Sports in Brief: March 7, 2013

Renovations needed at the Rock

The artificial turf at Carlisle Faulkner Field will need to be replaced due to damage sustained from the Feb. 10 tornado, officials with the Southern Miss athletic department said.

It was originally thought that all athletic facilities were unharmed, but after closer evaluations, the turf was determined to be damaged from debris.

“We discovered hazardous material placed throughout the artificial surface,” Hammond told The Sun Herald. “We brought in experts who looked at it. We were really limited in our options. We could possibly take the turf off, but due to age and condition, it wouldn’t survive that. It might fall apart.”

The field is unlikely to be replaced before the April 20 Black and Gold Spring Game. Petal High School is the most likely option, since Oak Grove High School and Hattiesburg High School took damage from the tornado as well.

Men’s basketball falls at Marshall

Despite Dwayne Davis scoring a career-high 35 points, Southern Miss fell at Marshall 88-84 on Tuesday night.

With the loss, the Golden Eagles fell to 22-8 overall and 11-4 in Conference USA action.

The game remained close throughout. Southern Miss took the lead late in the game, 74-73 off a Neil Watson three-pointer.

With 1:03 left, Marshall began to separate just enough. Tied at 79, Marshall went on to hit nine of its last 10 free throws, the lone miss coming with 1 second left.

The free throw shooting by Marshall was uncharacteristic, as they rank last in the league in free throw percentage.

Davis added five rebounds, four steals and four assists to go along with his 35 points. Jonathan Mills added 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Jerrold Brooks added 12 points and five rebounds.

Southern Miss returns home this Saturday to take on Central Florida at 7 p.m.

Two basketball players named award finalists

Two Southern Miss basketball players were recently named finalists for awards given to the best basketball players in Mississippi.

Men’s basketball player Dwayne Davis was announced as one of three finalists for the C Spire Howell Trophy, given to the best men’s college basketball player in the state.

Davis is the third Golden Eagle nominated for the award in its nine-year history. Davis is averaging 14.5 points per game and shooting 47.9 percent from the floor.

The other two finalists—Ole Miss players Marshall Henderson and Murphy Holloway—will join Davis at the ceremony.

Southern Miss women’s basketball player Jamierra Faulkner is one of three finalists for the C Spire Gilliom Trophy, given to the best women’s basketball player in the state.

Faulkner leads Southern Miss with 18.7 points per game, 6.6 assists per game and 3.4 steals per game. Faulkner is the only player in Conference USA to record a triple-double this season.

The other two finalists are Martha Alwal of Mississippi State and Valencia McFarland of Ole Miss.

Both awards will be announced on Monday at luncheon ceremonies at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. The luncheon is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m.