Down two starters on Wednesday night, Southern Miss coach Jay Ladner told reporters earlier in the week that his team would simply have to do more.
And more they did.
Despite using just seven players, the Golden Eagles managed to hold off Arkansas State 69-66.
"I don't know if I've ever been as proud of a team considering the circumstances," Ladner said. "That was as gritty of an effort as any team that I've ever been involved with."
One of those who delivered much more was Victor Iwuakor, who, in Ladner's eyes, made the game's two biggest plays.
The most obvious play came in the final seconds, with the Red Wolves (7-11, 3-3 Sun Belt) trying to score a game-winning basket with under 10 seconds left. Iwuakor stopped a drive to the goal with his sixth block of the night. The 6-foot-8 forward then drew a foul and knocked down a pair of free throws to seal the win.
"I take pride on defense," Iwuakor said. "We were trying to take away the three. I knew someone was going to cut it because they couldn't get open, so I knew. I saw out of my eye that he was going to cut, and I got ready."
Seven minutes earlier, Iwuakor hit a three-pointer to give the Golden Eagles a 57-56 lead. It was just his fifth shot made from beyond the arc this season as the bucket shifted momentum. The graduate transfer, who is 5-for-8 this year from the line, only made one three-pointer in the last four years.
"That was a huge three he hit, and I know when he shot it that even I raised my own eyebrows," Ladner said. "He would have probably been benched for a few games if he would have even shot one at UNLV.
"He's an elite defender. He's an elite on-ball defender. He's an elite athlete. He's an elite shot blocker. What he hasn't shown in his college career at Oklahoma and UNLV is his ability to score. He scored 10 points tonight, but he is beginning to score on the offensive end…We felt like we had a lot more to offer."
Iwuakor, who totaled 10 points, 10 rebounds, and six blocks, credited Austin Crowley for giving him the confidence to shoot the three-ball more often.
"The confidence comes from (Crowley)," Iwuakor said. "At practice, he is always telling me to shoot it. They have confidence in me when I'm feeling it."
However, it was Arkansas State's conference-leading three-point shooting that Southern Miss (10-8, 4-2) struggled to deal with early on. The Red Wolves, who average 9.9 per game, knocked down four straight three-pointers to erase Southern Miss' nine-point lead and go up 15-14. By the end of the first half, Arkansas State nearly hit its average after going 7 of 17 from beyond the arc
"I thought we miscommunicated a few times," Ladner said. "They run a really good offense, and we got confused a little bit. We had guys logging minutes that haven't played a lot over the course of the year.
"We had to switch with more pressure and contact. I thought we were a little soft on some switches earlier in the game, and then we had some miscommunication. Man, every time they shot it, it looked good. I'm not sure if I've ever won a ball game when the other team makes 14 threes."
Neither side shot more than 35% in the half, but Arkansas State made a layup just before halftime to take a 33-31 lead.
The start of the second half opened with Arkansas State jumping out with a 9-2 run to go up 42-33. The Red Wolves finished the game with 14 three-pointers, but the Golden Eagles adjusted to defending the perimeter. With nine minutes to go in the game, neither side held a lead larger than four points.
"Coach Juan (Cardona) is one of the best in the country with his (defensive) adjustments," said Crowley, who scored 25 points. "I can't give his secrets away, but he made some adjustments. We were able to buy in and understand that it was a long game and they would make a run. They made their run, but we had a great defensive presence down low. Getting them to drive from the three-point line was our best thing, and we got it done."
Crowley managed to break the game open as he hit a step-back jumper and then a free throw to put Southern Miss ahead at 67-65 to set the stage for Iwuakor's big play.
Southern Miss returns to action on Saturday as the Golden Eagles host Troy, with tipoff set for 2:30 p.m.
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