Saturday, February 10
Hattiesburg, Miss.
1 PM
Southern Miss
14-11,7-5Sun Belt
86
vs
54
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Western Michigan
8-16,5-6MAC
1
2
F
Western Mich.
33
21
54
Southern Miss.
40
46
86
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Iwuakor's Big Day Helps Southern Miss Blowout Western Michigan
2/10/2024 4:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss' Victor Iwuakor stole the show in Saturday's 86-54 win over Western Michigan (8-16, 5-6 MAC) at Reed Green Coliseum. The Golden Eagle (14-11, 7-5 Sun Belt) senior scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help the men's basketball team to their largest win of the season.
As Southern Miss went on a 19-7 run in the first half, Iwuakor accounted for 17 of those points. His productivity put the Golden Eagles up 16 with six minutes to go in the half. The lead only last for a split second, though. The Broncos ripped off a 13-0 run to make it a three-point game with under a minute to go in the half.
Iwuakor played hero again in the first half as he closed the opening 20 minutes with a buzzer-beating three as the clock hit zero. The basket gave him 22 first half points – a then career high –– and the Golden Eagles a seven-point advantage at the break. Southern Miss shot 55 percent from the floor in the first half and got point production from Iwuakor, Donovan Ivory (6), Austin Crowley (5) and Tegra Izay (2).
The second half started with Western Michigan matching each Southern Miss basket to keep it a close ballgame. Izay momentarily put the Golden Eagles up 10 with a thunderous dunk five minutes into the half, but the Broncos answered again. Southern Miss threw one final haymaker that proved to be the difference maker. Owen Lobsinger had just hit a three-pointer to make it 54-48 with 12:33 to play in the game and then Mo Arnold made a tough layup in the paint.
The Golden Eagles ended the six-minute stretch on a 28-2 run that put the game out of reach. Western Michigan didn't make a field goal over the final 12 minutes of the game and only scored six points, all of which were free throws. The final Southern Miss points came courtesy of a Trey Alfonso free throw and a Tate Ryder corner three in front of the Golden Eagle bench.
Southern Miss finished the game with a season-high 22 assists and had five different players score 10-plus points for the second time this season. Izay scored a career-high 13 points in only 17 minutes of playing time. The seven-footer also had three rebounds to help Southern Miss out-rebound Western Michigan, 39-28.
Iwuakor added to his career night with three blocks to bring his season total to 53. Southern Miss now has 118 on the season, which four shy of moving into top-10 all-time in a single season.
Hart finished with 11 points and went 3-for-4 from deep, while the Golden Eagles went 12-26 from deep as a team. Ivory had four of those – 12 points total –– and Iwuakor's buzzer beater was another.
Crowley finished with 10 points and a career-high 10 assists. Saturday marked the first time the Golden Eagles had back-to-back games with a 30-point scorer for the first time since the 2012-13 season. Dwayne Davis went for 35 points against Marshall on March 5, 2013, and then Davis scored 34 against UCF four days later.
Southern Miss will return to Sun Belt action on Thursday when it hosts ULM at Reed Green Coliseum. Tip-off will be at 7:30 p.m. and follow a Southern Miss women's basketball game slated for 5 p.m.
Game Notes
- Five Golden Eagles finished in double figures for the second time this season – Iwuakor (31), Izay (13), Ivory (12), Hart (11), Crowley (10)
- Crowley's 10-point, 10-assists double-double was the first points-assists double-double since Gabe Watson's (14p, 11a) on Feb. 15, 2020
- Southern Miss had players score at least 30 points in back-to-back games for the first time since the 2012-13 season
- Iwuakor finished with a career-high 31 points and 13 rebounds
- After not having a 30-point, 10-rebound double-double in 13 years, Southern Miss has had one in each of its last two games (Crowley – 33p, 11r vs. ODU; Iwuakor – 31p, 13r vs. WMU)
As Southern Miss went on a 19-7 run in the first half, Iwuakor accounted for 17 of those points. His productivity put the Golden Eagles up 16 with six minutes to go in the half. The lead only last for a split second, though. The Broncos ripped off a 13-0 run to make it a three-point game with under a minute to go in the half.
Iwuakor played hero again in the first half as he closed the opening 20 minutes with a buzzer-beating three as the clock hit zero. The basket gave him 22 first half points – a then career high –– and the Golden Eagles a seven-point advantage at the break. Southern Miss shot 55 percent from the floor in the first half and got point production from Iwuakor, Donovan Ivory (6), Austin Crowley (5) and Tegra Izay (2).
Have a dang day ‼️@solid_2500 | #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/nZvPzJ6NgB
— Southern Miss MBB (@SouthernMissMBB) February 10, 2024
The second half started with Western Michigan matching each Southern Miss basket to keep it a close ballgame. Izay momentarily put the Golden Eagles up 10 with a thunderous dunk five minutes into the half, but the Broncos answered again. Southern Miss threw one final haymaker that proved to be the difference maker. Owen Lobsinger had just hit a three-pointer to make it 54-48 with 12:33 to play in the game and then Mo Arnold made a tough layup in the paint.
Iwuakor followed with a jumper that helped Southern Miss to a 21-0 run and a 27-point lead in only six minutes. The Golden Eagles got a pair of Victor Hart three-pointers in that stretch after the senior returned from an injury he suffered at ULM in mid-January. The biggest momentum grabber came when Izay drove down the lane and threw down a slam dunk that got The Greenhouse going.First basket since January 11 ✔️
— Southern Miss MBB (@SouthernMissMBB) February 10, 2024
And he just added a three-pointer to put the Golden Eagles up 15@vickhart_12 | #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/W8RgKr0LLr
The Golden Eagles ended the six-minute stretch on a 28-2 run that put the game out of reach. Western Michigan didn't make a field goal over the final 12 minutes of the game and only scored six points, all of which were free throws. The final Southern Miss points came courtesy of a Trey Alfonso free throw and a Tate Ryder corner three in front of the Golden Eagle bench.
Southern Miss finished the game with a season-high 22 assists and had five different players score 10-plus points for the second time this season. Izay scored a career-high 13 points in only 17 minutes of playing time. The seven-footer also had three rebounds to help Southern Miss out-rebound Western Michigan, 39-28.
Iwuakor added to his career night with three blocks to bring his season total to 53. Southern Miss now has 118 on the season, which four shy of moving into top-10 all-time in a single season.
Hart finished with 11 points and went 3-for-4 from deep, while the Golden Eagles went 12-26 from deep as a team. Ivory had four of those – 12 points total –– and Iwuakor's buzzer beater was another.
ANOTHER TEG SLAM 🔨🔨🔨@Ayyeee_T | #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/usrKO5zrDm
— Southern Miss MBB (@SouthernMissMBB) February 10, 2024
Crowley finished with 10 points and a career-high 10 assists. Saturday marked the first time the Golden Eagles had back-to-back games with a 30-point scorer for the first time since the 2012-13 season. Dwayne Davis went for 35 points against Marshall on March 5, 2013, and then Davis scored 34 against UCF four days later.
Southern Miss will return to Sun Belt action on Thursday when it hosts ULM at Reed Green Coliseum. Tip-off will be at 7:30 p.m. and follow a Southern Miss women's basketball game slated for 5 p.m.
Game Notes
- Five Golden Eagles finished in double figures for the second time this season – Iwuakor (31), Izay (13), Ivory (12), Hart (11), Crowley (10)
- Crowley's 10-point, 10-assists double-double was the first points-assists double-double since Gabe Watson's (14p, 11a) on Feb. 15, 2020
- Southern Miss had players score at least 30 points in back-to-back games for the first time since the 2012-13 season
- Iwuakor finished with a career-high 31 points and 13 rebounds
- After not having a 30-point, 10-rebound double-double in 13 years, Southern Miss has had one in each of its last two games (Crowley – 33p, 11r vs. ODU; Iwuakor – 31p, 13r vs. WMU)
Team Stats
WMU
USM
FG%
.306
.559
3FG%
.214
.462
FT%
.808
.615
RB
28
39
TO
12
12
STL
7
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
31
FGM
12
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's Basketball
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