March 3, 2006

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss Golden Eagles host Conference USA foe East Carolina in the final home game of the season, Saturday, at Reed Green Coliseum. Tip-off for the contest is set for 4 p.m., CST.

Seniors Jason Forte (top) and Tyler Quinn will be honored during pre-game festivities for Southern Miss' home final against East Carolina on Saturday.

Saturday's game also will be broadcast over the Southern Miss ISP Sports Network, with the "Voice of the Golden Eagles" John Cox and legendary coach M.K. Turk calling the action. Air time begins at 3:30 p.m., CT, with the Golden Eagle Courtside Show.

Southern Miss, under the direction of second-year Head Coach Larry Eustachy, enters the game with an 8-20 overall record and a 2-11 mark in league play following Wednesday's 50-47 loss to league rival Tulane on the road. The Pirates, under the direction of first-year Head Coach Ricky Stokes, stand 8-18 on the year and 2-11 in league play. In the last game, East Carolina fell to Tulane, 66-53, in Greenville, N.C.

Freshman guard Courtney Beasley currently leads Southern Miss in scoring with 306 points on the season, an average of 10.9 per game. Senior forward Jason Forte follows with 234 points, an average of 8.4 per game, while junior guard Jarekus Singleton adds 232 points, averaging 8.3 per game. Forte leads all players in rebounds, with 131 on the year (4.7 per game), while junior forward David Cornwell follows with 115 boards, 4.1 per game. Junior guard Kyle Lamonte remains the team leader in assists with 63 on the season, while Beasley and Singleton each follows with respective totals of 52 and 50.

Senior forward Corey Rouse currently leads the Pirates with 367 points this season, averaging 14.1 per game. Freshman guard Sam Hinnant has 272 season points, an average of 10.5 per game, and sophomore guard Jeremy Ingram has 194 points on the year, averaging 10.2 per game. Rouse paces the team with 276 rebounds, an average of 10.6 per game, and Hinnant follows with 79 rebounds (3.0 per game). Junior guard Japhet McNeil has a team-high 144 assists this season, and junior guard Courtney Captain adds 55 season assists.

The game marks the seventh overall meeting in the all-time series between the two schools, with East Carolina leading the series, 6-0. In the last meeting, the Pirates won 77-66 in Greenville, N.C., last season, and also won the last meeting in Hattiesburg, 63-50 in the final game of the 2003-04 season.

In addition, the game also marks the final home appearance for a pair of Southern Miss seniors - Jason Forte and Tyler Quinn. Forte, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound forward from Bay Springs, Miss., has had a solid Southern Miss career, competing in 104 games overall and scoring 540 career points and grabbing 316 rebounds. He's currently enjoying his best season in a Golden Eagle uniform, with 234 points and 131 rebounds in 28 games. Quinn, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound guard from Knoxville, Tenn., is a three-year member of the Southern Miss program as a walk-on. While he's competed in only a handful of games in his Golden Eagle career, Quinn has been an important member of the program throughout his tenure at Southern Miss.

Fans who will have been in attendance for Southern Miss Baseball's Saturday game against Illinois State at 1 p.m., can present their baseball ticket stub from the game for half price admission to the basketball game at 4 p.m.. In addition, the first 500 fans entering the basketball game will receive a free Southern Misses Dance Team poster and the squad will be available to sign posters following the game.

Following the game, Southern Miss next travels to take part in The 2006 Conference USA Men's Basketball Championship presented by Aeropostale. The tournament begins on Wednesday, March 8 and continues through Saturday, March 11, at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn.