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Eagles Face South Alabama
Hattiesburg, Miss. - Following an 85-61 loss over the weekend at Arkansas State, Southern Miss (2-3) plays another Sun Belt Conference team, South Alabama, Wednesday night, in an effort to even its record as well as get back on the winning track.
The game will be the 29th between the two teams. Southern Miss holds a 16-12 edge in the series that started in 1969 with a game Southern Miss won, 95-79. Southern Miss won the first three games between two schools and then proceeded to lose the next six.
The current streak of five Southern Miss victories coincides with the arrival of Head Coach James Green and marks the longest steak the Golden Eagles have enjoyed. Green-coached teams have won all five games against his former college coach, Bob Weltlich, and have limited the Jaguars to under 50 points a game in each of the five.
South Alabama brings the same 2-3 record into the game as does Southern Miss. The Jags opened with a lopsided (92-38) loss at Louisville, dropped an 80-70 decision at Marist, beat Valdosta State (64-56) and Southeastern Louisiana (71-43), before losing at Mississippi State, 73-66.
The Jaguars are led in scoring by junior forward Henry Williams, who is averaging 14.2 points a game as well as leading the team in rebounding with 8.4 a game. Junior guard Demetrice Williams is the only other Jag in double figures, at 11.4 points a game. South Alabama is shooting .438 (114-260) from the floor.
Senior forward Elvin Mims continues to lead the Golden Eagles in scoring at 17.8 points a game, the only Southern Miss player in double figures. He also tops the rebounders at 7.6 boards a game. The Eagles have improved their field goal percentage to .404 (110-272) and have hit 56 of their last 74 free throws (.757) to improve to .685 (76-111) overall from the line.
Following the South Alabama game, Southern Miss then will play three home games leading up to Christmas, Morris Brown (Dec. 15), Millsaps (Dec. 18) and Western Kentucky (Dec. 22).
