Eagles win in return from the road

Basketball is a game of runs.

Southern Miss put together a couple of good ones Thursday against North Texas at Reed Green Coliseum. The Golden Eagles closed the first half on a 14-2 surge and continued their hot streak after the break, opening the second on a 7-0 run.

The home team used those pushes and a career-high 26 points from senior Quinton Campbell to take down the Mean Green 75-65. The victory improves Doc Sadler’s team to 6-12 overall and 3-3 in Conference USA, while North Texas — losers of seven straight — falls to 6-12 and 0-6.

The points swell also came at an opportune time for the Golden Eagles. It began with the Black and Gold trailing 18-17 with 8 minutes, 21 seconds left in the first half.

Southern Miss, which lost back-to-back games on the road last week, relished its return home. The team shot 44 percent from the field, its highest clip since its last home game, a win over UTEP on Jan. 7. In addition, the Golden Eagles out-rebounded North Texas 37-34, marking just the second time since Nov. 21 they’ve won the battle of the boards.

Campbell’s offensive effort is the third straight home game he’s topped the 20-point mark.

The Golden Eagles’ win came in spite of allowing the Mean Green, the worst 3-point shooting team in the league prior to Thursday’s game, to connect on nine 3-pointers (in 27 attempts). But the visitors’ better-than-average night from long distance was offset by its struggles at the free throw line, where it was just 10-for-24 (41.7 percent).

Meanwhile, Southern Miss connected 25 times in 35 tries from the charity stripe. Sadler’s squad also limited its turnovers, committing just nine to North Texas’ 16.

Michael Ramey scored 11 points in a supporting role, while Cortez Edwards and Kevin Holland each notched 7.

The Golden Eagles return to the floor at 4 p.m. Saturday, when they host Rice.