| 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|
| USM | 27 | 48 | 75 |
| MRSH | 47 | 38 | 85 |
Elmore, Marshall stop Southern Miss 85-75, reach title game
FRISCO, Texas -- Jon Elmore scored 26 points and drained a timely 3-pointer after a seemingly comfortable lead disappeared to hold off Southern Miss 85-75 in the Conference USA semifinals on Friday and advance to the championship game for the second-straight year.
Marshall (23-10), the No. 4 seed, will meet third-seeded Western Kentucky (24-9) in Saturday's championship game.
Ninth-seeded Southern Miss (16-18), which toppled two-time defending champion and No. 1-seeded Middle Tennessee, 71-68, in overtime in the quarterfinals, put a scare into Marshall. The Golden Eagles steadily whittled a 24-point gap down to six, 71-65, with three minutes left. Marshall had gone without a field goal for the better part of six minutes and SMU was on an 11-0 run.
That's when Elmore stepped up to hit the big 3-pointer with 2:13 remaining, to blunt the Golden Eagles rally. Marshall was 10-for-10 at the line in the last 1:14.
Elmore was 7 of 7 at the line and made five 3-pointers with nine rebounds and nine assists. Jannson Williams added 17 points.
Cortez Edwards led the Southern Miss comeback with 30 points on 12 of 19 shooting, his fourth-straight game of 20 or more. Tyree Griffin added 19.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Rick Crawford
- Kelly Self
- Ray Natili
2024-25 Sun Belt Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas State | 9-2 | - | 18-5 |
| Troy | 8-3 | 1 | 15-7 |
| South Alabama | 7-4 | 2 | 15-8 |
| James Madison | 7-4 | 2 | 14-9 |
| App State | 7-4 | 2 | 13-9 |
| Marshall | 7-4 | 2 | 14-10 |
| Old Dominion | 6-5 | 3 | 10-13 |
| Texas State | 5-6 | 4 | 12-11 |
| Southern Miss | 5-6 | 4 | 10-13 |
| Louisiana | 5-6 | 4 | 7-16 |
| Georgia Southern | 4-7 | 5 | 11-12 |
| Georgia State | 4-7 | 5 | 8-15 |
| UL Monroe | 2-9 | 7 | 6-18 |
| Coastal Carolina | 1-10 | 8 | 8-15 |
Men's College Basketball News