GAME NOTES: The Southern Miss Golden Eagles will look to stay hot as they welcome the South Florida Bulls to the Reed Green Coliseum for a non- conference battle.
This will be the 29th meeting in the all-time series between Southern Miss and South Florida. The Golden Eagles hold a 16-12 edge in the rivalry. Southern Miss won last year's meeting 60-53 in the season opener for both teams. This will be the first game in Hattiesburg since USF left Conference USA for the Big East following the 2004-05 season.
The Bulls come into tonight's game with a 7-5 record. South Florida has won it two of its last three games after defeating Cleveland State, 70-55, on Saturday night. The Bulls are still looking for their first true road victory of the season as they have fallen to Virginia Commonwealth, Kansas, and Auburn in their three games away from home. Stan Heath's team is scoring 62.1 ppg while holding opponents to 58 ppg. The Bulls are shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from three-point range.
August Gilchrist is leading the Bulls offensively with 11.1 ppg. He is also grabbing six rebounds per game and is seventh in the Big East with 1.9 blocks per game. The senior forward had 12 points and a team-high eight boards in the team's win over Cleveland State. Sophomore Victor Rudd Jr. is second on the team with 9.8 ppg. Rudd was silent against Cleveland State as he scored just two points on 1-of-3 field goal shooting. Toarlyn Fitzpatrick is also a key component for the Bulls with averages of 9.6 ppg and a team-high 6.9 rpg. The junior forward is seventh in the Big East in three-point field goal percentage as he is connecting on 42.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Southern Miss enters tonight with a 9-2 record after a thrilling 64-61 victory over Arizona State. The win over the Sun Devils was the fifth in a row for the Golden Eagles. Larry Eustachy's team's only losses have come to nationally ranked Murray State and Denver. The Golden Eagles are a decent offensive team as they are scoring 74.1 ppg on 42.7 percent shooting from the field. Opponents have an average of 64.7 ppg on 43.5 percent shooting.
Darnell Dodson made his season debut in the team's last outing and did not disappoint. The senior guard led the team with 17 points and hit a game- winning three-pointer in just minutes of action. Dodson will add to the already deep array of scorers Eustachy has to utilize. LaShay Page is averaging 14.7 ppg while Angelo Johnson, Maurice Bolden, and Neil Watson all have double-digit scoring averages as well.
Dodson is a huge addition for an already talented and efficient Southern Miss squad. The Bulls have more size, but the Golden Eagles' talented guards have a way of figuring out how to win games.
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