NCAA Game Summary - Southern Miss at Missouri

Columbia, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Neil Watson scored 18 points and handed out seven assists as the Southern Miss Golden Eagles registered a rare win against Missouri, 71-63, in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament at Mizzou Arena.

Michael Craig provided the Golden Eagles (29-6) with a major lift off the bench with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while Aaron Brown produced 16 points.

The Tigers (23-12), who entered the meeting with a record of 100-6 at home since the start of the 2008-09 campaign, were led by Earnest Ross with a game- high 22 points on 4-of-7 shooting behind the 3-point line. Jordan Clarkson and Jabari Brown contributed 13 points apiece in the setback.

Missouri opened the meeting on a 5-0 run, but the advantage didn't last long as the host converted just seven field goals in the first half, en route to a 34-29 deficit at the break. Keeping the Tigers from falling further behind was a 4-of-6 effort behind the 3-point line and an 11-5 advantage at the charity stripe through the first 20 minutes.

After shooting 48.0 percent from the field in the first half, USM dropped to just 37.9 percent after intermission, and yet the visitors still had enough left in the tank to pull off the win.

Southern Miss now heads to the quarterfinals on Tuesday where it will contend with Minnesota, after the Golden Gophers defeated Saint Mary's-CA, 63-55, earlier on Sunday.