HATTIESBURG — Columbus native Denijay Harris added another milestone to his remarkable season for Southern Miss basketball on Monday. The leading scorer for the Golden Eagles posted 32 points and 23 rebounds in an 80-70 win over William Carey University, a Hattiesburg matchup known as the Mayor’s Cup, at Reed Green Coliseum, a career night in both categories for the former Falcon.
“I pulled Denijay Harris to the side at a timeout and said, ‘Denijay, do not let us lose this game,’” Southern Miss head coach Jay Ladner remarked in postgame comments. “And, of course, he responded with another really incredible effort, incredibly consistent.”
Harris became the first Golden Eagle to record a 30-point, 20-rebound performance since 1975 when Mike Coleman produced 38 points and 26 rebounds.
Southern Miss improved to 6-7 with the win and is 1-0 in the Sun Belt after Harris’ memorable performance in a 68-66 win over Marshall just before the holidays. It was his fourth performance this season with at least 20 points and his second game in a row after his 29-point game against Marshall.
Despite the dominant performance from Harris, the win was never a straightforward contest for Southern Miss.
The Crusaders led early at the home of their cross-town opponents and were up by six points in the first half before Harris led his team on a 10-0 run. That wasn’t the end of the resistance, though. The lead would change eight times in the second half as the Golden Eagles battled to take control in the non-conference matchup.
The Crusaders were led by a remarkable performance from Hattiesburg-native Dylan Brumfield, whose 27 points gave the NAIA program a serious chance to upset the Golden Eagles. The slow start was similar to other performances for the Golden Eagles this season and they didn’t get the response they hoped for until deep into the second half.
“I thought our second group, our young guys, came in as we began to substitute in the first half, played with a lot of spirit and got us going,” Ladner added. “I was proud of them, of course, we talked to them pretty strongly at the half, I thought we would respond better and we didn’t.”
It took some effort for the hosts to seal the deal, but Neftali Alvarez and Christian Watson joined Harris in double-digits on the scoresheet as the starting rotation finally clicked into gear down the stretch.
Southern Miss will resume Sun Belt Conference action on Thursday at 6 p.m. on the road at James Madison in Harrisonburg, Va. The game is available to stream on ESPN+.
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