Sun Belt Conference Men's Tournament Roundup: South Alabama blows past No. 1 Southern Miss

Here's a roundup from Saturday's quarterfinal action the Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament played at the Pensacola Bay Center.

No. 8 South Alabama 78, No. 1 Southern Miss 61

Jaguars supporters chanted “USA, USA, USA” as the opening game of Saturday’s slate neared its conclusion.

And they had plenty of reasons to roar.

Whether it was Owen White tickling the twine with a pair of late 3-pointers, a spectacular block on a dunk attempt by SBC Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Samuel or a dagger three-point play from Greg Parham II, South Alabama made all the big plays to turn a 27-26 halftime deficit into a runaway.

Parham II’s basket capped a 20-2 second-half run as the Jaguars raced past the top seed in convincing fashion.

“The challenge at halftime for our guys, being down one, I told them ‘the toughest team is going to win. The toughest team that owns these 20 (minutes) is going to win. And we have to be that,’ USA head coach Richie Riley said. “It’s win-or-go-home time, survive and advance. That’s what it’s about, and our guys not only understood that, but they embraced it and they found a way to be tough and gritty.

"We had a good crowd here. (Southern Miss) had a great crowd here. That was a cool environment, these guys will remember this forever. ... I smiled because these dudes were getting the crowd up and hugging each other. Those moments are forgotten and they are making memories right now that they'll be talking about when they are my age. Hopefully, we have a few more memories to make before we had back to Mobile."

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A bucket from Eagles guard Mo Arnold tied the game at 49-49 with 6 minutes, 17 seconds remaining before South Alabama ripped off the next seven points following a White make from deep and consecutive layups by Isaiah Moore.

After Felipe Haase briefly halted the surge with a pair of free throws, the Jaguars went on a 13-0 spurt to put the game away.

“South Alabama made the plays when they needed to in the second half,” Southern Miss head coach Jay Ladner said. “Our guys are hurt, crushed to be honest with you because our goal was to get to the NCAA Tournament. But we do have some basketball in front of us and they’ll respond the right way.”

The Eagles dropped their record to 25-7 and will likely receive an invite to the NIT.

USA (18-15) shot 62 percent from the field in the second half, including a 6-for-10 mark from three-point territory. Meanwhile, Southern Miss was held to 36 percent shooting over the final 20 minutes.

The upset should come as no surprise to the college basketball community. The Jaguars have won eight of their last 10 games, six of which by double figures. That stretch includes a 85-54 victory over the Eagles on Feb. 16.

“I told Richie before the game, ‘That was one heck of a reward for being the No. 1 seed, having to play you guys,’” Ladner said. “How in the heck did they finish eighth? I say that with respect to South Alabama.”

White attempted 13 3-pointers in that Feb. 16 contest, with the 6-foot-6 guard from Rhinelander, Wisc. recalling many of those looks being open. This time around, he connected on 5 of 11 three-point attempts en route to a game-high 23 points. He also had a team-best six rebounds.

“I knew coming in that if they had a similar strategy, I’d probably get a lot of looks,” White said. “The mental strategy is the same, it needs to be the same for every game. … I just look for open shots and try to keep the same rhythm every time I shoot it and don’t worry about the misses.”

Moore and Parham II each added 17 points, with Moore dishing out seven assists.

Haase and Denijay Harris poured in 18 points to lead Southern Miss. Harris added 12 rebounds.

Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at (850) 503-3828, on Twitter @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: SBC Tournament: South Alabama uses second-half run to roll past No. 1 Southern Miss