Golden Eagles dismantle Cougars

The Conference USA home opener started close for Southern Miss, but it did not end that way. The Golden Eagles moved to 13-4 on the season and 2-0 in conference play after dismantling the Houston Cougars by a score of 73-54.

The victory extended several streaks for Southern Miss. It was their fifth straight victory and 21st straight victory in Reed Green Coliseum. The win over Houston also set a school record for consecutive home wins over conference opponents at nine.

“We expected the game to be a back-and-forth affair, which is how it started out,” Southern Miss head coach Donnie Tyndall said. “Houston has a big, physical front line. But, I thought we had a great energy level. We did a good job of keeping them out of the paint, limiting their post touches and forcing them to take jump shots. Our guys competed, and I was pleased with our effort overall.”

With more than six minutes left in the first half, Houston hit a basket to shrink the Southern Miss lead to only two points at 17-15. That was the last time they scored in the first half, however. The Eagles closed with half with a 19-0 run that basically ended any chance of a Cougar victory.

Southern Miss was able to maintain their large lead through the second half and cruised to victory behind great defense, which lead to several easy buckets. Guard Jerrold Brooks led all players with 16 points, while forward Jonathan Mills led all players with 10 rebounds. Junior Daveon Boardingham continued his recent surge with a 12 points and five rebounds.

The Eagles hit the road to face the Mustangs of SMU tomorrow before returning home next Saturday against UAB. Southern Methodist is currently 11-7 on the season and 1-2 in conference play under the leadership of first-year coach and coaching legend Larry Brown.