University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Monday, October 28
Hattiesburg, Miss.
6 PM
Southern Miss
92
vs
85
Jackson State (EXHIBITION)
Fireworks Fuel Southern Miss to Overtime Win Over Jackson State on Monday Night
10/28/2024 9:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Though the statistics won't count from Monday's exhibition win over Jackson State, the men's basketball team certainly put on a show at Reed Green Coliseum. Whether it was the overtime theatrics, or the 19-point deficit, there was no shortage of fireworks in the 92-85 overtime victory.
"I think (the dramatic flare) is great," Southern Miss head men's basketball coach Jay Ladner said. "I think we have some guys that know how to win. They bring a lot of poise and composure, but by the same token I think we have to play with great intensity if we are going to be successful. The two games we have played we couldn't script it better to get us ready for the season. I just don't think you can get better playing inferior competition."
Jackson State jumped on the Golden Eagles early in the contest, taking an 11-point adventive eight minutes into the ballgame. The Tigers' timely shooting quieted Southern Miss' defensive efforts, but the Golden Eagles also didn't help themselves on the offensive end as they struggled shooting.
Southern Miss only shot 32 percent from the floor in the opening half, while hitting on 10 field goals. The lead fluctuated around 10 until Juan Reyna III connected on one of his five three-pointers. That put Jackson State ahead by 15 with the under-four media timeout looming. The Golden Eagles answered a couple of times down the stretch in the first half, but ultimately trailed by as many as 16.
With the first 20 in the rearview mirror, the second half didn't start like Southern Miss would have liked. Jackson State built the lead to 17 just seconds in, then peaked at 19 with 15:16 on the clock. Right on cue, Andre Curbelo started to slowly takeover the game as soon as Tamarion Hoover drained his three-pointer. Curbelo jump-started a 12-1 run that lasted 3:41, which put Southern Miss within seven when Cobie Montgomery hit a pair of free throws.
Jackson State answered back at Southern Miss' punch, building its lead back to 12 with 6:57 left. Veteran forward Denijay Harris converted a crucial layup in the paint that slowed the Tigers down and in turn started a 10-0 run for Southern Miss. Then at 3:53 left in the game, Christian Watson drilled a clutch three-pointer that tied the game at 67-all.
The two teams traded leads after that until Curbelo put the Golden Eagles ahead by three with 41 seconds left. The Tigers, though, tied the game at 76-all when Reyna III hit another triple. That would be the score when the clock struck triple zero to send Southern Miss to its second-straight overtime game.
Overtime started with Southern Miss and Jackson State trading lead changes two times until Harris hit a floating jumper in the lane. That put the Golden Eagles up 83-82 with 1:52 left in the extra period. Harris followed that with a defensive rebound that ended up in the hands of Cobie Montgomery, who drilled a dagger three-point to put Southern Miss up four. The lead continued to grow as the Golden Eagles seized the momentum from the backs of The Greenhouse faithful and Montgomery converted a tough layup that all but sealed the win.
Curbelo iced the game with two free throws and put his point total at 29 for the night. Coming off a 30-point, 15-rebound game at New Orleans, Harris followed up with 25 points and 13 rebounds tonight. In his first game for the Black and Gold, Watson added 15 points.
The Golden Eagles shot 44.4 percent from the floor and connected on 30 free throws. Jackson State survived much of the game thanks to its 11 three-pointers, while Southern Miss had only four. DeAntoni Gordon finished with 10 points and massive dunk in the first half, while also grabbing seven rebounds.
Southern Miss opens the season on Monday, Nov. 4 against Bowling Green at Reed Green Coliseum. The 7 p.m. contest will be aired on ESPN+ and be the first game of the MAC-SBC Challenge. All Sun Belt schools will travel to a to-be-determined MAC school on Feb. 8.
Single game and season tickets are available via SouthernMissTickets.com, calling 1-800-844-TICK or visiting the Pat Ferlise Ticket Office during normal business hours.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE SINGLE GAME TICKETS
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE SEASON TICKETS
Follow @SouthernMissMBB on X, Instagram and Facebook to get the latest Golden Eagle news.
"I think (the dramatic flare) is great," Southern Miss head men's basketball coach Jay Ladner said. "I think we have some guys that know how to win. They bring a lot of poise and composure, but by the same token I think we have to play with great intensity if we are going to be successful. The two games we have played we couldn't script it better to get us ready for the season. I just don't think you can get better playing inferior competition."
Jackson State jumped on the Golden Eagles early in the contest, taking an 11-point adventive eight minutes into the ballgame. The Tigers' timely shooting quieted Southern Miss' defensive efforts, but the Golden Eagles also didn't help themselves on the offensive end as they struggled shooting.
Southern Miss only shot 32 percent from the floor in the opening half, while hitting on 10 field goals. The lead fluctuated around 10 until Juan Reyna III connected on one of his five three-pointers. That put Jackson State ahead by 15 with the under-four media timeout looming. The Golden Eagles answered a couple of times down the stretch in the first half, but ultimately trailed by as many as 16.
With the first 20 in the rearview mirror, the second half didn't start like Southern Miss would have liked. Jackson State built the lead to 17 just seconds in, then peaked at 19 with 15:16 on the clock. Right on cue, Andre Curbelo started to slowly takeover the game as soon as Tamarion Hoover drained his three-pointer. Curbelo jump-started a 12-1 run that lasted 3:41, which put Southern Miss within seven when Cobie Montgomery hit a pair of free throws.
Jackson State answered back at Southern Miss' punch, building its lead back to 12 with 6:57 left. Veteran forward Denijay Harris converted a crucial layup in the paint that slowed the Tigers down and in turn started a 10-0 run for Southern Miss. Then at 3:53 left in the game, Christian Watson drilled a clutch three-pointer that tied the game at 67-all.
The two teams traded leads after that until Curbelo put the Golden Eagles ahead by three with 41 seconds left. The Tigers, though, tied the game at 76-all when Reyna III hit another triple. That would be the score when the clock struck triple zero to send Southern Miss to its second-straight overtime game.
Overtime started with Southern Miss and Jackson State trading lead changes two times until Harris hit a floating jumper in the lane. That put the Golden Eagles up 83-82 with 1:52 left in the extra period. Harris followed that with a defensive rebound that ended up in the hands of Cobie Montgomery, who drilled a dagger three-point to put Southern Miss up four. The lead continued to grow as the Golden Eagles seized the momentum from the backs of The Greenhouse faithful and Montgomery converted a tough layup that all but sealed the win.
Curbelo iced the game with two free throws and put his point total at 29 for the night. Coming off a 30-point, 15-rebound game at New Orleans, Harris followed up with 25 points and 13 rebounds tonight. In his first game for the Black and Gold, Watson added 15 points.
The Golden Eagles shot 44.4 percent from the floor and connected on 30 free throws. Jackson State survived much of the game thanks to its 11 three-pointers, while Southern Miss had only four. DeAntoni Gordon finished with 10 points and massive dunk in the first half, while also grabbing seven rebounds.
Southern Miss opens the season on Monday, Nov. 4 against Bowling Green at Reed Green Coliseum. The 7 p.m. contest will be aired on ESPN+ and be the first game of the MAC-SBC Challenge. All Sun Belt schools will travel to a to-be-determined MAC school on Feb. 8.
Single game and season tickets are available via SouthernMissTickets.com, calling 1-800-844-TICK or visiting the Pat Ferlise Ticket Office during normal business hours.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE SINGLE GAME TICKETS
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE SEASON TICKETS
Follow @SouthernMissMBB on X, Instagram and Facebook to get the latest Golden Eagle news.
Players Mentioned
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