Southern Miss (17-11, 9-7 C-USA) dropped its second straight bonus play game Sunday on the road against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Despite a 71-point performance by the Golden Eagles, a late second-half surge lifted the home team to a 76-71 victory.
Many of the game’s statistics were in favor of Southern Miss, who led 39-37 at halftime after a tightly contested first 20 minutes of competition. The Golden Eagles shot 52 percent from the field in the contest, went 9-for-18 from the perimeter, and scored 15 baskets off of assists, compared to just eight by the Hilltoppers.
After putting up 39 points in the first half of action, head coach Doc Sadler’s team hit a brief dry spell in the second half that allowed Western Kentucky to capture the lead at the 15:04 mark in the second half and hold it until the final buzzer sounded.