Page paces Eagles in 79-58 win

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Guard LaShay Page scored a career-high 30 points, including 19 in the first half, to propel Southern Miss to a 79-58 victory at Colorado State.

Page hit 11-of-15 shots, including 8-of-11 three-pointers. His eight threes tie the third most in Southern Miss history and are the most since Clement Carter hit nine against William Carey in 2003.

"I really like the way we bounced back (after the Denver game)," said head coach Larry Eustachy. "It was an incredible exhibition by LaShay (Page), and really all of our guys. The thing that I really like is that we have a lot of room for improvement."

The Golden Eagles started the game on fire, hitting their first five shots. However, Colorado State stayed right with Southern Miss, as they kept the game close for the first seven minutes.

But, USM's hot shooting continued, jumping out to a double-digit lead midway through the second half. Two free throws by Greg Smith pulled the Rams to within eight points with 3:55 to play in the first half. But a three-pointer by Maurice Bolden sent Southern Miss on a 13-2 run to end the half, sending the Eagles into the break with a 47-28 lead. Southern Miss shot 60.0-percent for the half, including 58.3-percent from behind the arc.

The Black and Gold came out in the second half and never led up, leading by as many as 29 points.

Maurice Bolden was the only other Golden Eagle in double-figures, scoring 11 points and grabbing six rebounds. Neil Watson scored nine points and had a game-high eight boards, and Angelo Johnson added eight points.

Southern Miss shot 52.5-percent (31-59) from the field and 55.6-percent from behind the arc. Colorado State connected on just 18-of-43 shots (41.9%) and 6-of-13 (46.2%) from three-point land.

Southern Miss doubled up its opposition on the boards for the second time in three games, as it outrebounded CSU, 37-18.

Greg Smith led the Rams with 18 points, and Jesse Carr scored 13.

Southern Miss now heads to Alaska for the Safeway/Carrs Great Alaska Shootout, November 24-26. The Golden Eagles open the tournament with UC-Irvine on Thursday November 24. Tip-off is set for 11:30 p.m. CT.