Maurice Bolden's 3-pointer with 58.3 seconds to play gave Southern Mississippi the lead for good, and Neil Watson and Jonathan Mills each hit clutch free throws down the stretch as the Golden Eagles edged Alabama-Birmingham 59-55 on Saturday.
The Golden Eagles (16-3, 3-1 Conference USA) bounced back from a midweek loss at Memphis that snapped their 11-game winning streak.
UAB (5-11, 0-3) has lost all three of its conference games by five points or less, as the Blazers saw a three-game winning streak in Hattiesburg snapped.
Swingman Darnell Dodson, who had managed just four points in Southern Miss' last two games, scored 15 points, while Watson added 11.
UAB guard Jordan Swing hit 5 of 9 3-point attempts and scored a game-high 17 points, while center Cameron Moore added 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
