Tylik Weeks Accomplishes Feat That Southern Miss Hasn’t Seen Since the 1970s

Tylik Weeks delivered a historic 30-point second half against Troy last weekend, placing himself among the top single-half scorers in Southern Miss history.

Tylik Weeks exploded for 32 points as Southern Miss defeated Troy at Reed Green Coliseum on Saturday night. / Kendall Trigg

On Saturday, Feb. 14, star junior guard/forward Tylik Weeks turned in a second-half performance for the ages against then-Sun Belt leader Troy, erupting for 30 points in a single half and stamping his name into Southern Miss history.

Every time Troy looked ready to seize momentum, Weeks slammed the door. The Golden Eagles needed answers, and he provided them possession after possession, scoring clutch bucket after clutch bucket and refusing to let the Trojans pull away. What made the outburst even more impressive was how he did it without a single 3-pointer. There were no heat-check bombs nor bailout jumpers; just straight junkyard-dog bully ball.

Tylik Weeks would not be denied as Southern Miss defeated Troy, 69-65, on Saturday night at Reed Green Coliseum. / Kendall Trigg

"(That was) one of the best second halves in USM history by 'Bully' Weeks," Golden Eagles head coach Jay Ladner told Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI. "But what I was most proud of was his teammates continuing to get him the ball."

Weeks dominated the old-school way with hard downhill drives, bruising post-ups, smooth turnaround jumpers, and footwork that had defenders spinning. He got to his spots whenever he wanted, and once he got there, it was over. Around my house, we call that “dad ball,” and Weeks absolutely played with that kind of fatherly authority Saturday night.

Southern Miss forward Tylik Weeks takes the ball down the floor. / @SouthernMissMMB / X

Troy simply had no defensive answer. When defenders tried to shade Weeks, he beat them off the bounce. When they stayed in front, he powered through contact, and when they resorted to fouling, Weeks punished them at the stripe, finishing 10-of-11 from the line. Add in four rebounds, including one on the offensive glass, plus a steal, and it becomes clear this was not just a hot streak; it was total control.

The scoring explosion places the New York native in extremely rare air. His 30-point half ranks among the top five single-second-half scoring performances by any Golden Eagle since 1972. The only names ahead of or alongside him are Damien Smith (31 in 1995), Jerome Arnold (31 in 1978), and Danny Thornsberry, who appears twice on the list with 27 in 1971 and 29 in 1972. That’s elite company spanning more than five decades of Southern Miss basketball history.

Israel "Izzy" Hart (#0, left), Tegra Izay (#22, middle) and Tylik Weeks (#4, right) look on as the crowd at Reed Green Coliseum cheers. / @SouthernMissMMB / X

However, what makes Weeks’ feat stand out even more is that he did it in regulation. Smith and Arnold, the only two players with higher single-half totals, both had overtime periods to pad their numbers. Weeks didn’t need extra minutes; he handled business within 20 second-half minutes.

Performances like this do not happen often. In fact, for Southern Miss, they haven’t happened in half a century. So, it goes without saying that Weeks did not just have a big half last weekend; he had a historic one. Hopefully, he can build off this performance in the upcoming gauntlet that is the Sun Belt Conference tournament, as the Golden Eagles will be needing every advantage they can muster to create some March magic at this season’s conclusion.

feed