Pirates look to stay hot in CUSA opener at Southern Miss

East Carolina carries a five-game win streak to Hattiesburg

East Carolina will look to continue its winning ways tonight when it travels to Southern Miss in what will be the league opener for both teams.

The Pirates (9-4), who have won five straight, concluded non-conference play with an easy 91-56 victory over NAIA foe UVA-Wise on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Southern Miss (13-2) has recorded nine consecutive wins under the guidance of eighth-year head coach Larry Eustachy and is coming off a 65-56 triumph at McNeese State on Saturday. The Golden Eagles earned non-conference wins against Ole Miss (86-82), Arizona State (64-61), and South Florida (53-51).

Defensively, ECU is much better than it was a season ago. Jeff Lebo's club ranks third in the league in scoring defense (60.2) while also being tied for third in field goal percentage defense (38.7).

The Pirates' offense has been a work in progress.

"We are playing better on the offensive end, but we still have deficiencies. We still think we have a lot of room for improvement," said second-year ECU coach Jeff Lebo.

Point guard Miguel Paul (15.6 ppg 5.7 a) and Darrius Morrow (13.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg) lead the quartet of Pirates in double figures. However, it is the strides made by Maurice Kemp and Shamarr Bowden that have helped the attack become more complete. Kemp, who averages 10.4 points and 7.2 rebounds, has produced nearly 17 points per contest in the last four games. Meanwhile, he has tallied 41 rebounds in the last three. Bowden, who leads the team in three-pointers made (30) and percentage (44.1%), averages 8.7 points for the season.

The Golden Eagles' line-up features five players in double figures and USM shoots 38.7 from three-point range. Darnell Dodson, a transfer from Kentucky, has lived up to his hype in his first five games in the black and gold by averaging 15 points and seven boards.

"They got a nice Christmas present with Darnell Dodson getting eligible. He's a transfer from Kentucky that 'Cal' (UK coach John Calipari) recruited so you know that he can play. They were winning without him and he's been the leading scorer and rebounder in the five games he has been back," remarked Lebo.

LaShay Page, who averages 14.1 points, has connected on a team-high 44 three-pointers while shooting just under 40 percent from beyond the arc.

Maurice Bolden (11.3 ppg), Angelo Johnson (11.3 ppg) and Neil Watson (10.3) also produce in double figures. Watson, the team's point guard, has made a team-high 70 free throws and is an 88.6% shooter from the stripe. He also dishes out over four assists per game.'

Defensively, USM limits opponents to just 61.1 points and 40.5 percent from the floor.