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harvey_jahmari
Alan Look

Men's Basketball Joe

Seahawks Come Up Short In Zootown Opener

Box Score  
WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Southern Miss built an early margin behind hot-shooting freshman Rashad Bolden and survived a late rally by UNCW for an 80-66 victory over the Seahawks in the opening game of the 2021 Zootown Classic late Wednesday at Montana's Dahlberg Arena.
 
The Seahawks, playing the first of three games in as many days, had their two-game winning streak snapped and stand 3-3 on the season. The Golden Eagles improved to 3-2.
 
The 6-0, 168-pound Bolden, who missed all three of his field goal attempts in USM's win over Lamar last Sunday in Hattiesburg, sank 11-of-12 field goals, including 5-of-6 from three-point range, to lead all scorers with 29 points. Junior forward Isaih Moore and junior guard Tyler Stevenson added 15 points apiece for the Golden Eagles, who shot a sizzling 62.5 percent from the floor.
 
Senior guard Jaylen Sims came off the bench to pace the Seahawks with 16 points, followed by sophomore guard Jamahri Harvey with a season-high 14 and freshman guard Trazarien White with 13.
 
The Seahawks fell behind, 37-23, at halftime when Bolden canned all five of his field goal attempts for 14 points in the opening 20 minutes, but closed to within five points with nine minutes remaining in the contest. The Golden Eagles responded with a 13-2 spurt down the stretch to pull away.
 
Southern Miss was cruising early in the final period and led, 52-37, after Stevenson's layup with 13:17 on the clock.
 
UNCW chipped away at the deficit behind Harvey, who connected on back-to-back treys, and a bucket by Sims at the 8:46 mark closed the gap to 58-53. But Southern Miss answered with its decisive spurt that nailed down the win in the first meeting between the two clubs.
 
The Seahawks scored eight of the first 10 points of the game to take a quick 8-2 lead after a tip-in by James Baker, Jr., with 16:08 left in the first period.
 
Southern Miss then used an 11-0 spurt to gain some separation and when Wayln Napper canned a three-pointer in front of the UNCW bench at 11:07, the Golden Eagles owned an 18-10 margin.
 
The lead swelled to 18 points following a string of eight unanswered points by the Golden Eagles late in the opening half. Mo Arnold's acrobatic jumper in the lane at 2:43 pushed the Southern Miss advantage to 33-15.
 
The Seahawks, who entered the tournament shooting 36.7 percent from the floor and 30.1 percent from deep, wound up hitting 34.4 percent overall and 25.0 percent behind the arc. The Golden Eagles made 30-of-48 field goals on the night.
 
UNCW set a school record with its 40 three-point field goal attempts, making 10-of-40 from long distance. It broke the old record of 39 attempts set vs. Elon on Jan. 26, 2019, and at Radford on Feb. 20, 2010.
 
The Seahawks next take on the host Grizzlies on Thanksgiving Day at 9:30 p.m. ET. Montana faced UC San Diego in the second game late Wednesday.
 
GAME NOTES: The Seahawks played even with the Golden Eagles in the second half, with 43 points each…Southern Miss scored 34 points in the paint…UNCW had 12 offensive rebounds in the contest…The two teams combined for 25-of-28 at the free throw line…The Golden Eagles had five dunks…Isaih Moore become the fifth opponent to register a double-double against the Seahawks…Southern Miss shot 68 percent from the field after intermission…The Seahawks are now 31-49 against Conference USA opponents…Six Seahawks had at least three rebounds each…It was the first game played by the Seahawks in the state of Montana…Ten players saw action for the Seahawks.
 
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Players Mentioned

Jaylen Sims

#30 Jaylen Sims

G
6' 6"
Sophomore
Jamahri Harvey

#10 Jamahri Harvey

G
6' 5"
Sophomore
James Baker, Jr.

#3 James Baker, Jr.

G
6' 7"
Graduate Student
Trazarien White

#13 Trazarien White

F
6' 6"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Jaylen Sims

#30 Jaylen Sims

6' 6"
Sophomore
G
Jamahri Harvey

#10 Jamahri Harvey

6' 5"
Sophomore
G
James Baker, Jr.

#3 James Baker, Jr.

6' 7"
Graduate Student
G
Trazarien White

#13 Trazarien White

6' 6"
Freshman
F