Tylik Weeks scores 31 points as Southern Miss beats James Madison in Sun Belt tournament

PENSACOLA, Fla. — Tylik Weeks scored 31 points Thursday night to help Southern Miss (17-15, 9-9 Sun Belt) defeat James Madison (17-15, 9-9) 86-80 in the third round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament.

Weeks’ 31 points marked the most by a Golden Eagle in a conference tournament game since 1952, according to school records. It was his second 30-point game of the season at the Pensacola Bay Center, after scoring 37 against North Florida in November.

The victory advanced Southern Miss to the tournament’s fourth round against No. 5 Texas State. The teams will meet at 5 p.m. Friday. The Golden Eagles and Bobcats have split their two meetings this season, with Southern Miss winning in overtime and Texas State winning the rematch in San Marcos.

Southern Miss started the game with the same lineup used in recent contests, featuring Izzy Hart, Tylik Weeks, Isaac Taveras, Dylan Brumfield, and Djahi Binet. Binet scored the first points of the game for the Golden Eagles. The game was tightly contested, with seven lead changes before halftime, which ended with Southern Miss holding a 35-33 advantage.

In the second half, the Golden Eagles built a 9-0 run early and later extended their lead to 13 points. Weeks scored seven straight points late in the game to help secure the win, despite some late miscues that allowed James Madison to narrow the margin.

Isaac Taveras finished with 17 points and led the team with eight rebounds. Binet added 11 points, and Tegra Izay recorded a career-high three steals. Southern Miss committed just six turnovers, its fewest this season, and improved to 2-3 all-time at the Sun Belt tournament.

The win secured Southern Miss’s second winning season under head coach Jay Ladner, who now has the team above .500. The Golden Eagles will face Texas State on Friday in the tournament’s next round.

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