Friday, February 24
San Marcos, TX
7 PM
Southern Miss
25-6,14-4Sun Belt
79
at
69
Texas State
13-18,6-12Sun Belt
1
2
F
Southern Miss.
41
38
79
Texas St.
29
40
69
Southern Miss Wins Sun Belt Regular Season Title With Statement Win At Texas State
2/24/2023 10:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SAN MARCOS, Texas – History in Hattiesburg. For the third time in Southern Miss' Division I era, the Golden Eagles (25-6, 14-4 SBC) have won a regular season conference championship. With a 79-69 win at Texas State (13-18, 6-12 SBC) on Friday night, Southern Miss was crowned Sun Belt Regular Season Champions.
Felipe Haase delivered on the Golden Eagles' big night as the graduate forward from Chile poured in 26 points and cashed in on four three-pointers. Southern Miss, though, wasn't seeing rings all night long. Texas State jumped on the Golden Eagles early with the Black and Gold going nearly two minutes until they scored their first points.
Texas State never got ahead by more than five, but that was all the motivation Southern Miss would need. Neftali Alvarez and Haase each hit a three to give the Golden Eagles a short-lived lead, but it wasn't until Austin Crowley threw down a dunk that Southern Miss took the lead for good.
For Crowley to get that dunk with 9:02 left in the first half, Mo Arnold picked a Bobcat pocket and allowed Alvarez to give a dime to Crowley for the flush. That gave Southern Miss a 21-20 lead and sparked a 10-0 run.
Denijay Harris, who picked up his second-career double-double, gave the Golden Eagles an 11-point lead after converting back-to-back layups. The lead then hit 12 after a Crowley triple with a minute left on the clock. Texas State answered, but Alvarez punched back with a nifty move under the basket to make it 41-29 at the break.
With Texas State cutting the Golden Eagle advantage to six minutes prior, Haase delivered a huge three-pointer to push it back to an 11-point lead. He then hit back-to-back three-pointers 61-43 with just over 10 minutes to go.
That was the largest lead Southern Miss would have all day and the Bobcats never got back within single digits over the final 10 minutes. With time winding down, head coach Jay Ladner gave his starting five a proper ovation and emptied his bench.
As the seconds ticked down, the Golden Eagles closed in on history. A season after winning seven total games, Ladner brought his team to the top. Though the story isn't done, the Golden Eagles are getting their rings at last.
Southern Miss will play in the 2023 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Men's Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 4 at 11:30 a.m. Southern Miss will play the winner of South Alabama and App State. All games will be played at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla.
- Jay Ladner sent Austin Crowley, Neftali Alvarez, Denijay Harris, DeAndre Pinckney and Felipe Haase out as the starting five for the third time this season
- Southern Miss picked up its first regular season title since the 2000-01 season and the third in the Division I era (1990-91, 2000-01, 2022-23)
- Southern Miss' 25 wins are the most in a regular season in program history
- Its 14 conference wins are tied for the most in a single season in program history
- With the Southern Miss women's basketball team being crowned co-champions, it's the first time in school history both teams have won a regular season title
The Golden Eagles join the 1990-91 and 2000-01 teams as regular season champions. Today's win also gave Southern Miss the most regular season wins in the Division I era with 25. The most wins by any team are 27 from the 1952-53 team.𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽 𝗶𝘁.
— Southern Miss MBB (@SouthernMissMBB) February 25, 2023
🏆 𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗥 𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 🏆#LaFamilia | #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/YSPsuTQ3V0
Felipe Haase delivered on the Golden Eagles' big night as the graduate forward from Chile poured in 26 points and cashed in on four three-pointers. Southern Miss, though, wasn't seeing rings all night long. Texas State jumped on the Golden Eagles early with the Black and Gold going nearly two minutes until they scored their first points.
Texas State never got ahead by more than five, but that was all the motivation Southern Miss would need. Neftali Alvarez and Haase each hit a three to give the Golden Eagles a short-lived lead, but it wasn't until Austin Crowley threw down a dunk that Southern Miss took the lead for good.
For Crowley to get that dunk with 9:02 left in the first half, Mo Arnold picked a Bobcat pocket and allowed Alvarez to give a dime to Crowley for the flush. That gave Southern Miss a 21-20 lead and sparked a 10-0 run.
Denijay Harris, who picked up his second-career double-double, gave the Golden Eagles an 11-point lead after converting back-to-back layups. The lead then hit 12 after a Crowley triple with a minute left on the clock. Texas State answered, but Alvarez punched back with a nifty move under the basket to make it 41-29 at the break.
Alvarez led all first-half players with 13 points and helped Southern Miss to a 53.3 percent shooting clip. Crowley added 11 points and Haase had a quiet seven. Luckily for Southern Miss, it didn't take long for him to be heard from in the second half.He's back. He's scoring. He's Nef.
— Southern Miss MBB (@SouthernMissMBB) February 25, 2023
This basket before half gave @ayalaneftali3 13 in the first half 🔥#LaFamilia | #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/MzeOMFbNj1
With Texas State cutting the Golden Eagle advantage to six minutes prior, Haase delivered a huge three-pointer to push it back to an 11-point lead. He then hit back-to-back three-pointers 61-43 with just over 10 minutes to go.
That was the largest lead Southern Miss would have all day and the Bobcats never got back within single digits over the final 10 minutes. With time winding down, head coach Jay Ladner gave his starting five a proper ovation and emptied his bench.
As the seconds ticked down, the Golden Eagles closed in on history. A season after winning seven total games, Ladner brought his team to the top. Though the story isn't done, the Golden Eagles are getting their rings at last.
Southern Miss will play in the 2023 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Men's Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 4 at 11:30 a.m. Southern Miss will play the winner of South Alabama and App State. All games will be played at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla.
Game Notes𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗧 𝗦𝗘𝗧.
— Sun Belt (@SunBelt) February 25, 2023
The 2023 @HerculesTires #SunBeltMBB Championship Bracket is set. The tournament takes place February 28 through March 6 in Pensacola. ☀️🏀
📰 » https://t.co/micR8vl1cj pic.twitter.com/vZVR0UamCS
- Jay Ladner sent Austin Crowley, Neftali Alvarez, Denijay Harris, DeAndre Pinckney and Felipe Haase out as the starting five for the third time this season
- Southern Miss picked up its first regular season title since the 2000-01 season and the third in the Division I era (1990-91, 2000-01, 2022-23)
- Southern Miss' 25 wins are the most in a regular season in program history
- Its 14 conference wins are tied for the most in a single season in program history
- With the Southern Miss women's basketball team being crowned co-champions, it's the first time in school history both teams have won a regular season title
Team Stats
USM
TXST
FG%
.520
.483
3FG%
.375
.235
FT%
.783
.643
RB
23
32
TO
13
15
STL
8
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
26
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
10
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballSouthern Miss-Alabama State Highlights - 12/05/24
Friday, December 06
MBB: Southern Miss vs. Loyola New Orleans Highlights
Wednesday, November 13
Postgame Highlights - Southern Miss vs. Xavier (La.)
Wednesday, March 06
La Familia Special Edition
Thursday, January 11