HATTIESBURG, Mississippi — In a thrilling college basketball matchup on Saturday, Southern Mississippi triumphed over Texas State, clinching a tightly contested victory of 92-88 in overtime.

Alfred Worrell Jr. was the standout performer for Southern Miss, contributing 20 points to the team’s scoreline. As the match drew to a close, Southern Miss demonstrated their poise by scoring the last five points at the free-throw line during the final 11 seconds of regulation. Denijay Harris sealed the victory with two critical free throws just two seconds before the buzzer, while his earlier foul shot with 27 seconds remaining ensured the game headed into overtime, tied at 76.

Worrell’s shooting was impressive, as he hit 7 of 13 attempts, boasting an excellent 6 of 10 success rate from three-point range. In addition to Worrell’s performance, Harris added 19 points and grabbed a remarkable 16 rebounds. Deantoni Gordon also made significant contributions, scoring 13 points from a combination of 5 of 12 shooting from the field and 3 of 4 at the line.

On the opposing side, Mark Drone led the Texas State Bobcats with an outstanding 30-point game, complemented by four steals and two blocks. Tylan Pope put up 18 points, along with six rebounds and two blocks, while Kaden Gumbs filled the stat sheet with 16 points and five assists.

This thrilling encounter underscored the competitiveness of the teams in the league, with Southern Mississippi improving their record to 8-9, and 3-2 within the Sun Belt Conference, while Texas State fell to 9-8 and 2-3 in the conference standings.