A late second-half surge by Mississippi State was the difference in Southern Miss' 60-54 loss to the Bulldogs. Yet the Golden Eagles showed that they are more than capable of being a postseason team again after going head to head with a team fresh off an appearance in the NCAA tournament.
The most telling part for the continued resurgence of Southern Miss basketball was the roughly 3,000 fans that showed up for just an exhibition game - as it wasn't that long ago that Reed Green Coliseum was virtually empty outside of a few loyal fans, the event staff, pep band and cheerleaders.
"Last year set the standard that we want to set," senior Donovan Ivory said. "We all know that the fans are looking to us to bring up the vibes around here. But I'm not going to lie; last year to this year is a night and day difference. We won a lot of games last year, and we are playing for the same thing this year, but we have to keep Reed Green being the place to be."
Although there are not many moral victories in a loss, the talent and effort Southern Miss put forth against an MSU team that is receiving votes for several top 25 rankings is something that wouldn't have been seen on the court two years ago for the program.
"I think so," said Southern Miss coach Jay Ladner when asked if he thought his team could be in the NCAA tournament after the game. "Our goal is to not go to the NIT. We were happy with last season. We set all kinds of milestones and records and so forth, but we didn't finish at the end.
"We went toe to toe with a top 25 team. I feel like that game could have gone either way. I thought they made a few more plays than we did at the end than we did. They deserved to win, but I wish we could play again next week."
HITTING BACK
Southern Miss held its own against a Mississippi State team that was ranked No. 9 in the country in scoring defense a season ago. The Golden Eagles barely eclipsed 30% shooting throughout the game yet stayed within a single possession for almost its entire game against the Bulldogs.
"They are very difficult to score against," Ladner said. "They are lean and have athleticism. Defensively, they did a really good job of taking us out of some actions."
"I thought early on, especially in the game, that we were a little too keyed up. I thought we were a little too tight."
Neither team went on a big run in the game, but Southern Miss came up with timely answers whenever Mississippi State seemed to seize momentum. In the few runs that Mississippi State put together to pull away, the Golden Eagles responded each time.
In the first half, with about 12 minutes to go, MSU jumped out to a 19-10 lead, but back-to-back 3-pointers from Victor Hart and Austin Crowley kept the game within reach. Notably, the Golden Eagles didn't score their first bucket until three and a half minutes into the game.
"We don't back down," said Victor Hart, who posted 15 points and 11 rebounds. "We brought the fight throughout the whole 40 minutes. There are a lot of ups and downs in a game. That's what thing that I love about guys today is that we didn't back down."
Just before the first half, MSU again held a 27-20 lead, but the Golden Eagles went on a brief 6-2 run to keep the deficit to five as time expired.
In the second half, Southern Miss took its first lead of the game after a brief 5-1 run that was capped off by a dunk from Hart to go up 34-32. The Golden Eagles' only other lead came after Crowley hit a free throw to retake the lead at 35-34 with 15 minutes left in the game. Notably, with 12 minutes remaining in the game, Mississippi State was not called for a foul for the rest of the day.
The cat and mouse game continued with MSU surging ahead 52-42 with a 10-0 run with four minutes to go. Yet again, USM pulled narrowed the score to 52-49 with two minutes left before MSU pulled away for its win.
"We definitely had the guys and the firepower to come out with a victory," Hart said. "There was just a couple of plays down the stretch that went their way."
Ivory finished the game with 11 points and six rebounds, while Austin Crowley also put up 11 points.
WHAT IF
Southern Miss has still yet to learn of Andre Curbelo's NCAA waiver.
"We are missing pieces and some guys that can really go," Ivory said. "Having them would have added some extra push."
At the same time, the program was missing stud point guard Neftali Alvarez, who could be potentially out for the year.
"Coach Juan (Cardona) whispered to me at half time that if we have got (Neftali) Alvarez and Curbelo playing, then it's a different ball game," Ladner said. "You can't control injuries, and I'm not taking anything away from Mississippi State. You throw those two guys out there, and then it could be a different situation."
CHARITY
Although an official attendance was not kept, it is estimated that Southern Miss sold at least 2,600 tickets with the goal of raising funds for people impacted by Tornadoes in northern Mississippi this past spring.
"There are a lot of needs in our state," Ladner said. "There a lot of charities that would love to beneficiaries. Two schools and two major universities in our state came together for a great cause. I certainly hope that we can keep something like this going in the future."
All proceeds will go to the charity organization CitiIMPACT.
"I believe in being more than an athlete," Ivory said. "As a Division I player, we have a unique platform to help people who need it. Games like this bring a lot of support, money and good energy for people who may have not had that for a long time. It feels great to be a part of something that's bigger than basketball."
Southern Miss will open its season against William Carey on Monday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
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