Southern Miss (14-17, C-USA 7-11) snapped its four game losing streak against La. Tech (16-14, C-USA 7-11) in its final game of the season, 72-64. The conference win helped Southern Miss improve its conference win total each year under head coach Doc Sadler.
The Golden Eagles found their offense early, shooting 59 percent in the first half while holding the Bulldogs to just 25 percent shooting. The hot shooting helped Southern Miss take a 23-point lead into the half, 40-17.
“I’m not sure that we could have played much better in the first half than we did on both sides of the board.” Sadler said. “We got stagnant and forced plays instead of letting the offense come to us in the second half.”
Southern Miss struggled to score in the second half. Despite the 42 percent they shot from the floor, Southern Miss allowed the Bulldogs to cut the deficit to two with a little over a minute left in the contest. Cortez Edwards nailed a pair of free throws and a three-point to push the lead to six for the Golden Eagles. The late offensive surge was enough for Southern Miss to solidify the win, 72-64.
Three Golden Eagles finished in double digits. Edwards recorded 21, Tyree Griffin finished with 15 and Dominic Magee finished with 13. Edwards also recorded two steals, giving him the single-season record.
Southern Miss will travel to Frisco, TX for the C-USA tournament as a ninth seed. The Golden Eagles are set to face FIU on March 7. Tip-off is set for 6p.m.
