JacketsOnline.com - Eagles look to even series with UAB

February 5, 2008

USM Sports Information
BigGoldNation.com

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss (11-10, 3-4 C-USA) looks to win back-to-back games for the first time in more than a month when it closes out a two-game homestand Tuesday night. The Golden Eagles will face UAB in a 7:00 p.m. (CT) contest at Reed Green Coliseum. The meeting will be broadcast on CSS. Fans who come to the game with Mardi Gras beads will receive half price admission.

Southern Miss and UAB (15-6, 5-1 C-USA) will face each other for the 28th time in a series that dates back to 1979. The Blazers lead the series, 17-10, and have won seven of the last ten meetings. In games played in Hattiesburg, the Golden Eagles hold a 7-5 advantage. Earlier this year, the Blazers defeated Southern Miss, 72-65, in Birmingham.

Southern Miss is led by guard Jeremy Wise. The sophomore leads the team in scoring with 18.7 points per game. Right behind him is freshman R.L. Horton with 12.5, junior Courtney Beasley with 11.6 and sophomore Sai'Quon Stone at 8.0. Gijo Bain leads Southern Miss on the boards, pulling down 6.2 rebounds a game.

Southern Miss is coming off a 92-69 victory over East Carolina on Saturday. Wise scored a game-high 28 points and Horton added 22. The Golden Eagle scoring output in the contest tied their most ever in a Conference USA game, tying a 92-point effort on March 2, 2002, against USF. Beasley added 15 points for the Golden Eagles, while Sai'Quon Stone added six points, a season-high 10 rebounds and a career-best tying six assists.

UAB enters today's game with a 15-6 record, 5-1 in conference play, and are riding a three-game winning streak. The Blazers are led by guard Robert Vaden. The junior transfer is currently third in the conference with 20.8 points per game while grabbing 3.3 rebounds. Junior guard Channing Toney is averaging 11.2 points and 3.6 rebounds. Junior forward Lawrence Kinnard leads the team with 6.8 rebounds. UAB is coming off a 74-55 victory over Marshall. Toney led the Blazers with 18 points while grabbing seven boards. Vaden had 15 points and Kinnard added 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Southern Miss begins a two-game road trip next Saturday. The Golden Eagles will face Tulsa on February 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.

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