Gritty, Hard-Nosed Southern Miss Falls to Troy in Sun Belt Semifinals

It was a great run for the Golden Eagles, but they ultimately ran out of steam while playing the No. 1 seed in the Sun Belt tournament on Sunday.

Isaac Taveras led the Golden Eagles with 32 points on Sunday with the season on the line. / @SouthernMissMBB

After it won three games in three nights to start the Sun Belt Conference tournament, No. 8 seed Southern Miss (19-16) hadn't shown any signs of fatigue, and in fact, looked to be getting stronger by the day. However, fatigue ultimately came into play, as the Golden Eagles' magical run ended with a 78-70 loss to No. 1 seed Troy (21-11) at the Pensacola Bay Center on Sunday evening.

Despite falling behind by as many as 19 points in the second half, the Golden Eagles were able to make the Trojans sweat down the stretch, trimming the deficit to 74-70 with 11 seconds remaining before Troy pulled away.

Taveras Stars with Season on the Line

Isaac Taveras led the Golden Eagles with 32 points on Sunday with the season on the line. / @SouthernMissMBB

Junior star forward Tylik Weeks was averaging 30 points per game heading into this one, but it was junior guard Isaac Taveras who led the Golden Eagles against Troy. Taveras finished with a game-high 32 points (12-16 FG, 8-13 FT), nine rebounds, three assists and four steals.

Weeks, perhaps finally feeling some fatigue from playing his fourth game in four nights, finished with 15 points on 6-18 shooting from the floor and just 1-2 from the charity stripe.

Not Enough Bench Production for the Eags

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Senior big man Djahi Binet was the only other Southern Miss player to score in double figures, finishing with 14 points on 6-8 shooting to go with seven rebounds and one block.

The Golden Eagles knew a big collective effort was needed in order to beat the No. 1 seed in the Sun Belt tournament and advance to the championship game on Monday, but unfortunately, they ended up with zero bench points on the night. Overall, 3-point shooting played a factor as well, as Southern Miss shot 2-19 from deep.

Something to Build On

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Although it wasn't the ending to the season the Golden Eagles hoped for, there are a lot of good things that head coach Jay Ladner can take into the offseason and use to build toward next season.

If Southern Miss can bring back both Weeks and Taveras for their senior seasons, while also finding a suitable replacement at center with Binet and Tegra Izay gone, watch out for the Golden Eagles in 2026-27.