Tuesday, December 17
Hattiesburg, Miss.
7 PM
Southern Miss
4-7,0-0Sun Belt
65
vs
69
Lamar
6-5,2-0Southland
1
2
F
Lamar University
36
33
69
Southern Miss.
31
34
65
Lamar Hands Men's Basketball A Rare Home Loss
12/17/2024 10:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – A comeback attempt by Southern Miss (4-7, 0-0 Sun Belt) fell short on Tuesday night as Lamar (6-5, 2-0 Southland) topped the Golden Eagles, 69-65. The loss was only Southern Miss' fourth defeat at Reed Green Coliseum in the last three seasons.
The game was the start of a three-game homestand that includes Saturday's Sun Belt opener against Marshall. Back home, the Golden Eagles started with some swag as Cobie Montgomery hammered home a two-handed dunk to open the scoring.
The dunk got The Greenhouse faithful riled up, but Lamar wasn't at all. The Cardinals answered with a quick five points to pull ahead shortly after, however, Southern Miss answered with another 5-0 run that featured a three-pointer from Neftali Alvarez. The bucket put the Golden Eagles ahead by two.
Lamar, though, regained control of the game and held the lead for the next 11 minutes. Trailing by seven, DeAntoni Gordon started a 12-0 that flipped the score in favor of Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles went ahead by five after Gordon hit a pair of free throws with 3:11 left in the half.
The lead would be the last of the game for the Golden Eagles as Lamar ripped off a 10-0 run to close the half and take a five-point lead into the half. Even though they were trailing, the Golden Eagles shot 44.0 percent from the floor – Lamar shot 38.9 percent in the half.
Outside of one Lamar scoring streak, both teams failed to score consecutive baskets for the first six minutes of the second half. The Cardinals managed to build a 12-point lead seven minutes into the half before the Golden Eagles finally found some rhythm.
Christian Watson and Montgomery combined for a 6-0 run that saw the Lamar lead plummet to six, while the crowd started to come to life. Then, Denijay Harris started to takeover. The Arkansas transfer nine of Southern Miss' next 11 points to make it a two-point game with five minutes to play.
For Lamar, each Golden Eagle basket was followed by a bucket of its own. The Cardinals never let Southern Miss take the lead and then held a two-point lead the rest of the game. The Golden Eagles managed one final push, but a Lamar free throw and an Andrew Holifield dunk off a turnover sealed the win.
Alvarez led all scorers with 21 points, while Harris picked up a 15-point, 12-rebound performance. Alvarez also went for seven assists and Harris had a career-high four blocks. Gordon scored 14 points, which was the most since scoring 20 against UAB on Nov. 7.
The Golden Eagles return to Reed Green Coliseum on Saturday, Dec. 21, against Marshall. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
The game was the start of a three-game homestand that includes Saturday's Sun Belt opener against Marshall. Back home, the Golden Eagles started with some swag as Cobie Montgomery hammered home a two-handed dunk to open the scoring.
The dunk got The Greenhouse faithful riled up, but Lamar wasn't at all. The Cardinals answered with a quick five points to pull ahead shortly after, however, Southern Miss answered with another 5-0 run that featured a three-pointer from Neftali Alvarez. The bucket put the Golden Eagles ahead by two.
Lamar, though, regained control of the game and held the lead for the next 11 minutes. Trailing by seven, DeAntoni Gordon started a 12-0 that flipped the score in favor of Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles went ahead by five after Gordon hit a pair of free throws with 3:11 left in the half.
The lead would be the last of the game for the Golden Eagles as Lamar ripped off a 10-0 run to close the half and take a five-point lead into the half. Even though they were trailing, the Golden Eagles shot 44.0 percent from the floor – Lamar shot 38.9 percent in the half.
Outside of one Lamar scoring streak, both teams failed to score consecutive baskets for the first six minutes of the second half. The Cardinals managed to build a 12-point lead seven minutes into the half before the Golden Eagles finally found some rhythm.
Christian Watson and Montgomery combined for a 6-0 run that saw the Lamar lead plummet to six, while the crowd started to come to life. Then, Denijay Harris started to takeover. The Arkansas transfer nine of Southern Miss' next 11 points to make it a two-point game with five minutes to play.
For Lamar, each Golden Eagle basket was followed by a bucket of its own. The Cardinals never let Southern Miss take the lead and then held a two-point lead the rest of the game. The Golden Eagles managed one final push, but a Lamar free throw and an Andrew Holifield dunk off a turnover sealed the win.
Alvarez led all scorers with 21 points, while Harris picked up a 15-point, 12-rebound performance. Alvarez also went for seven assists and Harris had a career-high four blocks. Gordon scored 14 points, which was the most since scoring 20 against UAB on Nov. 7.
The Golden Eagles return to Reed Green Coliseum on Saturday, Dec. 21, against Marshall. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
Team Stats
Lamar
USM
FG%
.394
.421
3FG%
.318
.154
FT%
.667
.600
RB
38
42
TO
13
13
STL
8
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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