As the clock struck zero, Southern Miss players dashed to be greeted by one of the largest student sections in recent memory.
The celebration is certainly long awaited and warranted as the Golden Eagles are now off to an 8-0 start after defeating Montana 64-54 on Tuesday night.
“Since I have been here, the only ones that have really come for us in the student section have been the baseball team,” said forward DeAndre Pinckney, who scored 10 points against Montana. “They have supported us win, lose or draw. That’s why I like being around those guys, but the atmosphere in the student section was crazy. I just hope that we can get it again for every home game.
“Nobody likes to come in and watch people lose. I wouldn’t. That’s the world we live in, but we are off to a pretty good start and just have to keep it going one game at a time.”
Despite a poor weather forecast that left other games getting canceled, Southern Miss played In front of a crowd of over 3,000, which is one of the best in the Jay Ladner era.
“Early in the year, we had just 26 fans to meet the team at Brewsky’s,” Southern Miss coach Jay Ladner said. “Southern Miss fans are beginning to come back, and it was heartwarming to see our student section start to come back.”
Southern Miss’ 8-0 start is the first since the 1960-61 season, this notably excludes the vacated wins from the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.
IVORY GOES OFF
The first 10 minutes of the game was a defensive struggle for both sides, with shooting beyond the arc being how either scored, with the lone exception being a slam dunk from Austin Crowley, which helped give USM an 11-6 lead.
“We felt like it was going to be a 12-round heavy-weight fight,” Ladner said. “We prepared for long offensive possessions on both ends because they are so difficult to score against.
“They are very well coached. Every cut was banging. Everything was tough. They do such a great job on defense, and we knew that. They didn’t get the basketball over. Normally, we have been able to force turnovers and create some offense out of the fast break. We didn’t get a lot of that tonight. They did a good job on defense and getting us to play five on five at the half court.”
USM built a 10-point lead at 18-8 but could never pull away, with Montana cutting the lead to five points several times in the first half.
With Southern Miss without starters Denijay Harris (cracked ribs) and Neftali Alvarez (foot), Donovan Ivory provided a needed boost off the bench as he scored 10 points in the first half.
“I thought Donovan Ivory was huge tonight,” Ladner said. “You are just not starting to see the type of player that he is going to become.”
Ivory’s night carried over into the second half, as he finished the game with a season-high of 20 points. Felipe Haase also turned in another critical performance as he scored 18 points and hauled in seven rebounds.
“My teammates did a really good job of finding me,” Ivory said. “We played well on the floor. I happened to score points, but it could have been anybody tonight. It felt good to go out there and get a win against a tough opponent.”
Southern Miss jumped out to as much as a 13-point lead, but the Grizzlies never faded away as they cut the lead to six points with one minute left. The deciding factor for the game was Haase, and Ivory was winning the free throw battle. Due to the physicality of the game, both teams stepped on the line a combined 36 times. Haase finished 6-for-6 while Ivory was 7-for-7, both of which came late in the second half. In total, USM finished 20 of 26 from the line.
IVORY’S ROAD TO USM
In the last two games, Ivory has reached double digits and has provided quality minutes off the bench.
“He wants to be the Sixth Man of the Year,” Ladner said. “He told me, ‘Coach, I’m not worried about starting. He’s good enough to start, but he wants to be Sixth Man of the Year in the league. He’s been good the last four games and really good the last two. He may have been the best player on the floor tonight.
“We have been blessed with recruiting. With a team coming off seven wins, it’s not real sexy to go to. There weren’t a lot of people burning our phones up.”
A native of Wisconsin, Ivory had transferred from three different programs, which included Massachusetts, Boise State and Wisconsin Green Bay. Ivory’s only connection to Southern Miss was a mutual contact with assistant Nick Williams.
Despite having very little knowledge of Hattiesburg, Ivory fell in love with the city and committed to his first official visit.
“I came on a visit, and DeAndre actually hosted me,” Ivory said. “He said there was something brewing in Southern Miss. I trusted him, and I trusted the process. I saw who was returning and potentially coming in. It was a really decision. I was looking for another chance, and Coach Ladner decided to take that chance on me. I couldn’t pass it up.
“We were talking, and he told me about last year and the plan. It made me feel like I was going to fit in. It’s been a brotherhood ever since. Our court chemistry is crazy. Everybody gels well. We all come from different parts of the country and different parts of the world even, and we all connect. It’s working.”
Southern Miss will go on the road on Sunday to face Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La. Tip off is set for 3 p.m.
