Southern Miss beats WCU 68-63 in Cancun Challenge
CANCUN, Mexico -- Tyree Griffin scored 18 points, Cortez Edwards added 17 and Southern Miss beat Western Carolina 68-63 on Wednesday for third place in the Mayan Division of the Cancun Challenge.
Western Carolina took its first lead, 59-57, since the early going with 5:49 remaining, but that was the Catamounts' final field goal of the game. Matt Halvorsen made two free throws with 1:40 left to pull WCU to 65-63, but after both teams missed shots, Griffin sealed it by making 3 of 4 free throws in the final 29 seconds.
Dominic Magee scored 15 points and LaDavius Draine had 13 for Southern Miss (4-1). Edwards had 12 points in the first half as Southern Miss led 42-37.
Onno Steger, Carlos Dotson and Kameron Gibson each scored 10 points for Western Carolina (1-5). The Catamounts shot a season-best 60.9 percent from the field in the opening half, but turned it over 19 times.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Don Olson
- Alfred Smith
- Mark Maslona
2023-24 Sun Belt Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian State | 16-2 | - | 27-7 |
| James Madison | 15-3 | 1 | 32-4 |
| Troy | 13-5 | 3 | 20-12 |
| Arkansas State | 11-7 | 5 | 20-17 |
| Louisiana | 10-8 | 6 | 19-14 |
| Southern Miss | 9-9 | 7 | 16-16 |
| South Alabama | 8-10 | 8 | 16-16 |
| Georgia State | 8-10 | 8 | 14-17 |
| Georgia Southern | 8-10 | 8 | 9-24 |
| Texas State | 7-11 | 9 | 17-18 |
| Marshall | 7-11 | 9 | 13-20 |
| UL Monroe | 6-12 | 10 | 11-19 |
| Coastal Carolina | 5-13 | 11 | 9-22 |
| Old Dominion | 3-15 | 13 | 7-25 |
2023-24 Southern Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samford | 15-3 | - | 29-6 |
| UNC Greensboro | 12-6 | 3 | 21-11 |
| Chattanooga | 12-6 | 3 | 21-12 |
| Western Carolina | 11-7 | 4 | 22-10 |
| Wofford | 10-8 | 5 | 17-15 |
| Furman | 10-8 | 5 | 17-16 |
| East Tennessee State | 8-10 | 7 | 19-16 |
| Mercer | 8-10 | 7 | 16-17 |
| The Citadel | 3-15 | 12 | 11-21 |
| VMI | 1-17 | 14 | 4-28 |
Men's College Basketball News
