Southern Miss men’s basketball team secured a 81-77 victory over Texas State on Friday night at the 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Championship. The win, held at the Pensacola Bay Center in Florida, moves Southern Miss (18-15, 9-9) into the quarterfinals where they will face No. 4 App State.
Tylik Weeks led Southern Miss with 32 points, following up his previous game’s 31-point performance against James Madison. Weeks’ scoring included making the first points of the game for Southern Miss and reaching double figures for the 30th time this season. He also became only the second player in single-season program history to record at least 200 free throws, surpassing Nick Revon’s record from the 1953-54 season.
Three other Golden Eagles reached double-digit scoring: Djahi Binet, Isaac Taveras, and Dylan Brumfield each contributed 10 points. Chiante’ Tramble added seven points and Dalyn Brandon hit a three-pointer to improve his season total.
The game saw several lead changes and physical play throughout both halves. Southern Miss shot nearly 57 percent in the first half while holding Texas State to just over 43 percent shooting. Despite a late push by Texas State, Southern Miss maintained its lead in the final minutes with key free throws from Weeks and Binet.
With this win, Southern Miss has now won three straight games and improved their all-time record against Texas State to 6-4. They have also achieved their most wins at a single conference tournament under head coach Jay Ladner.
Southern Miss will next play App State on Saturday evening for a chance to advance to the semifinals against top-seeded Troy.
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