Pirates hit wall in loss to USM
By
Al Myatt
©2013 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
Post-game Audio: Jeff Lebo, Caleb White & Akeem
Richmond...
GREENVILLE — A band of enforcers
doubling as the Southern Miss basketball team imposed an offensive
curfew at East Carolina in the final 10:09 and kept the Pirates winless
in Conference USA by a 60-46 margin on Saturday night.
The Golden Eagles' scoring ban went
into effect after a free throw by Petar Torlak had put ECU ahead 43-42
at virtually the midpoint of the second half.
The Pirates managed just one curfew
violation, a 3-pointer by Paris Roberts-Campbell with 2:05 to go. By
then, Southern Miss was well on its way to its 18th win with a 56-46
lead.
USM's football woes — just one win in
the last two seasons — could be attributable to the fact that the best
athletes in Hattiesburg appear to be playing hoops.
There seemed to have been a
collection of muscled-up and cat-quick converted cornerbacks,
linebackers and tight ends on the loose in black and gold in Williams
Arena at Minges Coliseum.
"Their toughness, physicality and
quickness is off the chains," said ECU coach Jeff Lebo.
The Golden Eagles (18-3, 5-1 C-USA)
outscored their hosts 34-2 in the paint.
While Southern Miss worked inside
out, the Pirates committed to a long range attack.
"We thought our best chance was to
shoot the three," Lebo said.
Live by the jump shot and die by the
jump shot as the saying goes. ECU flourished early on, a pair of free
throws by freshman Caleb White putting the Pirates ahead 28-18 with 4:33
left in the first half.
The Pirates hit seven of 18 from
distance in the first 20 minutes and led 30-23 at the break.
ECU was tied at 37 with Old Dominion
at halftime of its league opener and has been on top at intermission in
each of its subsequent C-USA contests.
But what has transpired is seemingly
a continuous loop of the tortoise and the hare. The Pirates start fast
but the lack of depth from program departures and injuries is eventually
too much to overcome.
ECU doesn't give in as much as the
Pirates give out.
ECU made just five of 17 behind the
arc in the second half as Southern Miss's extended pressure had a
cumulative effect.
Akeem Richmond led the Pirates with
18 points but he was essentially a solo act in the second half.
White had all 13 of his points in the
first half. Michael Zangari was scoreless in 17 minutes. Brandan Stith
returned from a concussion after missing
a 59-54 home loss to Tulane on
Thursday night but he had no points in 23 minutes. Antonio Robinson
didn't scratch in the scoring column in 13 minutes.
Lebo said he played zone exclusively
for the first time in his coaching career. The Golden Eagles eventually
solved the scheme with drives, dishes and kickouts to knock down 13 of
25 shots (52 percent) in the second half.
"They have great balance," Lebo said
of Southern Miss. "They have five guys averaging between nine and 12
points. Any of those guys can jump out and score 20. Tonight it was
Boardingham."
Senior Daveon Boardingham had 15
points. Michael Craig had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Jerrold Brooks and
Neil Watson added 11 and 10 respectively.
ECU (11-9, 0-5) is the only winless
team in C-USA with Rice's 71-69 victory over Charlotte on Saturday.
Southern Miss is tied with Louisiana Tech for the league lead.
The Pirates visit Middle Tennessee
for a 7 p.m. game Thursday and then play at UAB at 2 p.m. Saturday.
"We'll regroup and get ready," Lebo
said.
GAME SUMMARY |
--------------------- |
Southern Mississippi 60, East
Carolina 46 |
--------------------- |
Date: Saturday,
Jan. 25, 2014
Facility: Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum
Attendance: 5,214
Records: ECU 11-9 (0-5 C-USA); USM 18-3 (5-1)
|
--------------------- |
SCORE BY PERIODS |
1 |
2 |
FINAL |
Southern Mississippi |
23 |
37 |
60 |
East Carolina |
30 |
16 |
46 |
PAGE UPDATED
01/27/14 12:31 AM.
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