Thursday, January 4
Hattiesburg, Miss.
7 PM
Southern Miss
7-7,1-1Sun Belt
79
vs
73
Georgia State
6-7,1-1Sun Belt
1
2
F
Georgia St.
35
38
73
Southern Miss.
44
35
79
Andre Curbelo Records Triple-Double in Key Sun Belt Win Over Georgia State
1/4/2024 10:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Ronald Jackson was the last men's basketball player to record a triple-double at Southern Miss (7-7, 1-1 Sun Belt) -- that was until senior guard Andre Curbelo matched Jackson's feat in Thursday's 79-73 Sun Belt win over Georgia State (6-7, 1-1 Sun Belt).
Curbelo finished his historic night with 13 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Though Curbelo provided the history, Austin Crowley provided the scoring spark as the Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year matched his previous season high in scoring with 25 points. The two Golden Eagle guards combined to take 37 of Southern Miss' 68 shots.
"I never play for that," Curbelo said of his triple-double. "It just happened to be a good time for me to do it. I was able to get an assist right away and then three rebounds after that. I have to give all the credit to my teammates and coaching staff."
Georgia State and Southern Miss traded leads four times over the first four minutes – last season there was 17 total lead changes during the game. Following a Crowley three-pointer at the 15:22 mark to let the Golden Eagles regain the lead, they never really flirted with disaster the rest of the night outside of a late attempt of a comeback form the Panthers.
The Panthers got within a point a couple of times over the next five minutes, but Southern Miss had an answer at each punch. The first one was a Donovan Ivory put-back layup, then Cobie Montgomery drilled a three-pointer to squash the Georgia State momentum it thought it had.
During the 2022-23 season, no Golden Eagle recorded more than eight assists in a single game. When Curbelo found Crowley for a step-back jumper with 28 seconds left in the first half, he picked up his eighth assist in the first 20 minutes of the game. It also gave the Golden Eagles a 44-35 lead heading into the half.
Southern Miss maintained the lead early into the second half, but Georgia State cut it to five after Lucas Taylor cashed in on a Curbelo turnover. Thankfully, Victor Iwuakor had an immediate answer as he scored two of his 10 points on the night. The lead continued to balloon for Southern Miss and hit its peak of 14 when Mo Arnold finished a smooth, left-handed drive with 5:28 to go in the game.
The Golden Eagles, though, seemingly saw the lead evaporate down to four in a matter of four minutes. Jay'Den Turner took advantage of a pair of free throws to cut it to that four-point difference with 1:17 to play. In came Crowley as the veteran converted a pair of free throws to ice the Sun Belt home-opening win.
Crowley's 25 points marked the 10th time in his career that he passed the 20-point threshold and the third time this season. Led by his three three-pointers, Southern Miss shot 31.6 percent from deep after hitting at a nearly 50 percent clip in the first half – the Golden Eagles went 0-for-6 in the second half.
Southern Miss shot 45.6 percent from the floor to record its best shooting performance since Ole Miss. Southern Miss has shot over 45 percent in three of its last four games. Georgia State finished with a 43.1 shooting percentage from the floor and shot only 52.4 percent from the charity stripe – it led the Sun Belt in free throw percentage heading into Thursday's game.
Victor Hart played an extremely efficient game as the senior forward finished with 10 points, six rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes of action. Ivory and Montgomery added eight and seven points, respectively, while Arnold finished with four.
Southern Miss will now turn its attention to No. 19 James Madison as it hosts a ranked team inside Reed Green Coliseum for the first time since 2011. The Golden Eagles and Dukes are slated to meet at 2 p.m.
Game Notes
- Andre Curbelo (13p, 11a, 10r) recorded the first triple-double by a Golden Eagle since Ronald Jackson in 1980
- Curbelo dished out eight assists in the first half en route to 11 total assists
- Austin Crowley matched his season high in points with 25 and hit the 20-point mark for the 10th time in his career
- Victor Hart had an efficient game before fouling out – 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 20 minutes
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.
Curbelo finished his historic night with 13 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Though Curbelo provided the history, Austin Crowley provided the scoring spark as the Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year matched his previous season high in scoring with 25 points. The two Golden Eagle guards combined to take 37 of Southern Miss' 68 shots.
"I never play for that," Curbelo said of his triple-double. "It just happened to be a good time for me to do it. I was able to get an assist right away and then three rebounds after that. I have to give all the credit to my teammates and coaching staff."
Georgia State and Southern Miss traded leads four times over the first four minutes – last season there was 17 total lead changes during the game. Following a Crowley three-pointer at the 15:22 mark to let the Golden Eagles regain the lead, they never really flirted with disaster the rest of the night outside of a late attempt of a comeback form the Panthers.
The Panthers got within a point a couple of times over the next five minutes, but Southern Miss had an answer at each punch. The first one was a Donovan Ivory put-back layup, then Cobie Montgomery drilled a three-pointer to squash the Georgia State momentum it thought it had.
During the 2022-23 season, no Golden Eagle recorded more than eight assists in a single game. When Curbelo found Crowley for a step-back jumper with 28 seconds left in the first half, he picked up his eighth assist in the first 20 minutes of the game. It also gave the Golden Eagles a 44-35 lead heading into the half.
Southern Miss maintained the lead early into the second half, but Georgia State cut it to five after Lucas Taylor cashed in on a Curbelo turnover. Thankfully, Victor Iwuakor had an immediate answer as he scored two of his 10 points on the night. The lead continued to balloon for Southern Miss and hit its peak of 14 when Mo Arnold finished a smooth, left-handed drive with 5:28 to go in the game.
The Golden Eagles, though, seemingly saw the lead evaporate down to four in a matter of four minutes. Jay'Den Turner took advantage of a pair of free throws to cut it to that four-point difference with 1:17 to play. In came Crowley as the veteran converted a pair of free throws to ice the Sun Belt home-opening win.
Crowley's 25 points marked the 10th time in his career that he passed the 20-point threshold and the third time this season. Led by his three three-pointers, Southern Miss shot 31.6 percent from deep after hitting at a nearly 50 percent clip in the first half – the Golden Eagles went 0-for-6 in the second half.
Southern Miss shot 45.6 percent from the floor to record its best shooting performance since Ole Miss. Southern Miss has shot over 45 percent in three of its last four games. Georgia State finished with a 43.1 shooting percentage from the floor and shot only 52.4 percent from the charity stripe – it led the Sun Belt in free throw percentage heading into Thursday's game.
Victor Hart played an extremely efficient game as the senior forward finished with 10 points, six rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes of action. Ivory and Montgomery added eight and seven points, respectively, while Arnold finished with four.
Southern Miss will now turn its attention to No. 19 James Madison as it hosts a ranked team inside Reed Green Coliseum for the first time since 2011. The Golden Eagles and Dukes are slated to meet at 2 p.m.
Game Notes
- Andre Curbelo (13p, 11a, 10r) recorded the first triple-double by a Golden Eagle since Ronald Jackson in 1980
- Curbelo dished out eight assists in the first half en route to 11 total assists
- Austin Crowley matched his season high in points with 25 and hit the 20-point mark for the 10th time in his career
- Victor Hart had an efficient game before fouling out – 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 20 minutes
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
GSU
USM
FG%
.431
.456
3FG%
.250
.316
FT%
.524
.611
RB
43
42
TO
14
11
STL
7
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
25
FGM
10
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
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