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GAME NOTES: The 2009-10 Conference USA schedule comes to a close tonight, as the Southern Miss Golden Eagles tangle with the host East Carolina Pirates at Minges Coliseum.

Southern Miss used a barrage of free throws in the final minutes to notch a 66-57 win over Tulane on Tuesday night. The Golden Eagles had lost three of their previous four outings, so they are hoping that victory will provide some momentum heading into next week's C-USA Tournament. They are currently tied for sixth place in the league standings with a 7-8 mark.

East Carolina rallied for a 68-66 win over UCF on Tuesday. The Pirates were in a similar boat as Southern Miss entering that contest, having lost three of their previous four. The Pirates have an 11-3 record at Minges Coliseum this season, although they've lost their last two home games.

Southern Miss notched a 68-53 victory when these two teams met up in Hattiesburg on January 23rd. The all-time series is tied at 7-7.

Over the final two minutes of a close game on Tuesday night, Southern Miss sank 14 free throws to preserve the victory over Tulane. Coach Larry Eustachy said after the game that he was proud of his team's performance late in the game, an area that has plagued the Golden Eagles in some tight games throughout the year. A 21-3 scoring advantage at the foul line in the second half helped make up for Southern Miss' 35.3 percent effort from the floor. Gary Flowers (16 pts, 11 reb) and Maurice Bolden (16 pts, 12 reb) each recorded double-doubles. Sai'Quon Stone nearly tacked on another, as he finished with 10 points and eight boards. Flowers has been the team's anchor during league play, averaging 14.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per tilt. The Golden Eagles are scoring just 59.7 ppg, though they've held opponents to 57.9 ppg.

Trailing by 14 six minutes into the second half against UCF, the Pirates went on a 17-0 run to seize the momentum. During that run, they held the Knights scoreless for nearly seven minutes. Jamar Abrams led the way with 20 points, as he shot an impressive 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Darrius Morrow scored 14 and Jontae Sherrod finished with 10 in the victory. Point guard Brock Young exited with an injury in the second half, although ECU outscored UCF 22-2 during his absence, and he did later return. Young has not missed a start all season long, and he leads the team with 15.3 ppg. Morrow and Abrams have been solid in the low post, proving a nice inside-out game with Young. Morrow is putting up 12.3 points and a team-best 6.7 rebounds per tilt, while Abrams averages 11.3 points and 5.1 boards per game. However, ECU is a woeful -5.0 in turnover margin for the season.

In the most recent outing for both teams, they were able to dig down in the second half and pull out a victory. There has been no indication that Young won't be available for this game, but his health is certainly worth keeping an eye on.