Torye Pelham scored 17 points and Maurice Bolden had a double-double Thursday night to lead Southern Miss past UC Irvine 78-67 in the Great Alaska Shootout.
Bolden had 14 points and 10 rebounds, LaShay Page scored 15 points, and Neil Watson had 10 points and nine assists for the Golden Eagles (3-1).
Daman Starring and Chris McNealy led the Anteaters (0-4) with 15 points apiece. Aaron Wright scored 13 and Michael Wilder 11. McNealy had 11 rebounds.
The Golden Eagles, who won their second in a row, will play New Mexico State in the semifinals Friday. UC Irvine will face Central Michigan in the consolation round.
Southern Miss outrebounded UC Irvine 46-39.
The Golden Eagles sprinted ahead 12-3 and never trailed.
Starring and Pelham staged a first-half shootout, each scoring 12 points, as Southern Miss grabbed a 30-24 edge at the break.
