Golden Eagles Make Quick Stop at Home to Host Northwestern State

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- For the only time in the month of December, the Southern Miss men's basketball team will host a home game at Reed Green Coliseum when it welcomes Northwestern State (1-7, 0-0 Southland) to town on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.

Game 9: Southern Miss (4-4, 0-0 Sun Belt) vs. Northwestern State (1-7, 0-0 Southland)
Saturday, December 9 at 2 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: Southern Miss Radio Network
Reed Green Coliseum (8,095)

Southern Miss has rattled off back-to-back road wins that snapped a three-game losing skid in November. Most recently, the Golden Eagles erased a 15-point deficit to beat UAB by three in Birmingham on Dec. 1. Victor Hart exploded for a career-high 26 points in the win after Donovan Ivory dropped 32 points in a victory at Milwaukee on Nov. 25.

The game will air on ESPN+ with Lee Roberts, Larry Boyd and Michelle Knezovic on the call. Fans can listen on the Southern Miss Radio Network, Southern Miss Game Day App, or their local Southern Miss Network affiliate to hear John Cox on the call.

KEY GOLDEN EAGLE STORYLINES
- Southern Miss is second in the Sun Belt in scoring defense at 66.4 points per game and fifth in field goal percentage defense at 40.8 percent
- Southern Miss' 53.8 percent shooting from the floor was the best this season and marked the second consecutive game where it shot over 50 percent from the floor
- Ivory enjoyed a 32-point outburst in a road win at Milwaukee, while Hart helped the Golden Eagles to a win at UAB with a 26-point performance
- Hart led all Golden Eagles with 18 points in the tournament opening loss to Utah Valley. He went 9-of-13 from the floor in that game -- the most field goals he has made in a single game
- Crowley paced the Golden Eagles with 17 points after opening the season with a 19-point performance against William Carey
- Senior guard Mo Arnold has taken over as the floor general for the Golden Eagles -- he's averaging 7.0ppg, 7.5rpg and 4.5apg
- The 42 points scored by William Carey were the fewest under Jay Ladner and marked the 48^th time Southern Miss has held an opponent under 50 points since joining the Division I ranks
- Crowley (19), Donovan Ivory (13) and Victor Hart (12) all scored in double figures, while Crowley added 10 boards to pick up the first double-double of his career against the Crusaders
- Last season, Southern Miss racked up 25 wins for the fourth time in program history
- Crowley's breakout junior season included Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-Sun Belt, First Team All-NABC District 23, Lou Henson All-American, Lou Henson Player of the Year Finalist, and Howell Trophy Finalist
- The Golden Eagles lost Felipe Haase, Marcelo Perez, Tyler Morman, DeAndre Pinckney and Nico Aguirre to graduation. Denijay Harris (Arkansas) and GianFranco Grafals (Nova Southeastern) opted for the transfer portal
- Haase, Perez, Morman, Pinckney and Aguirre all signed professional contracts, while Haase signed the largest European rookie contract of any undrafted player
- Southern Miss hit big in the portal for the second consecutive season after landing Victor Iwuakor (UNLV/Oklahoma), Andre Curbelo (St. John's/Illinois), Ladner (Loyola New Orleans), Hall (Wallace State/Delta State), Lieb Yat (Seminole State College), Jose Benitez (Francis Marion) and Tegra Izay (Harcum/La Salle)
- Izay and Yat are the first 7-footers to don the Black and Gold since 7-foot-1 big man Gustavo Lino played for Southern Miss in 2009
- Juan Cardona was promoted to Associate Head Coach over the summer after producing one of the top defenses in college basketball
- Southern Miss' 18-win turnaround from the 2021-22 to 2022-23 was the second-best in NCAA Division I history. Iowa State owns the top spot at +22 in 2021-22

BREAKING DOWN NORTHWESTERN STATE
- The Demons head to Hattiesburg with a 1-7 record overall
- Northwestern State is in the midst of a seven-game road trip where it has suffered losses to Maine, North Florida, Presbyterian, ULM and No. 9 Baylor
- The Demons lost all five starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's 22-11 team
- Northwestern State has been getting outscored by an average of 9.1 points per game and average 70.8 points per game
- Cliff Davis leads the Demons in scoring at 14.4 points per game and Ryan Forrest is close behind at 14.3 points per game
- Davis and Forrest have combined to shoot 28-of-89 from deep, while Davis has made 20 three-pointers
- Jamison Epps leads Northwestern State in rebounding at 7.8 boards per game

SERIES HISTORY
- This marks the 44^th all-time meeting between the two schools and only the second since 1990
- The Demons used a buzzer-beating jumper to knock off Southern Miss at home last year
- Southern Miss is 13-9 at Reed Green Coliseum against the Demons
- Southern Miss has won 7 of the last 10 meetings dating back to 178

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.

Golden Eagles Make Quick Stop at Home to Host Northwestern State

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Players Mentioned

Nico Aguirre

Mo Arnold

Jose Benitez

Andre Curbelo

GianFranco Grafals

Felipe Haase

Denijay Harris

Victor Hart

Donovan Ivory

Victor Iwuakor

Tegra Izay

Tyler Morman

Marcelo Perez

DeAndre Pinckney

Lieb Yat