HATTIESBURG, Miss. --Southern Miss (13-11, 7-5 Sun Belt) men's basketball hosts Western Michigan (8-15, 5-6 MAC) on Saturday afternoon in the second instalment of the MAC-SBC Challenge. The non-conference bout will tip-off at 1 p.m. inside Reed Green Coliseum.
Game 25: Southern Miss (13-11, 7-5 Sun Belt) vs. Western Michigan (8-15, 5-6 MAC)
Saturday, February 10 at 1 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: Southern Miss Radio Network
Reed Green Coliseum (8,095)
Southern Miss is coming off an emotional 78-73 win on Wednesday night against Old Dominion. Austin Crowley went for 30 points as the Golden Eagles moved to 23-1 at The Greenhouse since the start of last season. Crowley added 11 rebounds as he became the first player since Gary Flowers in 2011 to have at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a game. Victor Iwuakor also picked up a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds – him and Crowley were the first Golden Eagle duo to record a double-double in the same game since the 2021-22 season.
The game willbe streamed on ESPN+ with Lee Roberts (PxP) and Larry Boyd (color) on the call. Fans can listen on the Southern Miss Radio Network, Southern Miss Game Day App, or their local Southern Miss Network affiliate to hear John Cox on the call.
KEY GOLDEN EAGLE STORYLINES
- Victor Iwuakor is eight blocks shy of moving into the top-10 for most in a single season by a Golden Eagle
- Against Old Dominion, Crowley became the first Golden Eagle since Gary Flowers in 2011 to finish with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds
- The 18-point comeback against Troy is the second-biggest at home in program history
- Iwuakor is picked up his first career double-double against Arkansas State with 10 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks
- Southern Miss' 50 rebounds against the Red Wolves marked the second time this season they reached that number
- Southern Miss' win over No. 19 James Madison on Jan. 6 was the first ranked win since Jan. 15, 2011 over No. 22 UCF. It was the eighth ranked win in program history
- Curbelo dished out 20 assists over two games against James Madison and Georgia State
- Southern Miss moved to 2-0 in Sun Belt home openers following its win over Georgia State
- Curbelo became the first Golden Eagle since Ronald Jackson in 1980 to record a triple-double
-Curbelo led the Golden Eagles in points (18), rebounds (7) and steals (4) in the conference opener against Georgia Southern
- Hart picked up the third double-double of his career with 13 points and 11 rebounds against the Rebels
- Post players Tegra Izay (9) and Iwuakor (8) combined for 17 rebounds and 16 points against Lamar
- Izay hauled in a career-high 14 rebounds in 30 minutes of action against McNeese
- Iwuakor led all Golden Eagles against Northwestern State with a career-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor. Montgomery went for a career-high 17 points
- Southern Miss' 35 bench points were the most in a single game against a Division I opponent this season
- Southern Miss' 53.8 percent shooting from the floor against Northwestern State was the best this season and marked the second consecutive game where it shot over 50 percent from the floor
- Ivory enjoyed a 32-point outburst in a road win at Milwaukee, while Hart helped the Golden Eagles to a win at UAB with a 26-point performance
- Hart led all Golden Eagles with 18 points in the tournament opening loss to Utah Valley. He went 9-of-13 from the floor in that game -- the most field goals he has made in a single game
- Crowley paced the Golden Eagles with 17 points after opening the season with a 19-point performance against William Carey
- Senior guard Mo Arnold has taken over as the floor general for the Golden Eagles -- he's averaging 7.0ppg, 7.5rpg and 4.5apg
- The 42 points scored by William Carey were the fewest under Jay Ladner and marked the 48thtime Southern Miss has held an opponent under 50 points since joining the Division I ranks
- Crowley (19), Donovan Ivory (13) and Victor Hart (12) all scored in double figures, while Crowley added 10 boards to pick up the first double-double of his career against the Crusaders
- Last season, Southern Miss racked up 25 wins for the fourth time in program history
-Crowley's breakout junior season included Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-Sun Belt, First Team All-NABC District 23, Lou Henson All-American, Lou Henson Player of the Year Finalist, and Howell Trophy Finalist
- Tegra Izayand Lieb Yat are the first 7-footers to don the Black and Gold since 7-foot-1 big man Gustavo Lino played for Southern Miss in 2009- Southern Miss' 18-win turnaround from the 2021-22 to 2022-23 was the second-best in NCAA Division I history. Iowa State owns the top spot at +22 in 2021-22
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN
- Western Michigan heads to Hattiesburg losers of its last four games and 8-15 overall
- The Broncos lost to Georgia State, 77-70, in their first game of the MAC-SBC Challenge back in November
- Seth Hubbard leads WMU in scoring at 14.9 points per game, while he scored a season-high 27 points against Aquinas
- Javonte Brown joins Hubbard in double figure scoring at 10.1 points per game
THE SERIES HISTORY
- Saturday marks the second meeting all-time between the two schools
- The Golden Eagles topped the Broncos 77-61 in Hattiesburg on Dec. 15, 1952
Follow @SouthernMissMBBon Facebook, Instagram and X for updates. Season tickets are available for the 2023-24 season -- Fans can purchase tickets at SouthernMissTickets.com, by calling 1-800-844-TICK (8425) or visit the Pat Ferlise Ticket Office on campus weekdays during normal businesshours.
