Sun Belt 2022-23 Coach of the Year Jay Ladner discusses the Southern Miss loss to South Alabama at the Sun Belt Conference Quarterfinals Men’s Basketball Tournament Saturday, Mar. 4, 2023 in Pensacola, Fl. (Aimee Cronan/The Gazebo Gazette via AP)

by Hunter Dawkins, Owner/Publisher – editor@thegazebogazette.com or hdawkins@supertalk.fm

COLUMBIA (GG) — Southern Miss (1-2) and South Carolina (2-0) battled to an instant classic on Sunday, November 9 as the Gamecocks won 83-79 in overtime at Colonial Bank Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.  The game was in front of 11,420 in attendance.

A pair of Golden Eagles (USM) posted 20-point performances as Isaac Taveras scored 25 and Tylik Weeks went off for a career mark. Israel Hart came off the bench to add 17 points, making it the second-straight game he’s reached double figures.

Scoring Summary
South Carolina started the game firing from deep, starting 8-for-13 from beyond the arc. The hot hand helped the Gamecocks to an 11-point lead six minutes into the game. Eli Ellis pushed the lead to 16 shortly after to give the home team its biggest lead of the game.

Southern Miss found IJ Ezuma for a bucket out of the under-12 media timeout and then Felipe Patino and Hart followed with more points. South Carolina only made three field goals over the final 11 minutes of the half – all three were from deep. The Golden Eagles cut the lead to seven on a Fallou Diagne three-pointer, which spurred a 10-3 run to end the first half.

USM trailed 38-34 at the break as the Gamecocks hit nine three-pointers in the first 20 minutes. The Golden Eagles shot 42 percent from the floor in the half as Weeks poured in 11 points. Southern Miss’ defense forced eight South Carolina turnovers in the first half, which led 12 points on the other end.

The Golden Eagles scored the first seven points of the second half to take a 41-38 lead in a hurry. They went on another 6-0 run before the under-12 media timeout to take an eight-point lead. Hart then gave Southern Miss its largest lead of the night at 65-44 with just under four minutes to play.

South Carolina, though, turned to Meechie Johnson down the stretch as the guard scored 11 points in the final minutes. Taveras gave Southern Miss a 70-68 lead with 24 seconds on the clock before South Carolina called a timeout. The Gamecocks got Johnson the ball out of the timeout, which drew a quick whistle that sent him to the line to tie it.

Johnson’s points sent the game to overtime after the Golden Eagles couldn’t get a last-second shot off. Weeks had an and-one to open the overtime period, though that was the last time Southern Miss had the lead. South Carolina scored eight of the final 12 points to seal the win over its old Metro Conference opponent. 

What the Coach Said
In his seventh year at his alma mater, Southern Miss Head Basketball Coach Jay Ladner was not thrilled with the result, but he certainly appreciated the effort.
“We have a lot of things to work on, but the players we have possess a great teachable attitude,” said Ladner, who has a 76-111 record at Southern Miss, but 52-40 since joining the Sun Belt Conference in 2022.  “Offensively, we showed that we have guys that can score.  One of our emphasis in putting this roster together was getting players that can score.  Our chemistry and execution are not quite there yet, but we are getting better, especially after playing an SEC opponent.”

The Numbers Never Lie

Johnson led all scorers with 33 points with seven three-pointers for the Gamecocks.  The Golden Eagles went 29-for-67 from the field to shoot 43.3 percent and went 5-for-22 from deep. Meanwhile, South Carolina shot 39.1 percent and made 16 three-pointers on 43 attempts. Southern Miss forced 15 South Carolina turnovers, while the Golden Eagles only turned the ball over nine times.

Up Next
Southern Miss stays on the road as it travels to Grambling State for a Thursday night tilt at 7pm.
(Front Photo by Aimee Cronan/The Gazebo Gazette via Associated Press)