Southern Miss beats South Alabama behind career-high performance

Mobile, Ala. — Southern Mississippi defeated South Alabama 68-55 Friday night, marking its first win in Mobile since 2015, according to the school. The Golden Eagles improved to 16-15 overall and 9-9 in Sun Belt Conference play.

Southern Miss was led by Chiante’ Tramble, who scored a career-high 18 points, including five three-pointers. Tylik Weeks added 19 points for the Golden Eagles, while Isaac Taveras and Djahi Binet each grabbed 10 or more rebounds. Binet posted his 10th double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds, the latter a career high.

The win places Southern Miss in a tie for eighth place in the Sun Belt standings, owning the tiebreaker over James Madison. The Sun Belt Conference will release the tournament bracket in the coming days, with Southern Miss seeded eighth and set to face the No. 9 seed Thursday night.

The Golden Eagles shot 44.9% from the field and made 10 three-pointers, their fourth game with double-digit three-pointers this season. They also outrebounded South Alabama 43-30 and limited the Jaguars to 32.7% shooting, including four three-pointers. Southern Miss held South Alabama without a field goal for nearly seven minutes in the first half and led 33-29 at halftime.

Key players for Southern Miss included Tylik Weeks, who scored 19 points with five assists, and Izzy Hart, who scored six points and made two three-pointers. The team’s next challenge will be the Sun Belt Tournament in Pensacola, Florida, with game times to be announced soon.

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