Three takeaways from Southern Miss basketball's 88-60 loss to UAB in NIT opener
Southern Miss basketball and coach Jay Ladner turned the program around this season. The Golden Eagles jumped from seven wins last season to winning the Sun Belt regular-season title and finishing with 25 wins.
The breakthrough season for Southern Miss (25-8) ended Tuesday in a 88-60 loss to No. 4 seed UAB in the opening round of the NIT at Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.
DeAndre Pinckney had a team-high 15 points along with two rebounds, two assists and three steals.
WHAT'S NEXT What's next for USM men's, women's basketball following Sun Belt Conference Tournament losses
SUN BELT TITLES Southern Miss men's and women's basketball teams claim Sun Belt Conference titles
Turnovers plague first half
With 11:54 left in the first half, the Golden Eagles held a 12-9 lead. Southern Miss hadn't scored in over more than minutes and the Blazers (26-9) had gone nearly three minutes without a basket.
Both teams combined for 14 early turnovers, and Southern Miss not protecting the basketball was in the way extending an early lead. The Golden Eagles were shooting 40% from the field but couldn't consistently string together productive possessions.
Nico Aguirre was left alone for a wide-open layup to extend an 8-0 Southern Miss run with 11:09 remaining in the half. However, UAB's KJ Buffen and Trey Jemison along with 13 first-half USM turnovers led to the Golden Eagles trailing 41-38 at halftime.
The frontcourt duo combined for 21 point in the first half. USM finished with 24 turnovers, which led 30 points for the Blazers.
Runs define late first half
The Golden Eagles evened the score at 26 with a midrange jumper from Pinkney with 5:29 left in the first half. UAB responded with an 11-0 run, starting with back-to-back shots from deep from Ledarrius Brewer and Jordan Walker.
That's when Austin Crowley – USM's leading scorer this season – took over for the Golden Eagles. Crowley had six of his 11 first half-points during an 12-4 run in the final 3:49.
Crowley's 3-pointer with two seconds remaining helped give Southern Miss momentum heading into the second half. Crowley finished with 13 points.
USM BASKETBALL Juan Cardona lived in his car for two months. Now he's Southern Miss basketball's engine
USM FOOTBALL Historic Frank Gore Jr. performance leads Southern Miss football to LendingTree Bowl win
Blazers dominate the paint
The Blazers finished with 50 points in the paint. Buffen finished with a game-high 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting to go with 12 rebounds. The Ole Miss transfer controlled the paint offensively and defensively and helped UAB overcome a slow day from Walker.
Walker averages 23.4 points per game on 39.7% shooting but was limited to 16 points against the Golden Eagles. It didn't matter. Buffen helped lead a 12-0 run with eight points in the second half to give the Blazers a 63-49 lead.
It was a complete turnaround for Buffen after he went 0-for-5 from the field and finished with zero points in UAB's 78-56 loss to FAU in the Conference USA championship on Saturday.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Three takeaways from UAB's victory over Southern Miss in NIT opener
