Southern Miss
16-15,9-9Sun Belt
Louisiana
18-13,10-8Sun Belt
Iwuakor Picks Up Another Double-Double in Regular Season Finale
3/1/2024 10:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LAFAYETTE, La. – Southern Miss (16-15, 9-9 Sun Belt) men's basketball fell 77-61 to Louisiana (17-14, 10-8 Sun Belt) on Friday night in the regular season finale.
Victor Iwuakor grabbed his sixth double-double this season as he led the Golden Eagles with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Victor Hart joined Iwuakor in double figures with 16 points.
Outside of Mo Arnold's three-pointer to tie the game 53 seconds in, Louisiana led from start to finish in the Cajundome. The Ragiin' Cajuns used an 11-3 run to build an 11-point lead before the first media timeout and then hit a jumper with two seconds left in the half to take a 39-23 lead into the break.
Southern Miss managed to cut to a seven-point game with seven minutes left in the half, but a 6-0 Louisiana run blew it back open. The second half was the same story as the Golden Eagles cut it to single digits twice before the Ragin' Cajuns quickly answered on both occasions.
A 13-4 run flipped a nine-point game into an 18-point game over the final two-and-a-half minutes. Louisiana had six players finish in double figures and were led by Joe Charles' 16 points. Charles also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
Southern Miss shot 40 percent from the floor and 22 percent from deep. Louisiana finished with a 42 percent shooting clip from the floor and went 6-for-23 from deep. Louisiana won the rebounding battle 42-39, but Southern Miss outrebounded the Ragin' Cajuns 21-16 in the second half.
Southern Miss will head to Pensacola, Fla. as the No. 6 seed for the 2024 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Championship. The Golden Eagles are slated to play the winner of the (11) Texas State and (14) Old Dominion game on Thursday, March 7 at 5 p.m.
Game Notes
- Victor Iwuakor's 18 points put him in double figures for the 15th time this season
- Iwuakor also grabbed 10 rebounds to pick up his sixth double-double this season
- Southern Miss finished the regular season with 16 wins and earned the No. 6 seed at the Sun Belt Championships
