With 17:08 left in the first half, Southern Miss guard Donovan Ivory made a layup on a pass from Picayune native Mo Arnold for the Golden Eagles to take a 5-4 lead. This was the last time Coastal Carolina would be within one as Southern Miss dominated the Chanticleers 79-63 on Wednesday night for their third consecutive victory.
Ivory scored 28 points while shooting six of seven from three-point range. Guard Cobie Montgomery scored 11 points and Jeffery Armstrong finished with 10 points as Southern Miss (12-8, 6-2 Sun Belt) continued its hot streak. The Golden Eagles also did a good job of halting any consistent offensive production by Coastal Carolina (5-14, 2-6) as they held the Chanticleers to a mere 26 first-half points.
Coming out of halftime with a 44-26 lead, Southern Miss took its foot off the brake at times but not enough to let Coastal Carolina back into the game. After a 14-0 run by the Chanticleers, Ivory hit a big three to swing the momentum back in favor of the Golden Eagles.
With the score at 53-38 with 10:24 left in the game, Southern Miss responded with a 26-15 run that ended with Austin Crowley closing out the game with a successful trip to the free throw line. The preseason Sun Belt player of the year finished with a season-high seven assists along with seven points and four rebounds.
Leading the Chanticleers was forward Kevin Easley, Jr. with 18 points and three assists.
Next up for Southern Miss will be another road game, this time against Marshall on Saturday, Jan. 27. Tipoff in Huntington, W.Va., is set for 3 p.m. CT.
