HATTIESBURG, Miss. — South Dakota State used a strong defensive performance to defeat Southern Miss on Wednesday, 65-54, and end the Golden Eagles' 17-game home winning streak at Reed Green Coliseum.
The non-conference matchup between the Jackrabbits and Golden Eagles saw SDSU never trail in the contest.
Kalen Garry hit a 3-pointer less than 30 seconds into the game and that bucket put the Jackrabbits ahead for good.
A
Tanner Te Slaa 3-pointer with 5 minutes, 5 seconds remaining in the first half pushed the Jackrabbit advantage into double digits. SDSU eventually went into halftime up 34-22 thanks to a 7-for-12 clip (58.3%) from 3-point range while holding Southern Miss to just 23.3% from the floor.
The Jackrabbits battled foul trouble early in the second half and the Golden Eagles worked to trim a deficit that was as high as 17.
Southern Miss' Austin Crowley hit two free throws to cut the margin to 45-39 with 10:17 left. A
Charlie Easley 3-pointer on the next possession, assisted by
Luke Appel, pushed the edge back up to nine points and the Jackrabbit lead never dipped under seven again.
South Dakota State ended the contest 11 of 23 from deep for a season-high 47.8% from 3-point range. Southern Miss was held to a 29.1% mark from the field and 21.7% clip from long range, both lows for the season against a Division I opponent for the Golden Eagles.
The Jackrabbits improved to 2-4 overall, while the Golden Eagles dropped to 2-4.
Notes
- Eight different Jackrabbits found the score column on Wednesday. Zeke Mayo had a team-high 16 points. He shared the team lead in rebounds with Charlie Easley as each grabbed eight.
- Joining Mayo in double digits scoring were Easley (11) and Nate Barnhart (10). Barnhart had a career-high three blocks. Bubz Alvarez had a career-best six points while playing a career-high 20 minutes. Garry scored nine points while registering a career-high seven rebounds.
- The Jackrabbits finished with a 48-32 edge on the boards. SDSU had 17 turnovers to Southern Miss' eight. Crowley, the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Player of the Year, scored a game-high 18 points but made just four of 18 shots to do so.
Up Next
South Dakota State returns to Brookings for its next contest. The Jackrabbits are slated to face Mount Marty at 7 p.m. on Monday inside Frost Arena.
-GoJacks.com-