Maurice Bolden scored 22 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and Southern Mississippi held on to defeat Loyola (N.O.) 78-67 on Tuesday night.
Gary Flowers had 12 points and 14 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season for the Conference USA-leading Golden Eagles (21-6), who faced an NAIA opponent before closing their regular season with three conference games.
Ryan Brock scored 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting for the Wolfpack (13-12), who counted this game as an exhibition, but it wasn't enough to pull off the upset.
Southern Miss (21-6) outrebounded Loyola 40-21 but was outshot 52 percent (26 of 50) to 47.5 percent (29 of 61).
The Golden Eagles led 60-42 with 13:52 left, but Loyola scored the next nine points to get within 68-63 with 4:58 remaining before Southern Mississippi closed it out.
