Victor Hart shines as Southern Miss beats No. 19 James Madison, 81-71

Victor Hart scored 16 points and Andre Curbelo had 15 points and nine assists, helping Southern Miss beat No. 19 James Madison, 81-71, on Saturday.

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Austin Crowley had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Golden Eagles (8-7, 2-1 Sun Belt), which earned their second straight win. Cobie Montgomery scored 12 points on 4-for-4 shooting.

Southern Miss shot 49.1% from the field, compared to 39.4% for James Madison. The Golden Eagles also enjoyed a big advantage at the line, making 25 of 33 free throws while the Dukes connected on 13 of 19 foul shots.

Hart went 5 for 11 from the field and 5 for 6 at the line. He also had seven rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots.

T.J. Bickerstaff had 14 points and 16 rebounds for James Madison (14-1, 2-1), which trailed 44-35 at halftime. Terrence Edwards Jr. scored 15 points, and Noah Freidel had 13.

The Dukes entered as the Sun Belt’s top scoring offense and second in 3-point shooting. They were held 20 points under their scoring average and went 2 for 17 from beyond the arc.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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