern Miss, 42-29, in the second half before claiming the 21-point victory.
Crowley finished with 15 points, while Curbelo went 8-for-16 from the floor. Crowley and Cobie Montgomery each connected on a pair of three-pointers as Montgomery finished with eight points. The Golden Eagles managed to get to the free throw line 24 times, but only took advantage on 14 of those attempts.
Southern Miss makes its long-awaited return to Reed Green Coliseum as it hosts Georgia State on Thursday, Jan. 4. Tip-off from the Hub City is set for 7 p.m. CST on ESPN+.
Follow @SouthernMissMBB on Facebook, Instagram and X for updates. Season tickets are available for the 2023-24 season -- Fans can purchase tickets at SouthernMissTickets.com, by calling 1-800-844-TICK (8425) or visit the Pat Ferlise Ticket Office on campus weekdays during normal business hours.
Georgia Southern became the fifth team this season to shoot over 40 percent from deep against Southern Miss, finishing with a 52 percent clip on 15 made three-pointers. The Golden Eagles were held to a 39 percent shooting clip.
The story of the first half was Georgia Southern's eight three-pointers on 15 attempts. The hot shooting from deep provided a scoring area that the Golden Eagles couldn't match. The Eagles were able to lead by as many as 11 and hit a nine-point lead four times.
The Golden Eagles managed to climb back from the 11-point deficit at the 8:59 mark of the first half to get within five after Curbelo went on a 6-2 run by himself. The St. John's transfer made it a 34-29 ballgame before Derrick Harris Jr. hit yet another three-pointer for the Eagles minutes later. That put them up by 10 with three minutes and some change to go in the half. Southern Miss bumped it down two five on a pair of baskets but Georgia Southern ultimately took a 46-38 lead into halftime.
Victor Hart scored the first points of the second half, though it was all Georgia Southern after that. The Eagles ripped off a 16-4 run to take a 24-point lead – its largest of the afternoon. Donovan Ivory provided a spark for Southern Miss after the Eagles took that lead, going for 10 points in the second half.
Despite Ivory's second-half efforts Southern Miss was unable to bring that Eagles' lead to single digit – the closest it got was with 16 with 7:13 play. A Eugene Brown III layup and Tyren Moore triple erased any Golden Eagle momentum. Georgia Southern went on to outscore Southern Miss, 42-29, in the second half before claiming the 21-point victory.
Crowley finished with 15 points, while Curbelo went 8-for-16 from the floor. Crowley and Cobie Montgomery each connected on a pair of three-pointers as Montgomery finished with eight points. The Golden Eagles managed to get to the free throw line 24 times, but only took advantage on 14 of those attempts.
Southern Miss makes its long-awaited return to Reed Green Coliseum as it hosts Georgia State on Thursday, Jan. 4. Tip-off from the Hub City is set for 7 p.m. CST on ESPN+.
Follow @SouthernMissMBB on Facebook, Instagram and X for updates. Season tickets are available for the 2023-24 season -- Fans can purchase tickets at SouthernMissTickets.com, by calling 1-800-844-TICK (8425) or visit the Pat Ferlise Ticket Office on campus weekdays during normal business hours.
Team Stats
USM
GS
FG%
.387
.576
3FG%
.313
.517
FT%
.583
.556
RB
28
41
TO
13
21
STL
13
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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