After a shaky first half for the Southern Miss men’s basketball team on Thursday night, the Golden Eagles found flight in the second half and went on to defeat Louisiana Monroe 84-67.
Powered by a 33-19 run after halftime, Jay Ladner’s group was led by a fourth consecutive double-double performance from big man Denijay Harris. The Arkansas transfer finished with 19 points, 18 rebounds, and four assists.
Here’s a quick recap of the game.
Scoring summary
In front of a sparse crowd inside Reed Green Coliseum in Hattiesburg, Louisiana Monroe (4-13, 0-4 Sun Belt) started hot with back-to-back three-point baskets from Coltie Young and Jalen Bolden. This worked its way into a 19-8 lead.
Behind 19 points off Southern Miss turnovers and 12 second-chance points, the Warhawks never relinquished their side of the scoreboard in the first half. However, the Golden Eagles did rally for an 18-9 run to cut the deficit to 40-39 going into the locker room.
The second half belonged to Southern Miss (7-9, 2-2) in every aspect. Less than a minute in, the Warhawks fouled Harris, and with two sunk free throws, the Golden Eagles took the lead and never let go. Alfred Worrell, Jr. scored 16 points in the final nine minutes to seal the 84-67 win.
Numbers never lie
Outside of Harris and Worrell’s clutch performances, Neftali Alvarez finished with 14 points as the Golden Eagles shot 57.6% from the floor. The Golden Eagles dominated the post-game with 52 points inside the paint and 45 rebounds.
Southern Miss and Louisiana Monroe have now met 44 times dating back to 1953. Thursday’s win increased the Golden Eagles’ all-time lead to 27-17.
Next up
Southern Miss will host Texas State on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
