Returning from an early-season hand injury, Isaac Taveras delivered a clutch performance Saturday to lift Southern Miss to a 66-65 upset of Kent State at Reed Green Coliseum in Hattiesburg.
Taveras, who had missed the previous eight weeks, scored 16 points in just 16 minutes, including two game-winning free throws with 1.1 seconds remaining. His late heroics helped the Golden Eagles (13-13) edge the Golden Flashes (17-7) in the MAC-SBC Challenge.
Scoring summary
Southern Miss point guard and Hattiesburg native Dylan Brumfield opened the scoring after Kent State won the tip, while center Djahi Binet quickly established himself inside. Binet scored four points and grabbed two offensive rebounds in the first five minutes as the Golden Eagles trailed 9-8 at the first media timeout.
Binet later finished an alley-oop from Dalyn Brandon. After Kent State answered, Southern Miss responded with a 7-0 run over two minutes to take a 17-13 lead at the under-12 timeout. The Golden Eagles stretched the margin to 21-13 after a Brewer Carruth three-pointer, holding Kent State scoreless for nearly five minutes.
Kent State ended its scoring drought, going on a 7-0 run. Tylik “Bully” Weeks and Izzy Hart answered with back-to-back three-pointers. Binet reached double figures late in the half, helping Southern Miss take a five-point lead with one minute remaining. Kent State trimmed the margin with a late three, but Taveras hit his first basket since Dec. 18 to give the Golden Eagles a 34-30 halftime advantage.
Offense was limited early in the second half. Hart hit a three-pointer and a Weeks free throw accounted for Southern Miss’ first points. Kent State cut the deficit to three as the Golden Eagles led 38-35 with 15:35 to play.
Kent State took its first lead of the game when Quinn Woidke drilled a three-pointer with 12:52 remaining. Kent State turned the momentum into an 8-0 run to go ahead 52-45 with just under 10 minutes left.
Southern Miss trailed by as many as nine before Taveras sparked a 7-0 run, cutting the deficit to two with four minutes to play. Kent State rebuilt a four-point lead, but it was too close for comfort, as Weeks was able to bring the game within one point with 49 seconds left, 63-62.
Hart then intercepted a pass and found Taveras for a go-ahead basket with 25 seconds left. After a defensive stop, Kent State’s Cian Medley hit two free throws with seven seconds left to reclaim a 65-64 lead.
Southern Miss responded immediately, as Taveras drew a foul driving to the basket with one second on the clock. He calmly knocked down both free throws to secure the dramatic victory, 66-65.
What the coach said
Southern Miss head coach Jay Ladner praised Taveras’ return and the team’s poise down the stretch.
“I’m really proud of the guys and Isaac for coming back,” Ladner said. “We had to reset our rotation and our offensive and defensive units, but I thought we executed and showed great composure. Isaac is one of the best players in the league, if not the country.”
Numbers never lie
- Southern Miss improved to 3-3 in the MAC-SBC Challenge and 3-0 at home.
- The Golden Eagles held Kent State to 65 points after the Flashes entered the game averaging 87 per contest.
- Southern Miss grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, marking its third double-digit offensive rebounding performance in the last four games.
- Binet scored 17 points, reaching double figures for the 12th time this season.
- Taveras finished with 16 points in his first game since Dec. 18.
- Weeks posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
- Kent State was led by 15 points each from Cian Medley and Rob Whaley Jr., but shot just 8-of-18 from the free-throw line.
Next up
Southern Miss: vs. South Alabama on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. CT
Kent State: vs. Eastern Michigan on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. CT