Southern Miss Men’s Basketball ended their six game home stretch with a whiteout win against Louisiana in dominant fashion, 82-71. The Golden Eagles capped off senior night with a win over the Ragin’ Cajuns that saw action from every part of the roster. Viktor Iwuakor, Austin Crowley, Victor Hart, Mo Arnold, and Tate Ryder started the game, and it was Ryder’s first start of his three-year career at Southern Miss.
Andre Curbelo led scoring, tying his career high in points set two games ago with 24. Austin Crowley scored 18 points, and is now only three points away from scoring 1,000 points as a Golden Eagle. Victor Hart went out in style, scoring 15 and having nine rebounds. Victor Iwuakor scored his fifth double-double of the season, grabbing 12 points and 11 rebounds in his final home game as a Golden Eagle. Mo Arnold scored eight during senior night, but every point came in a clutch moment to shift momentum back in favor of Southern Miss. By the end of the night, the Golden Eagles had shot 52.6% and 46.7% from beyond the arch.
Head Coach Jay Ladner surprised fans early Saturday morning with a video saying he would be in attendance for Senior Night festivities, and encouraged fans to come out and support all those who would be spending their final night inside Reed Green Coliseum. The call to action was heard by many, and acted on by a good few of them, as Southern Miss had an attendance of 4,845 fans in attendance at the game Saturday at 6:00, less than two hours after baseball had finished up their game. The most filled out section of Reed Green was the student section, where contingents of fraternities sported gear, flags, and signs in support of Southern Miss and their respective Greek Organizations.
“He was bringing energy,” Interim Head Coach Juan Cardona said on the return of Jay Ladner to the court for Senior Night. “When it happened, it crushed you. He was that man that blessed me; blessed me and my family. So it’s my job, and our job as a staff to bless him, and keep blessing people through the help that he gave us. Because without him, without him opening the door, I’m not here.”
The Ragin’ Cajuns made their first shot of the game, but their lead only lasted 50 seconds, and it was the only time all game Louisiana was ahead in this game. Southern Miss responded by going on an 8-0 run before Tate Ryder nailed a corner shot three pointer, getting the coliseum the loudest it had been all season long. The Golden Eagles continued their hot streak by going on a 12-4 run over the next three minutes. Louisiana never gave up, however, and their persistence started to pay off as they had cut the lead to six around the ten minute mark in the first half. Southern Miss kept the Ragin’ Cajuns at bay, but the Golden Eagles were unable to pull away before the half, as Louisiana cut the lead to four and then two as the half ended, heading into the locker room with a score of 31-29, Southern Miss barely holding on to the lead.
In the second half, the Golden Eagles walked on the court with a vengeance. Southern Miss started the second half on a 9-0 run, and outscored the Ragin’ Cajuns 23-8. Victor Hart nailed a three pointer to extend the lead to as much as 17, but Louisiana wasn’t done just yet. The Ragin’ Cajuns went on a run of their own, cutting the lead to five with less than ten minutes to go. Mo Arnold, however, was not going to let his senior day be spoiled. He shot a three and Austin Crowley followed it up with four consecutive points to extend the lead to 13 with just under two minutes to play. That final bout of momentum was the final nail in the coffin to cement Saturday night as a Golden Eagle win, and Southern Miss was crowned victorious with a score of 82-71.
“The rollercoaster of the season,” Crowley said. “That’s what you gotta handle, and you gotta handle it with professionalism knowing that if your goal is to play professional basketball, you have to dominate where you’re at so you can move on and you can get a job right after you finish.”
Southern Miss finishes off the regular season with a short road trip to Mobile and Lafayette. The Golden Eagles take on South Alabama on Wednesday for a rematch, before ending their season at Louisiana on Friday.