HATTIESBURG – Thousands of fans packed Reed Green Coliseum Sunday afternoon for a Southern Miss and Mississippi State men’s basketball game that didn’t count.
The two in-state foes squared off in a charity exhibition with Mississippi State pulling away late for a 60-54 win.
All proceeds benefited tornado victims in the Mississippi Delta. The crowd, from an eyeball estimate, was about 50-50 Southern Miss and Mississippi State fans. Special shirts and hoodies were also for sale.
The game was tightly contested with both teams struggling to shoot. Senior forward Victor Hart led Southern Miss with 15 points and Josh Hubbard led Mississippi State with 13 points.
Mississippi State star Tolu Smith did not play as he recovers from a foot injury. St. John’s transfer Andre Curbelo did not play for Southern Miss.
Austin Crowley hasn’t lost his competitiveness
Southern Miss shot just 30% from the field and its star player couldn’t get anything to fall either.
Austin Crowley, the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Player of the Year, scored 11 points with just two made field goals.
But even as Crowley couldn’t buy a bucket, he turned up the intensity on the other end to keep Southern Miss in the game.
His key defensive play came midway through the first half when he forced a turnover on the press. Crowley then nailed a deep 3-pointer on the ensuing possession for his first basket of the game.
Tall centers could be problematic, but Tegra Izay may be the answer
Mississippi State countered Southern Miss with size that the Golden Eagles could not immediately match.
The Bulldogs’ Jimmy Bell Jr. at 6-foot-10 was the tallest starter on the floor, scaling USM’s Victor Iwuakor by two inches. Bell gave Southern Miss problems near the basket, prompting extra playing time for 7-footer Tegra Izay.
Izay, a Harcum College transfer, held up well off the bench. He scored just two points, but grabbed four rebounds to go with three blocks and one steal. Izay had a big block on Bell in the second half, and then made a chase down swat in crunch time to keep the game tight.
What’s next
Southern Miss opens the regular season on Nov. 6 against William Carey at 7 p.m. It is part of a doubleheader, with the Southern Miss women facing William Carey at 11 a.m.
Sam Sklar is the Southern Miss beat reporter for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @sklarsam_.