HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Delta State University men's basketball team fell to the University of Southern Mississippi, 90-71, on Tuesday, Nov. 5 in a preseason exhibition matchup at Reed Green Coliseum in coach Mike Nienaber's debut as head coach. Keyshaun Street scored 28 points and Airen Brooks turned in a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Statesmen.

Southern Miss forward Boban Jacdonmi led all scorers with 29 points while clearing 10 rebounds. Tyler Stevenson (18), Artur Konontsuk (13) and Leonard Harper-Baker (11) joined Jacdonmi in double figures.      

THE BASICS:
Score:  Southern Miss 90 | Delta State 71
Records:  Statesmen (0-0) | Golden Eagles (1-0)
Series: Southern Miss leads 32-20
Location | Time: Reed Green Coliseum | 7 PM
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HOW IT HAPPENED

• Junior forward Airen Brooks scored the first basket of the Mike Nienaber era on a short jumper with 18:57 to play in the first half.
• Behind Boban Jacdonmi's eight points, the Golden Eagles raced out to a 14-7 lead at the 15:29 media timeout.
• A quick lay-up by Brooks and a deep 3-pointer from Austin Laatsch cut the DSU deficit to five points, 17-12, with 12:51 to play in the frame.
• Keyshaun Street made it a 3-point game, 21-18, with a 21-footer with 11:14 to go.
• USM used a 9-5 run with 8:46 on the clock, including six points from Tyler Stevenson, to extend its lead back to 30-23.
• With 4:34 to play in the opening frame, the Golden Eagles built a 15-point lead, 40-25. USM scored 10-straight points during a 4:11 stretch.
• The Statesmen went cold from the floor over the final 7:14 of the first half, as Southern Miss led 49-29 at the break.
• USM shot a blistering 66.7 percent (22-of-33) while DSU connected on just 10-of-28 attempts from the floor, including 5-of-15 from 3-point range, for 35.7 percent.
• Jacdonmi led USM and all scorers with 17 points at the half.
• Brooks paced the Statesmen with 10 points and five rebounds while Laatsch had eight.
• Delta State found its rhythm to start the second half, as Street nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the lead to 17, 54-37, with 17:04 to play.
• After USM's Artur Konontsuk canned back-to-back free throws, Street hit a deep 3-pointer and a slashing lay-up to get the Statesmen to within 14 points, 58-44, with 15:02 on the clock.
• Southern Miss went on a 9-0 run from 13:49-12:57 while building its largest lead of the night, 22 points, 69-47.
• Delta State used an 8-0 run to cut the Golden Eagles lead to 76-58 with 7:30 to play.
• Both teams used the final 7:00 minutes of play to explore various combinations of players, as the Golden Eagles cruised to a 90-71 victory.
• USM finished the night shooting 38-of-66 from the floor for 57.6 percent with DSU making 25-of-58 shots, including 13-of-30 from 3-point range, for 43.1 percent.
• The Golden Eagles out rebounded the Statesmen 40-25, including a commanding 13-7 edge in offensive rebounds.
• DSU had 20 turnovers leading directly to 27 points for the Golden Eagles.                      

 
TURNING POINT

• Southern Miss built a 20-point halftime lead after closing the frame on a 28-11 run.

 
STAT OF THE GAME

• Southern Miss outscored the Statesmen 58-18 in the paint.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Keyshaun Street, a 5-foot-10 junior guard from Kingsland, Ga., finished the night was a team-leading 28 points after making 7-of-10 shots from 3-point range.
• Airen Brooks, a 6-foot-6 small forward from Phenix City, Ala., collected his first double-double as a Statesmen with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
• Austin Laatsch added eight points with Cameron Burkett and Collin Means chipping in five points apiece.
• Anderson McCoy, a graduate transfer point guard from Alabama-Birmingham, closed the night with three points and four assists.  
• Mike Nienaber, who was introduced as the 16th head coach of the Statesmen on May 6, 2019, came to DSU after a highly decorated run as head coach at Christian Brothers University, where he won two Gulf South Conference championships, made five trips to the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the 2009 NCAA DII Elite Eight. His 593 career wins, including a 351-224 record at CBU, rank 11th among active NCAA DII head coaches.
• Tuesday's matchup on the hardwood is the first since Jan. 31, 1975, a 66-65 loss to the Golden Eagles.
• Southern Miss owns a 32-20 edge in all-time series standings and has won the last five meetings between the programs.

 
UP NEXT

• Delta State officially opens the 2019-20 campaign on Saturday, Nov. 9 versus Florida Southern College in the Gulf South Conference/Sunshine State Conference Crossover. Tipoff is set for 6 PM at Pruitt Hall on the campus of the University of West Alabama.