Box Score (html)
Box Score (pdf)

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss outscored the University of South Alabama men's basketball team 46-30 in the second half and used a late 11-2 run to take control of a 68-59 victory Monday night at Reed Green Coliseum.

The Golden Eagles stay undefeated at 2-0 while the Jaguars suffer their first loss and drop to 1-1.

USM outrebounded USA 44-29 and attempted 34 free throws compared to the Jags' 10, while shooting 53.8 percent from the floor in the second half after converting 28.0 percent in the first.

"I thought we came out in the first half and played really well," Jaguar head coach Matthew Graves said. "We got off to a good start and defensively in the first half, I thought we were great. We held them to 28 percent (shooting) and we did a great job of not allowing them to score in transition, so the game was going our way.

"In the second half, when they went on a couple of runs, we got a little tired. I think their physicality and their strength wore us down as the game went on, and we gave up a lot more transition baskets; when you do that, you let the other team get going. They were able to drive the ball and they killed us getting to the free-throw line."

USA junior John Brown (Charlotte, N.C.) shared game-high scoring honors with 14 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the floor, and he added five rebounds. Junior Barrington Stevens III (Allen, Texas) and freshman Taishaun Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind.) scored 12 and 10 points, respectively.

South Alabama led from the first minute, jumping out to a 16-8 advantage at the 13:15 mark and eventually went up 29-19 just before halftime.

However, Southern Miss took advantage of a USA shooting slump early in the second half and scored nine straight points to tie the game at 40-40 near the midway point of the final period. The Jaguars missed seven straight shots and committed two turnovers that led directly to four points.

The Jaguars were able to hold the Golden Eagles off for a few more minutes before USM took the lead for the first time at the 7:12 mark on back-to-back buckets from Matt Bingaya. Johnson answered on the other end with a bucket, and after a USM free throw, Stevens hit a short jumper put USA up for the final time, 48-47 with 4:35 to play in the contest.

Southern Miss scored the next six points, the final four from Norville Carey on consecutive trips down the floor, while South Alabama went 0-for-2 and committed two turnovers.

After two Johnson free throws, the Golden Eagles put up the next five points to take a commanding eight-point lead. Brown and sophomore Ken Williams (Houston, Texas) combined to score five of the game's next six points to close within 59-55 with 1:08 remaining, but Williams' 3-pointer was the Jags' final field goal of the contest and Southern Miss went 9-for-10 at the charity stripe to close the contest.

"You could tell by looking out there, they're a more mature, physical team," Graves said of USM. "That's not to make excuses for our guys, but at the same time, we have to understand that we have opportunities to get in the weight room and get stronger, and we have to translate that out on the court; when we're driving, we have to hold our line to the rim, and when other guys are driving, we have to hold our ground and not get pushed underneath the basket. When they go back and look at some of the clips on film, they'll be surprised they got pushed around at times."

Four Golden Eagles reached double-digit scoring, led by Bingaya's 14 points, all of which came in the second half. He also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and blocked three shots. Chip Armelin scored eight of his 13 points after halftime. Shadell Millinghaus added 11 points and Carey came off the bench to pour in 10.

South Alabama stays on the road to take on Detroit Saturday at 2 p.m. CST.

"I'm really excited about this team," Graves said. "I like where we can get and this is a good steppingstone. I told them it's only going to get harder at Detroit, so you have to embrace it, you have to love it and you have to want to compete."

NOTES: Southern Miss has won five in a row in the series, with a pair of come-from-behind victories in each of the last two years… The Jaguars have lost 19 of their last 21 road openers and are 10-37 all-time in their first road game of the season… Brown has led USA in scoring in each of the first two games and is averaging 18.0 points per game… Freshman Abdul Lewis (Newark, N.J.) grabbed a team-best six rebounds, pacing the squad for the second time and averages a team-high 8.0 rebounds per contest… The Jags grabbed just one offensive rebound in the first half and seven for the game… USA's 10 free-throw attempts are the team's fewest since attempting eight at Georgia State on Feb. 3… South Alabama went 5-for-27 (18.5%) from 3-point land in the game and committed nine turnovers in the second half after having just five in the first… Freshman Luka Andjusic (Belgrade, Serbia) scored the first points of his career with a pair of 3-pointers and converted a four-point play.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

—USA—