HATTIESBURG, Miss. – WOW – That’s really all that sums up Southern Miss’ (10-8, 4-2 Sun Belt) 69-66 win over Arkansas State (7-11, 3-3 Sun Belt) on Wednesday night at Reed Green Coliseum.
The Golden Eagles – playing shorthanded – needed someone to step up against the Red Wolves. Well, Jay Ladner got more than that on Wednesday night. Ladner had three guys record 10-plus points, two guys grab 10-plus rebounds, and two others finish with at least seven rebounds.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been as proud of a team considering the circumstances,” Ladner said. “It’s amazing how gritty our guys were tonight. That was as gritty of an effort as any team that I’ve ever been involved with.”
Victor Iwuakor enjoyed a breakout performance in front of a raucous crowd of 4,583 at the Coliseum. The senior forward finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high six blocks. His six blocks were a career best, but his most noteworthy moment was a high-arching three-pointer with 4:26 play that broke open a tied game.
The three-pointer helped erase a once nine-point deficit that turned the score to Southern Miss’ advantage for the first time since the first half. The three capped a 9-2 run that began with a big-time shot from Austin Crowley, who finished with a game-high 25 points.
Though the lead didn’t last more than a minute, Iwuakor answered again with a layup to tie the game at 59-all. Mo Arnoldthen gave the Golden Eagles a three-point advantage with a clutch triple. Again, Arkansas State answered with back-to-back threes of its own – the Red Wolves finished with 14 triples.
With 3:12 to go and a three-point disadvantage in front on them, the Golden Eagles leaned on Crowley and Iwuakor to reel in the 12th Sun Belt win at Reed Green Coliseum since the start of last season. Crowley scored five-straight points to give Southern Miss a two-point lead with 14 seconds to play, then Iwuakor iced the win with a pair of free throws with three seconds left.
Despite the second half providing all the fireworks, don’t forget Southern Miss held a nine-point lead of its own in the first half before Arkansas State erased it. The Red Wolves scored 12 points over the final three minutes of the opening half to take a two-point lead into the break.
After it was all said and done, Southern Miss held Arkansas State well below its season points average of 78.9. More importantly for Southern Miss, it stayed four turnovers shy of its average of 12.3. It was only the fifth time Southern Miss finished with eight turnovers or less and it was the first time since playing at McNeese on Dec. 13.
The Golden Eagles picked up its first win when shooting less than 40 percent from the floor for the first time since Jan. 7, 2023, against ULM. Tonight, Southern Miss shot 35.4 percent from the floor and 7-for-23 from deep. The Golden Eagles went 16-for-21 from the charity stripe and 13-for-16 from the line in the second half.
Arnold’s 11 rebounds were a career high and bested his previous mark of 10 that he sent as a freshman at Jacksonville. The Picayune native also scored eight points to go along with two assists. Cobie Montgomery grabbed seven rebounds and scored six points in his second career start.
Donovan Ivory made a pair of three-pointers and finished with 15 points. The senior guard also grabbed eight of Southern Miss’ season-high 50 rebounds. It was the third time a Ladner team has grabbed at least 50 rebounds – all three have come this season.
The Golden Eagles continue its stay at home as it will host Troy on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. The game will follow the Lady Eagles’ game at 12 p.m. Both games will air on ESPN+
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