NEW ORLEANS (AP) Matt Bingaya and Aaron Brown each finished with 14 points and six rebounds, pacing Southern Miss past Tulane 68-51 Thursday night to clinch a share of the Conference USA regular-season title.
The Golden Eagles (26-5, 13-3) share the top spot in the standings with Louisiana Tech and Middle Tennessee. They shot 49.1 percent from the field and went 11 of 20 from deep, with Jerrold Brooks hitting four 3-pointers to finish with 12 points.
Tulane (16-15, 8-8) shot 42.9 percent, but went 4 of 16 beyond the arc. Tomas Bruha and Jay Hook each scored 12 points, and Jonathan Stark added 10.
Southern Miss was leading 17-14, but pulled away, closing the first half on a 19-8 run fueled by a pair of Brooks 3-pointers.
Tulane pulled within nine in the second half, but two Neil Watson 3-pointers helped push the Southern Miss lead to 68-49 with 2:02 remaining.
