Saturday, December 21
Hattiesburg, Miss.
2 PM
Southern Miss
5-7,1-0Sun Belt
68
vs
66
Marshall
7-6,0-1Sun Belt
1
2
F
Marshall
34
32
66
Southern Miss.
39
29
68
MBB: Golden Eagles Open Sun Belt Play with 68-66 Win Over Marshall
12/21/2024 5:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss (5-7, 1-0 Sun Belt) pulled out another home win as it topped Marshall (7-6, 0-1 Sun Belt) 68-66 to open Sun Belt play on Saturday afternoon. The win moved the Golden Eagles to 31-4 at Reed Green Coliseum over the last three seasons and it also snapped a five-game losing skid to the Thundering Herd that dated back to 2019.
The bigger story of the game was the play from graduate forward Denijay Harris. The Columbus native finished with a career-high 29 points and 10 rebounds, which gave him his fifth double-double of the season – it was also his second straight.
Harris opened the scoring for Southern Miss as he drained his eighth three-pointer of the season to answer Marshall's opening triple. The former Conference USA rivals traded leads seven times over the first 10 minutes of the game.
The Golden Eagles took control of the game on a 5-0 run that came off a Jose Benitez floater and a Harris fast-break basket. Harris' bucket came from a Benitez steal – the junior only played three minutes, but it gave the Golden Eagles life. Southern Miss continued to press Marshall offensively, ultimately building up to an eight-point lead with just under 90 seconds to play in the half.
The Golden Eagles finished the half up five, while Harris had 18 first-half points. His point total tied Neftali Alvarez's 18-point performance in the first half against UAB. More importantly, the Golden Eagles limited themselves to only four turnovers over the first 20 minutes and shot 47 percent from the floor.
Marshall outscored Southern Miss in the second, though it never took the lead from the Golden Eagles. The game was tied three times over the final 20 minutes, but Southern Miss got back to the basics to fend off the Herd.
Jay Ladner phrased it as doing the x's and o's, or the little things, but that's what won Southern Miss the game. It finished with 17 offensive rebounds and only nine turnovers. It was the first game of the season where the Golden Eagles turned the ball over fewer than 10 times.
Marshall tied it at the following times in the second half: 11:28, 5:54, and 1:28. After each time the Herd tied it, Southern Miss had an answer. The first two answers were a Cobie Montgomery triple and an Alvarez layup. The final was from the man of the hour – Harris. He made two free throws down the stretch that preserved the lead and ultimately gave Southern Miss the two-point win.
Watson and Harris, though, forced Marshall to cough up the ball with four seconds left on the clock. The two double-teamed Nate Martin, Marshall's preseason All-Sun Belt player, who turned the ball over into Alvarez's hands. Alvarez threw the ball high in the air as the final seconds ticked off the clock and the buzzer finally hit zero as the ball reached the other end of the floor.
The win snapped Southern Miss' two-game losing skid and gave it the second conference-opening win since joining the Sun Belt. It was also the 31st win at The Greenhouse since the start of '22-23.
Watson scored in double figures for the first time in four games after finishing with 10. Alvarez added eight points to go along with four assists. Alfred Worrell Jr. played 13 minutes and added two points that silenced a Marshall run.
The Golden Eagles finished the game shooting 48.2 percent from the floor, while Marshall shot 52.1 percent. Southern Miss struggled from three-point land again, going 6-for-20 from deep at a 30 percent clip.
Southern Miss will enjoy a nine-day break before taking on William Carey on Dec. 30. Tipoff in the Mayor's Cup is set for 7 p.m. at Reed Green Coliseum.
The bigger story of the game was the play from graduate forward Denijay Harris. The Columbus native finished with a career-high 29 points and 10 rebounds, which gave him his fifth double-double of the season – it was also his second straight.
Harris opened the scoring for Southern Miss as he drained his eighth three-pointer of the season to answer Marshall's opening triple. The former Conference USA rivals traded leads seven times over the first 10 minutes of the game.
The Golden Eagles took control of the game on a 5-0 run that came off a Jose Benitez floater and a Harris fast-break basket. Harris' bucket came from a Benitez steal – the junior only played three minutes, but it gave the Golden Eagles life. Southern Miss continued to press Marshall offensively, ultimately building up to an eight-point lead with just under 90 seconds to play in the half.
The Golden Eagles finished the half up five, while Harris had 18 first-half points. His point total tied Neftali Alvarez's 18-point performance in the first half against UAB. More importantly, the Golden Eagles limited themselves to only four turnovers over the first 20 minutes and shot 47 percent from the floor.
Marshall outscored Southern Miss in the second, though it never took the lead from the Golden Eagles. The game was tied three times over the final 20 minutes, but Southern Miss got back to the basics to fend off the Herd.
Jay Ladner phrased it as doing the x's and o's, or the little things, but that's what won Southern Miss the game. It finished with 17 offensive rebounds and only nine turnovers. It was the first game of the season where the Golden Eagles turned the ball over fewer than 10 times.
Marshall tied it at the following times in the second half: 11:28, 5:54, and 1:28. After each time the Herd tied it, Southern Miss had an answer. The first two answers were a Cobie Montgomery triple and an Alvarez layup. The final was from the man of the hour – Harris. He made two free throws down the stretch that preserved the lead and ultimately gave Southern Miss the two-point win.
Watson and Harris, though, forced Marshall to cough up the ball with four seconds left on the clock. The two double-teamed Nate Martin, Marshall's preseason All-Sun Belt player, who turned the ball over into Alvarez's hands. Alvarez threw the ball high in the air as the final seconds ticked off the clock and the buzzer finally hit zero as the ball reached the other end of the floor.
The win snapped Southern Miss' two-game losing skid and gave it the second conference-opening win since joining the Sun Belt. It was also the 31st win at The Greenhouse since the start of '22-23.
Watson scored in double figures for the first time in four games after finishing with 10. Alvarez added eight points to go along with four assists. Alfred Worrell Jr. played 13 minutes and added two points that silenced a Marshall run.
The Golden Eagles finished the game shooting 48.2 percent from the floor, while Marshall shot 52.1 percent. Southern Miss struggled from three-point land again, going 6-for-20 from deep at a 30 percent clip.
Southern Miss will enjoy a nine-day break before taking on William Carey on Dec. 30. Tipoff in the Mayor's Cup is set for 7 p.m. at Reed Green Coliseum.
Team Stats
Marsh
USM
FG%
.521
.482
3FG%
.286
.300
FT%
.571
.444
RB
31
36
TO
12
9
STL
2
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
29
FGM
10
3FGM
2
FTM
7
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
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