Feb. 27, 2008

Box Score

HOUSTON, Texas - Robert McKiver scored 52 points, as Southern Miss fell on to road to Houston, 95-67, Wednesday night at Hofheinz Pavillion.

McKiver's scoring output is the second most points ever scored by a visiting player against Southern Miss.

Craig Craft led the Golden Eagles (15-11, 7-6 C-USA) with 16 points. Jeremy Wise had 14 points, and Andre Stephens had his first career double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

The game was a back-and-forth affair for the first five minutes. But the Cougars went on a 17-6 run, including 16 straight points by Robert McKiver, to take a 26-13 lead ten minutes into the game.

The teams traded baskets before Southern Miss went on a 7-0 run, capped by a Craig Craft three-pointer to pull the Golden Eagles to 30-25. But, once again, Houston extended its lead back to nine.

A Gjio Bain dunk and a Wise three-pointer closed the gap to 34-30 with 2:43 to play in the half. But, UH outscored the Golden Eagles, 9-3, the rest of the half to head into the break with a 43-33 lead.

Southern Miss opened the second half with three straight points to cut the deficit to seven. The Cougars responded with eight straight, extending its lead to 51-36.

Houston put the game away in the second half, leading by as many as 30.

Along with McKiver, Marcus Malone had 17 points and Kelvin Lewis had 11. Tafari Toney had a game-high 12 rebounds for Houston.

Southern Miss returns to Hattiesburg for a two-game homestand this Saturday. The Golden Eagles will face second-ranked Memphis, March 1, at 3:00 p.m. (CT) at Reed Green Coliseum. The contest will be broadcast on CSTV.