BILOXI – Southern Miss didn't have many answers for Ole Miss' offense.
From what seemed like every angle on the court, the unbeaten Rebels knocked down eight first-half three-pointers with ease. It was an opposite outing for the Golden Eagles, whose poor early shooting led to an 89-72 loss at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.
At one point, it seemed the Rebels couldn't miss as the Golden Eagles struggled to get a stop after suffering an 89-72 loss to the undefeated Rebels.
"I thought we got off to a bit of a slow start defensively," Southern Miss coach Jay Ladner said. "They kind of rocked us a little bit, but I was proud of the way our guys responded.
"I don't think we are very far away. We just seem to be a play here or there (away). They are all beginning to find themselves a little bit. If we can all just get it together at the same time, then I think we have a chance to have a really good team as we get into league play."
Eight minutes into the game, the Golden Eagles quickly trailed by double digits at 18-6, with the Rebels taking as much as much as a 19-point lead in the first half.
The only spark from Southern Miss came from Cobie Montgomery as he orchestrated an 8-0 run by himself. Montgomery, who came off the bench, hit back-to-back three-pointers and then knocked down a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 25-19. The momentum was short-lived, with Ole Miss answering with two straight three-points to break up the run.
"Hats off to them with the way they shot the ball," said Montgomery, who led USM with 15 points. "It's very hard to stay in the game when a team is shooting like that. I feel like we held our own, and we battled at the end of the day.
"I think this was a great game leading up to conference play. You learn from every game that you play. It's a learning experience."
Ole Miss' Jaylen Murrary and Matthew Murrell each had 15 points in the first half, with the duo combining for 47 points by the end of the game.
Another killer for Southern Miss (6-6) was the fact that leading scorer Austin Crowley was held scoreless against his former team. Crowley picked up three fouls in the first half, leading to his play being minimized. Then, in the second half took a hit to the head, leading to step on the court briefly.
"It's a possible concussion," Ladner said. "When he drove to the basket, the kid hit him real hard in the head.
"He got two quick fouls in the first half. Austin is a great player. I've never been around a player that works as hard as he does. It was unfortunate against his former team that that ended up happening today. I think he'll be okay because we have enough gap if it is truly a concussion. I think he'll be fine."
In the second half, each time Southern Miss found some momentum, the Rebels quickly answered it. The most evident example came when the Golden Eagles cut Ole Miss' at 69-59 with about seven minutes left in the game. However, Southern Miss then proceeded to turn the ball over on the next four straight possessions. The Rebels scored 26 points off USM's turnovers.
"It just seemed like time after time that we would get back and have a chance to really cut into the lead, and then they would make a play," Ladner said. "You have to give credit to them, and then we didn't make a play. We'd have a breakdown on defense and score at the end of the clock. That's what good teams do. I just think that this was a good game for us to help us get ready for league play."
Despite Crowley's absence, four Golden Eagles reached double-digits, including Montgomery. Victor Hart came up with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. Victor Iwuakor put up 13 points.
Andre Curbelo also scored 13 points in just his second straight game with Southern Miss. Curbelo finally became eligible to play after a court ruling put a restraining order on the NCAA transfer waivers.
"I don't think there is an area that we are good enough in to win our league," Ladner said. "Our chemistry is not quite there. It's not that we have poor chemistry, but it's not quite there. During the whole Curbelo discernment thing from the NCAA, we were in limbo with how we would play.
"Now it's clear how we can play. You put the ball in his hands, run some actions for him, and let him make decisions. We are going to get better. As they get more familiar with each other, the chemistry part is coming."
Southern Miss opens conference play next Saturday as the Golden Eagles travel to Georgia Southern. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
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