HATTIESBURG — Southern Miss led 17-8 in the first seven minutes but was unable to maintain offensive traction the rest of the way in a 61-53 loss to Middle Tennessee on Saturday afternoon. It was the C-USA bonus play opener for both teams.
"I was very disappointed in our preparation," head coach Jay Ladner said. "I don't think we fought too hard in practice this week. I take responsibility for that. It cost us today in a critical game, and I apologize to our fans for that. Give Middle Tennessee credit, they were more determined than we were.