Nov. 18, 2006

Final Stats

Hattiesburg, Miss. - Hattiesburg, Miss. - Alabama State University basketball head coach Lewis Jackson knew his team faced a big challenge when they went on the road to open their season against the University of Southern Mississippi, a team that had already played two games. The Hornets' inexperience was evident early as they fell to the Golden Eagles 80-43.

The Hornet offense never got going as ASU found itself in a 39-18 hole at halftime. Southern Mississippi didn't have the same challenges as they shot 61 percent in the first half, while ASU could only manage 26 percent. Even though the Golden Eagles cooled in the second half, they still outshot the Hornets 44 percent to 22 percent.

Senior guard Dustin Richmond paced ASU with 14 points, while Andrew Hayles chipped in with nine. Jeremy Wise, with 15 points, led a trio of Southern Mississippi (3-0) players shooting in the double digits. Jarvis Hill and Courtney Beasley added 13 and 11, respectively.

The Hornets (0-1) are back on the road Tuesday night as they travel to Atlanta to take on Georgia State.